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CONTENTS SUMMER 2014 • VOL. 05 ISSUE 02 >> CHERRY ON TOP

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By Styliana Resvanis

Cool Treats We’re Dishing On Gainesville’s Local Ice Cream Parlors To Help You Decide Where To Satisfy Your Craving For Frozen Treats

SWEET DREAMS HOMEMADE ICE CREAM Who needs an ice cream truck when you can dish out frozen treats from a fire truck? For a fee, the parlor will serve up a cold cup or cone at weddings, festivals, corporate events and birthday parties. Sweet Dreams, established in 2004

by Michael Manfredi, makes 24 flavors in-house every Monday and even hosts special events such as Chocolate Night and Wacky Flavor Night.

“Gainesville has a sophisticated palette, and we satisfy that,” Manfredi said. “We’re like the foodie’s ice cream shop.”

WRITTEN BY STYLIANA RESVANIS

S

ummer is synonymous sweet, cold treats, and Gainesville offers no shortage of locales.

From Cold Stone Creamery or TCBY to D’Lites Emporium or Mochi Frozen Yogurt, the options for familiar frozen dessert eateries are seemingly endless.

But we’ve got the scoop on the locally owned ice cream parlors that call Gainesville home -- and with the help of local artwork, brick facades, signature wall colors or live music, each place creates a cozy vibe and a distinct flavor to make you feel at home, too. Read on to find out where you can go to satisfy your late-night sweet tooth, what fire trucks have to do with frozen treats and where you can find chocolate ice cream with a hint of heat.

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It’s also the family’s ice cream shop. The establishment’s décor includes walls painted blue with a yellow moon and white stars, tables shaped like ice cream cones and a mini play kitchen for children. It even has its own landmark in the form of the more than 7-foot-tall ice cream cone that stands as a beacon for ice cream lovers everywhere.

As if it couldn’t get any sweeter, the Sweet Dreams Foundation also raises money and collects material donations for charities including the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals and the Food4Kids Backpack Program of North Florida.

LOCATION: 3437 W University Ave. POPULAR FLAVOR(S): House Chocolate OUR PICKS: Bailey’s Irish cream captures the rich flavor of Bailey’s without the buzz, and Mayan chocolate marries decadence and spice.

HOURS OF OPERATION: Monday through Sunday 12 p.m. to 11 p.m.

www.VisitOurTowns.com

Summer 2014 | 29

Summer is here and so is the sweltering heat of the Sunshine State. But there are ways to beat the heat, including a trip to a local ice cream parlor to savor some nice, cool scoops. Here is a guide to some independent ice shops in Gainesville.

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>> HEALING ART

By Crystal Henry

Liminal Bell UF Health Unveils Liminal Bell to Mark Cancer Treatment Milestones

WRITTEN BY CRYSTAL HENRY PHOTOGRAPHY BY KRISTEN KOZELSKY

T

he first step over the threshold into the cancer treatment center marks the beginning of a difficult journey for cancer patients. The road ahead will put their body, mind and spirit through rigorous strains

in order to defeat an unwanted force in their lives. The first step into that journey is a harrowing one to face, so it is only fitting that the first step out should be met with symbolic celebration.

Debra Hutchinson has a long history in oncology, and throughout her career she has seen the end of cancer treatment celebrated in different ways. At one facility they formed a kazoo band that played pomp and circumstance for patients finishing their treatment, but there wasn’t any kind of fanfare in her department at Shands. So, she and another nurse collaborated to find a way to celebrate patients in their department. It started with the idea for a nice sounding little bell attached to the wall for patients to ring as they walked out from their final treatment. But they needed to get approval for anything they wanted to hang in the hall.

Tina Mullen, director of Shands Arts in Medicine was called upon to give her approval, however she had to decline their

48 | Summer 2014

www.VisitOurTowns.com

Summer 2014 | 49

When a cancer patient finishes chemotherapy it is indeed time to celebrate. With that thought in mind, UF Health Davis Cancer Pavilion now boasts handcrafted oak benches and a bell created from an oxygen tank by local artist Alexis Dold. The space is a place of celebration as well as a place of reflection for those undergoing treatment.

>> EVERY DROP P COUN COUNTS OUN OUN OU UNTS T

154

How ow to ave a Life Liffe Save

Donate Blood

LifeSouth Remains the Sole Supplier of Blood in the Alachua County Region

WRITTEN BY AMANDA WILLIAMSON

A

young woman — maybe a local college student, a friend, a daughter — crashes headlong

As for those walking around with the life-saving, universal O negative, Bialeck considers it a moral obligation

into the front of another vehicle as she drives to work one morning. As the vehicle flips, her body

to donate. In trauma situations, doctors usually do not have time to check a patient’s blood type, so they give

bounces around the car compartment. Police determine she wasn’t wearing her seatbelt, but somehow she’s hanging on to life. She is rushed to the hospital.

Time is essential. The hospital immediately rec-

them O negative. As a result, the supply goes quickly.

The LifeSouth Blood Center usually has a sign hanging outside its buildings telling passersby the community is currently in an emergency need for the

ognizes she has lost too much blood and begins to transfuse her with O negative blood.

blood type.

Sometimes people respond to the plea. Others just

She lives. But the story doesn’t always end so positively.

According to Laura Bialeck, LifeSouth District Community Development Coordinator, only 5 percent of the people in the blood bank’s service region donate

drive by. But for those who stop, Bialeck said the center greatly appreciates the time well spent.

On June 14, the community center wants to say thank you. It’s World Donor Day, and they are recogniz-

life-saving blood. Of those people, there’s a significantly smaller percentage that carry the universal O negative

ing those who donate by providing free movie tickets while supplies last.

and still take time to donate.

“If you go to any of the hospitals in our community and you need blood, it’s going to be there because someone local donated it,” Bialeck said. “We’re the sole

“Do something amazing,” the theme for this year’s event, rings true to Bialeck’s words.

The World Health Organization started World Blood Donor Day to raise awareness of the need for safe blood

supplier of the blood products.”

and blood products and to thank voluntary unpaid

154 | Summer 2014

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By Amanda Williamson

www.VisitOurTowns.com

Summer 2014 | 155

The gift of life. It began with only a dozen employees in an unassuming bungalow with a donor room so small that tall donors could touch the opposite wall with their feet.

Today, LifeSouth serves more than 100 hospitals in Florida, Georgia and Alabama and has nearly 800 employees.

PHOTO BY TOM MORRISSEY

ON THE COVER

58 >> FEATURES 34

Fire(work) Pyrotechnician John Casse has Been Lighting Up the Skies Over UF for More Than 20 Years

Local musicians, Norah Parks Church (bass), Alivia Hunter (drums) and Emma Lammens (guitar), rock our cover for a story on the Gainesville’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Camp for Girls. Last year the camp kicked off it’s inaugural event and it’s going strong again this summer.

BY STYLIANA RESVANIS

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Power Chord Gainesville Girls Rock Camp Promotes Personal Power and Creative Expression

BY JENNIFER RIEK

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Rachael Ray Challenge Saving Lives One Paw at a Time

BY CRYSTAL HENRY

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Pets With Benefits There are Healthy Advantages to Having a Furry Companion

BY AMANDA WILLIAMSON

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Tech Toybox Ideas Come To Life

BY AMANDA WILLIAMSON

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Interview: Mike Myers Co-founder of the Repurpose Project

BY DAMIAN GONZALEZ

104 Saving Spaces Alachua Conservation Trust Aims to Protect Florida’s Fragile Ecosystems

BY AMANDA WILLIAMSON

COLUMNISTS 44 Crystal Henry NAKED SALSA 92 Albert Isaac DIFFERENT NOTE 102 Brian “Krash” Kruger GATE CRASHING 110 Terri Schlichenmeyer READING CORNER 164 Ericka Winterrowd ADVENTURES IN APPETITE

INFORMATION 22 Charity of the Month Winners 120 Taste of the Town 128 Community Calendar 168 Advertiser Index

The articles printed in Our Town Magazine™ do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Tower Publications, Inc. or their editorial staff. Our Town Magazine endeavors to accept reliable advertising; however, we can not be held responsible by the public for advertising claims. Our Town Magazine reserves the right to refuse or discontinue any advertisement. All rights reserved. © 2014 Tower Publications, Inc.

www.VisitOurTowns.com

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Published quarterly by Tower Publications, Inc. www.towerpublications.com

PUBLISHER Charlie Delatorre charlie@towerpublications.com EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Albert Isaac editor@towerpublications.com fax: 1-800-967-7382 OFFICE MANAGER Bonita Delatorre bonita@towerpublications.com ART DIRECTOR Hank McAfee hank@towerpublications.com GRAPHIC DESIGN Neil McKinney neil@towerpublications.com CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Damian Gonzalez Crystal Henry Courtney Lindwall Styliana Resvanis Jennifer Riek Darla Kinney Scoles Natanya Spies Amanda Williamson

142 PHOTOS BY NATANYA SPIES

In the heart of the Drakensburg Mountains in Didima Valley lies a quaint thatched wedding chapel with the view of the rugged mountains on one side and rolling hills on the other.

>> FEATURES 112

Hatch a Plan A Dozen Things to Contemplate When Considering Backyard Birds

INTERNS Shayna Posses Ericka Winterrowd ADVERTISING SALES Nancy Short 352-372-3245 nancy@towerpublications.com Helen Mincey 352-416-0209 helen@towerpublications.com Jenni Bennett 352-416-0210 jenni@towerpublications.com Pam Sapp 352-416-0213 pam@towerpublications.com

BY DARLA KINNEY SCOLES

142 Under The African Sun

Annie Waite

352-416-0204

annie@towerpublications.com

A Guide to the Rainbow Nation

BY NATANYA SPIES

160 It’s a Hog’s Life Melrose’s Swine Sanctuary

BY COURTNEY LINDWALL

14 | Summer 2014

ADVERTISING OFFICE 4400 NW 36th Avenue Gainesville, FL 32606 352-372-5468 352-373-9178 fax

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SPECIAL >> SUMMERLAND TOUR 2014

Everclear, Soul Asylum, Eve 6 and Spacehog Coming to Ocala in June Art Alexakis, lead guitarist and vocalist of Everclear, formed this ’90s nostalgia tour in 2012. The tour has featured such classic throwback bands as Gin Blossoms, Lit, Sugar Ray, Marcy Playground, Live, Filter, and Sponge. He started the tour to bring some of the most well known alternative ‘90s bands back to today’s rock music scene.

“This tour just seems to get better and better every year,” Alexakis is quoted as saying on the Spacehog website. “Both the bands and the fans are starting to connect with the name ‘Summerland.’ It seems like it’s becoming synonymous with ’90s Alternative Rock.”

Summerland Tour 2014 kicks off on June 13th in Pompano Beach and will be stopping in more 30 cities across the United States. The tour comes to Bubba Raceway Park in Ocala on Sunday, June 15.

The inaugural tour was billed as one of Rolling Stone’s “10 Hottest Summer Package Tours of 2012.”

The four bands comprising this year’s Summerland Tour still have a constant presence on the airwaves across the country and many smash hit singles and millions of albums

16 | Summer 2014

sold between them. With songs such as “Father of Mine,” “Santa Monica,” “I Will Buy You A New Life,” “Somebody To Shove,” “Runaway Train,” “Think Twice” and “In the Meantime” being performed nightly, Summerland 2014 is set to provide the best soundtrack to a great summer’s evening.

EVERCLEAR Everclear has sold more than 9 million albums globally. The band released Invisible Stars in 2012, their first album of new material in six years, as well as cover songs and re-recordings of past hits, which they named “Return to Santa Monica.” Everclear plans to continue touring and recording, and of course, Art Alexakis will continue the Summerland tour in years to come. Their hits include: “Santa Monica” and “Father of Mine.”

SOUL ASYLUM Born and bred in Minneapolis, MN, Soul Asylum formed in 1981 and since their inception the band has delivered heartfelt and passionate rock ‘n’ roll. They are currently in the process of recording an album of all new material to be released in

2014. Their hits include: “Runaway Train” and “Somebody to Shove.”

EVE 6 Southern California’s Pop-punk trio, Eve 6 exploded onto the mainstream with RCA records before they were of legal drinking age, but called it quits in 2004 shortly after their success. The group reunited in 2012, and released “Speak in Code” through Fearless Records. Their hits include: “Inside Out” and “Here’s To The Night.”

SPACEHOG Formed in 1994 during the peak of grunge-rock, Spacehog was heavily influenced by artists such as T. Rex, Iggy Pop, Queen, and David Bowie and The Spiders. The band once again released an album produced

by Bryce Goggin in 2013 entitled “As It Is On Earth,” which is now available. Their hits include: “In the Meantime” and “Cruel To Be Kind.”

SUMMERLAND TOUR 2014 Sunday, June 15 2:00 PM - 9:00 PM Bubba Raceway Park 9050 N.W. Gainesville Rd., Ocala www.summerlandtour.net

MESSAGE >> FROM THE EDITOR

Pets, Pigs and More!

So, we have some new additions to the family (no, not pigs): Jasmine and Lily — dogs my wife rescued, so to speak, from owners who could no longer care for them. We acquired Lily last year and for a while she provided a welcome companion to good old Pepper, our pit bull, during the last months of his life. When he passed away, it wasn’t long before we welcomed another pet into our home to keep Lily company. I’m not sure what would have become of these dear doggies had we not taken them in (hopefully, someone else would have adopted them). But now they’re ours and they are settling into the Isaac household, only occasionally tearing up stuff and doing other unmentionables.

Pets, particularly dogs and cats, quickly become part of the family, and as such they can bring a wide-range of benefits to their owners. In this issue we offer you a pair of stories about pets. One feature describes the benefits of owning dogs and cats, while the other is about a program in which shelters across the country compete to break their own records at saving the lives of animals in their community. Alachua County Animal Services was one of only 50 shelters nationwide to be selected for the 2014 ASPCA Rachael Ray $100K Challenge. This summer, its goal is to save more dogs, cats, puppies and kittens than they had during the same period last year.

Speaking of saving animals, we also bring you a feature about a very different kind of animal rescue — that of the porcine variety. Read about Rooterville’s potbelly pig (and others) sanctuary and its efforts to change people’s perceptions.

Do you know you can have chickens in Gainesville?

Well, you can, but there are rules and regulations.

Learn more about raising city chickens in this issue.

We live in the country and have considered raising chickens. But I’m afraid the dogs and cats would eat them. Not to mention the other wild and ravenous critters that populate our woods in the evening hours.

We also bring you stories ranging from rock ‘n’ roll girls camp to fireworks, from ice cream shops to a high-tech “toybox.”

So enjoy your summer and sit back with a refreshing beverage and enjoy this magazine! s

Come visit us at our new nest!

Just down the way from The Fresh Market

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STAFF >> CONTRIBUTORS Natanya Spies

Damian Gonzalez

is a senior studying journalism at the University of Florida.

She is originally from Pretoria, South Africa, and her love for writing started when she used it as a way to improve her English after moving to the United States as a 6-year-old.

Damian Gonzalez is a sophomore at UF. He aims to attend law school following his time here in Gainesville. Until then, you can usually find him running around town working for various organizations or eating at local restaurants.

nspies@ufl.edu

damian9472@ufl.edu

Amanda Williamson

Crystal Henry

is a recent graduate of UF’s College of Journalism and Communications. She has been writing for as long as she can remember. She enjoys spending time with her friends, family and animals.

is a freelance writer and columnist born and raised in West Texas. She received her B.S. in Journalism in 2006 from the University of Florida. She is in love with the Florida landscape.

awilliamson@ufl.edu

ces03k@gmail.com

Jennifer Riek

Courtney Lindwall

is a freelance writer and a student at UF’s College of Journalism. She was born and raised in Seattle, and delights in all things classy or humorous. Needless to say, she would die in the wild.

is a Florida native, now studying journalism at UF. She loves telling and hearing good stories. In her little bit of free time, she enjoys hiking, camping and eating delicious food.

screaminnocence@gmail.com

c.lindwall@ufl.edu

Styliana Resvanis

Darla Kinney Scoles

received her bachelor’s degree in journalism from UF. She enjoys freelance writing, singing and testing new recipes in her spare time. A lover of all things cultural, she dreams of learning new languages and traveling the world.

remembers taking a high school journalism class and falling in love with the process. Oodles of years, one husband, three daughters and multitudinous stories later, she’s still in love with it all.

That, and dark chocolate.

sresvanis@gmail.com

darlakinneyscoles@gmail.com

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From conception to completion, Graetz Remodeling is Gainesville’s premier renovation contracting firm.

Another

SATISFIED GRAETZ REMODELING HOMEOWNER:

In your advertising, you claim, “We make your dreams come true.” Well, YOU DID IT!!! I want to thank the Graetz “family” for taking my “dream” and making it three-dimensional. You and your staff are courteous, accommodating and willing to go the extra mile on the construction journey.

Please express my appreciation to all whose hands contributed to my project.

-WITH WARMEST REGARDS, MR. SABATELLA Proudly serving Gainesville & the surrounding area!

LICENSE # CBC059630

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www.VisitOurTowns.com

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CHARITY OF THE MONTH

Chi Omega’s Sandblast FEBRUARY 2014 WINNER – 2039 VOTES

It all began on April 5, 1895, at the University of Arkansas when four young women, with the help of a local dentist, established the secrets and symbolism that today bind over 260,000 women.

This small band of women founded Chi Omega after realizing a need for an organization that would foster both friendship and respect for the potential and inherent value of women.

Over the years, Chi Omega has provided its members with unique opportunities in leadership, scholarship and lifelong friendship, while striving to provide each sister with a commitment to personal integrity, excellence in academic and intellectual pursuits, community service, leadership opportunities and social enrichment.

The Eta Delta Chapter of Chi Omega was born on September 11, 1948 and was one of the original five sororities on the University of Florida campus.

Since 1895, six purposes have served as a guide for every Chi Omega chapter. Today, they remain as valid as ever. Those six purposes are: Friendship, High Standards of Personnel, Sincere Learning and Creditable Scholarship, Participation in Campus Activities, Career Development, and Community Service.

One of Chi Omega’s biggest philanthropic charities is the Sandblast, an annual volleyball tournament that benefits the Make-a-Wish Foundation.

The ladies of Chi Omega coach fraternities, sororities and independent teams. They spend the day in the sun

22 | Summer 2014 2014

sand bumping, spiking and setting to raise money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, which grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions.

With the money raised at Sandblast, Chi Omega has granted wishes such as a trip to Disney World and a day playing basketball with Will Smith. In 2012-2013, the sisters of Eta Delta raised more than $14,000, which was enough money to grant four wishes.

The sorority enjoys spending time at local charities in the Gainesville community. And the sisters do their part by tutoring children at the Boys and Girls Club, delivering food for Meals on Wheels, and donating supplies to Alachua County public schools. Around the holidays, Chi Omegas can be found wrapping gifts for Operation Christmas Child and also participating in community service projects, such as Ghouls, Goblins, and Greeks.

As part of their mission statement Chi Omega strives, “to place scholarship before social obligations and character before appearances; to be, in the best sense, democratic rather than ‘exclusive’, and lovable rather than ‘popular’; to work earnestly, to speak kindly, to act sincerely, to choose thoughtfully that course which occasion and conscience demand.”

Through Sandblast, it’s clear that UF’s Chi Omega is living up to their mission. s

TO NOMINATE A CHARITY OF YOUR CHOICE OR TO VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITE NOMINEES, VISIT:

www.facebook.com/SunStateFCU and click on “Charity of the Month”.

www.VisitOurTowns.com

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CHARITY OF THE MONTH

Carson Springs Foundation MARCH 2014 WINNER – 1828 VOTES

Carson Springs Wildlife Conservation Foundation rescues exotic animals in need, housing and supporting conservation of endangered species. The Foundation also has a rehabilitation license for native wildlife.

Its mission is to provide homes for abandoned and abused exotic animals, house endangered species and support continuing genetic diversity. It also provides education about nature and the role of large predators.

Alachua County, Florida, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife, and the United States Department of Agriculture license the Foundation.

Over 20 species and 53 exotic animals can be found at the Conservation. Species such as the African Lion, Cheetah, Tiger, Puma, Serval, and Emu all reside on the grounds. Tours are available to sponsors, donors and children’s groups.

Founders Christine and Barry Janks founded Carson Springs Wildlife Conservation and provide their time and land to the animals with 100 percent of all donations going directly to animal care, food and housing.

The Foundation provides educational opportunities and activities for a wide variety of people, including school groups, college and vet students, 4H groups and continuing education for veterinarians.

The Foundation has very strict protocols for safety, optimal care, and their enclosures far exceed the minimum standard set by the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The enclosures for the animals are all on natural grass, with trees and bushes. No animal is housed on concrete.

The animals get a varied diet and vitamins for optimum health accompanied with clean fresh water at all

24 | Summer Summer 2014 2014

times. Every cage is cleaned daily and several veterinarians are available to treat the animals as needed.

A rescue animal such as Samer, the African Lion, has a second chance at life after the Conservation took him in and nursed him back to life.

Samer is about seven and was brought to a vet to be euthanized. Known as a “wobbler” lion, he suffers from a neurological condition and is has trouble with balance.

His condition has greatly improved through nutritional therapy and a good diet. He is also benefitting from a large enclosure where his muscle tone has greatly improved.

Another rescue animal is Sunflower, a three-yearold Bengal Tiger. She was also brought to the vet to be euthanized. It was reported that she was having seizures and her original origins were obscured but clearly she was being discarded.

Her happiness and joy of life is an inspiration to all who meet her. She appears to have had some training so it’s likely she came from a traveling circus. She is a bit cross eyed, most likely the result of inbreeding.

Fortunately, through good diet and proper habitat, she is thriving and has become very healthy — another success story for Carson Springs Wildlife Conservation Foundation. s To schedule a tour: 352-468-2827 or contact@cswildlife.org.

TO NOMINATE A CHARITY OF YOUR CHOICE OR TO VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITE NOMINEES, VISIT:

www.facebook.com/SunStateFCU and click on “Charity of the Month”.

www.VisitOurTowns.com

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CHARITY OF THE MONTH

Beauty’s Haven Farm APRIL 2014 WINTER – 3735 VOTES

They’ve done it again. Beauty’s Haven Farm and Equine Rescue is April’s Charity of the Month winner.

Here’s the backstory: When Theresa Batchelor received a call about a young Arabian mare that had been seized by the county due to neglect, she knew the mare, now named Beauty, was not the only one in need of rescuing.

After a surgery to remove a tumor that was growing inside Batchelor’s spinal cord, she had permanent nerve damage. Her life changed dramatically when she was left quadriplegic and was told she would never walk again.

Through physical therapy, tenacity and faith, she did regain use of her limbs. However, Batchelor has no feeling or proprioception below her neck — she is what is called an incomplete quadriplegic. She has no idea where her arms and legs are unless she is looking at them. She was advised to give up many of her favorite activities, including horseback riding.

Enter: Beauty. The mare had been traumatized by prior abuse, and to say she did not like people would be an understatement. Gaining her trust seemed impossible, but Batchelor has experience with overcoming impossible situations.

She had a plan — she would spend each day with Beauty, teaching her voice commands. Over the course of a few months Beauty finally began to heal. She seems to sense that Batchelor is different. This has only helped to strengthen their bond, which developed into a beautiful and trusting relationship that led Batchelor to be able to horseback ride again.

Because of this experience, Batchelor was inspired to start a non-profit organization in 2006 called Beauty’s Haven Farm and Equine Recue. The purpose is to help as many equine friends as possible when they are in

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need. The charity networks with other rescue organizations and individuals, and works to educate others about horse slaughter in an effort to make it illegal — not just in the United States but also in Canada, Mexico, and other countries.

Horses that arrive at the rescue come from auctions and kill buyers; some are surrendered by owners who can no longer care for them and others are seized by authorities. The organization tries to help horses that are desperately in need of a safe place to go. Once a horse is at the rescue, then comes the costs of rehabilitation, training, proper feed and care.

Expenses include initial care, grain, feed and other necessities, which are costly. Some horses with special needs will live out their days there.

Jeanne Bartsch is on the board of directors for the rescue, and said this organization is unique because Batchelor takes in horses that other rescues might not because of the cost it would take to rehabilitate them.

“If they need acupuncture they get it, if they need massage therapy they get it,” Bartsch said. “She never gives up on them.” s

TO NOMINATE A CHARITY OF YOUR CHOICE OR TO VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITE NOMINEES, VISIT:

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>> CHERRY ON TOP

We’re Dishing On Gainesville’s Local Ice Cream Parlors To Help You Decide Where To Satisfy Your Craving For Frozen Treats WRITTEN BY STYLIANA RESVANIS ummer is synonymous with sweet, cold treats, and Gainesville offers no shortage of locales.

From Cold Stone Creamery or TCBY to D’Lites Emporium or Mochi Frozen Yogurt, the options for familiar frozen dessert eateries are seemingly endless.

S

But we’ve got the scoop on the locally owned ice cream parlors that call Gainesville home — and with the help of local artwork, brick facades, signature wall colors or live music, each place creates a cozy vibe and a distinct flavor to make you feel at home, too. Read on to find out where you can go to satisfy your late-night sweet tooth, what fire trucks have to do with frozen treats and where you can find chocolate ice cream with a hint of heat.

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SWEET DREAMS HOMEMADE ICE CREAM Who needs an ice cream truck when you can dish out frozen treats from a fire truck? For a fee, the parlor will serve up a cold cup or cone at weddings, festivals, corporate events and birthday parties. Sweet Dreams, established in 2004

by Michael Manfredi, makes 24 flavors in-house every Monday and even hosts special events such as Chocolate Night and Wacky Flavor Night.

“Gainesville has a sophisticated palette, and we satisfy that,” Manfredi said. “We’re like the foodie’s ice cream shop.”

It’s also the family’s ice cream shop. The establishment’s décor includes walls painted blue with a yellow moon and white stars, tables shaped like ice cream cones and a mini play kitchen for children. It even has its own landmark in the form of the more than 7-foot-tall ice cream cone that stands as a beacon for ice cream lovers everywhere.

As if it couldn’t get any sweeter, the Sweet Dreams Foundation also raises money and collects material donations for charities including the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals and the Food4Kids Backpack Program of North Florida.

LOCATION: 3437 W University Ave. POPULAR FLAVOR(S): House Chocolate OUR PICKS: Bailey’s Irish cream captures the rich flavor of Bailey’s without the buzz, and Mayan chocolate marries decadence and spice.

HOURS OF OPERATION: Monday through Sunday 12 p.m. to 11 p.m.

www.VisitOurTowns.com

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THE GELATO COMPANY What makes gelato special? Unlike its American counterpart, gelato — Italian for “ice cream” — boasts a smoother and creamier texture while packing less fat and calories. The Gelato Co. has called Gainesville home for more than eight years and makes 15 to 25 flavors in-house daily. The brickwalled interior keeps the lighting dim to create a cozy vibe that is accented by the old-fashioned wooden piano in one corner. The establishment also displays a large, gold-framed chalkboard for patrons to scribble flavor recommendations.

“I get to experiment with different flavors,” said worker Leo Febrian, who makes the gelato using a “machine that looks like R2-D2.” He said the best flavor he’s created so far is avocado-banana.

If decadent dessert isn’t enough of a draw, the restaurant also offers sandwiches, salads and crepes. And as an added bonus, patrons automatically receive a small gelato with the purchase of a meal and a drink.

LOCATION: 11 SE 1st Ave. POPULAR FLAVOR(S): Chocolate obsession, cheesecake OUR PICKS: Raspberry mascarpone is fruity without being too tart or overwhelming, and mint chocolate chip is refreshing with a hint of sweetness.

HOURS OF OPERATION: Monday through Wednesday 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.; .m.; Thursday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 12 a.m.; Sunday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

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KARMA CREAM

COFFEE N’ CREAM

At Karma Cream, you can have your ice cream and be socially conscious too. This organic, fair-trade dessert café serves 24 flavors of vegan and non-vegan organic ice cream until the wee hours of the morning. All the ice cream is free of artificial flavors, colors and preservatives, and the non-vegan flavors use dairy from grass-fed cows while the vegan options come in coconut- or rice-milk bases.

Though not technically in Gainesville, Coffee n’ Cream is a 10- to- 15-minute drive away in Micanopy, where visitors can take a break from walking the strip of antique shops by indulging in a cup or cone of ice cream.

“A lot of people can’t eat dairy, so it’s nice to give people options,” said worker John Stoltz during a busy Friday afternoon shift surrounded by bright-green walls adorned with local artwork and students studying on laptops.

Karma Cream als also composts all its food waste and offers 100 percen percent plant-based, compostable to-go containers. And a aside from ice cream, the establishment offers vega vegan food and baked goods as well.

LOCATION: 1025 W University Ave. LOCATIO

In its 12th year of business, the restaurant sees many familiar faces — in fact, owner Kelly Harris said about 50 percent of patrons are regular customers. And because patrons are familiar and happy with the 34 ice cream flavors the restaurant offers, Harris said she usually sticks to the same options, with the exception of a special flavor every so often.

Aside from homemade waffle cones and Working Cow and De Conna ice cream, Coffee n’ Cream also sells jam, jelly and salsa and serves food and — you guessed it — coffee. To top it all off, the restaurant offers front-porch seating and live bluegrass music on the weekends. s LOCATION: 201 NE Cholokka Blvd., Micanopy

POPULAR FLAVOR(S): Liz Lemon cookie, POP

chocolate hazelnut fudge OUR PICKS: Chocolate orange because pairing fruit and chocolate is always a good idea, and milk n’ cookies because it’s reminiscent of a favorite childhood snack HOURS OF OPERATION: Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 1:30 a.m.; Saturday and Sunday 12 p.m. to 1:30 a.m.

POPULAR FLAVOR(S): Chocolate, vanilla, salted caramel OUR PICKS: Pistachio, because you get the flavor of pistachios without having to crack the nuts, and blueberry cheesecake because you can indulge in the richness of cheesecake without doing the baking.

HOURS OF OPERATION: Monday through Thursday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Friday 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

www.VisitOurTowns.com

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ADVERTISEMENT

Ask the Experts: Recycling in Alachua County Do you know where waste and recycling goes after you

RECYCLABLE AT LOCAL BUSINESSES:

toss it? Alachua County has zero active landfills, yet we

• Styrofoam peanuts (any shipping store)

produce around 700 tons of waste every day. Our gar-

• Small electronics (many electronics stores have recy-

bage is transported in long haul trailers to New River Landfill in Union County where we pay to dispose of it. In addition to disposal fees, this contributes to wear

cling programs) • Flower pots (farmers market vendors and some small plant shops)

and tear on our roads and increased emissions from the powerful trucks needed to transport our waste.

A common issue with curbside pickup is recyclables tied in plastic bags. Alachua County’s recyclables are

Whether you are motivated by decreased disposal

sorted by hand, and as items speed across a conveyor

costs, environmental benefits or a moral obligation to

belt, a handful of people are responsible for sorting and

reduce your impact on our planet, we should all aim to

separating the hundreds of tons of plastic, glass, metal

reduce our waste. An easy way to do this is recycling,

and paper materials. There isn’t enough time with this

but sometimes recycling can get confusing, and sadly,

process to open a plastic before sorting recyclables

not every item placed in a recycling bin gets recycled.

at the processing facility. It is up to us to provide the cleanest flow of materials possible with as little gar-

Styrofoam egg cartons and blocks, packing peanuts,

bage, broken glass or items tied in bags as possible.

plastic bags, flower pots, recyclables tied up in plastic bags and pizza boxes get thrown out every day even

Alachua County is making a major push to reduce

though they are recyclable. Most of these items could

waste and increase recycling efforts in our community.

easily be recycled at a grocery store, local business or

The state of Florida has mandated every county reach

even in your curbside recycling bins. Below is a guide

a 75 percent recycling rate by 2020, and currently,

to help you recycle the items listed above, as well as

Alachua County’s recycling rate is 55 percent. While

some information about items now accepted by our

this is an impressive start, we still have a long way to

curbside recycling program:

go before we reach our 75 percent recycling goal. By working together to recycle or reuse whenever pos-

NEWLY ADDED RECYCLABLES:

sible, we will not only achieve our goal, but we will also

• Juice and milk cartons, aka “aseptic” and “gable

improve our environment, reduce disposal costs and

top” cartons (place in blue bin)

reduce the wear and tear on our roads.

• Paperback books (place in orange bin) • Clean pizza boxes – free of grease and food particles (place in orange bin) RECYCLABLE AT MOST GROCERY STORES: • Plastic bags • Styrofoam egg cartons and small blocks

If you have any questions about recycling or waste management in Alachua County please contact the Alachua County Waste Management Division at 352-338-3233 or visit us at www.strivefor75.org.

Committed to our 75% recycling goal!

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www.VisitOurTowns.com

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>> THE ROCKET’S RED GLARE

Fire(work) Pyrotechnician John Casse has Been Lighting Up the Skies Over UF for More Than 20 Years

WRITTEN BY STYLIANA RESVANIS utterflies flutter inside John Casse’s stomach as he prepares for the show at Flavet Field.

Much like an athlete shakes off nerves before a game, he reminds himself that he’s ready.

He arrives around 5 p.m. to set up and check that all the electrical wiring is properly connected. After more than four hours of waiting, checking, eating and more waiting, he’s about to light up the night at the University of Florida’s Fanfares & Fireworks Independence Day Eve event.

As the patriotic music plays and the fireworks erupt, bystanders turn their eyes up, surprised and mesmerized by the white-hot stars exploding into the sky, the air crackling and sizzling like static electricity.

Flashes of red, blue, orange and white burst into the air, then alternate with twinkling starburst patterns that leave yellow trails behind as they fade.

About 15 minutes later, the rumbling fades as smoke forms clouds and the crowd begins to disperse.

Casse indulges in a feeling of accomplishment for a minute or two, giving himself a mental pat on the back

B

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and exchanging handshakes and high-fives with his employees. Then he gets back to work, knowing he still has about an hour’s worth of cleanup ahead of him and several more shows to prepare for the next day.

And on July 5, he’ll rest.

Casse has produced fireworks shows at the University of Florida for more than 20 years. But aside from the university’s annual Fourth of July show (which he will work again this year), the 2012 Gator Growl pep rally and various sporting events, his Ocala-based company, Skylighters of Florida, has handled pyrotechnics for the New York Yankees, high school graduation ceremonies, charity events, Veterans Day celebrations and more.

The 50-year-old, who grew up watching two generations of Casse men master the art of pyrotechnics in the Midwest, oversees 20 to 30 fireworks displays per year and has traveled as far as Indiana and New York to help with shows.

His earliest recollection of fireworks dates back to when he was 12 years old, gazing up at the brightly lit sky in honor of a 1976 bicentennial celebration — the

PHOTO BY STYLIANA RESVANIS

www.VisitOurTowns.com

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PHOTOS BY STYLIANA RESVANIS and ELISE GIORDANO

Each fireworks shell label includes information on the shell’s size, color and design. Those shells are then loaded into mortar tubes, or launchers.

200th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence — in Ocala. He also remembers helping his father set up displays in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

“Once the show was about ready to start, I would have to leave because I wasn’t old enough,” Casse said.

“I had to move over to where the spectators were.”

Casse has had several exciting jobs over the years but said one of the most memorable is the one that got away.

During the 1992 presidential election, the business received a request to do pyrotechnics for Bill Clinton

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and Al Gore in Ocala at an event, which would air on CNN. Two days before the show, Casse and his crew were preparing a display, complete with a light-up sign spelling “Clinton-Gore,” when campaign workers canceled because of safety concerns.

Casse’s company also produced a fireworks show at a birthday celebration for George Steinbrenner — late owner and managing partner of the Yankees — in Tampa after Casse’s father fielded a call from the mogul’s wife and agreed to work the event. The

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problem? Steinbrenner’s birthday fell on July Fourth, a holiday synonymous with fireworks.

Casse couldn’t make it to Tampa himself because he was working another celebration, but he scrambled to gather extra manpower and even called a contact in Atlanta to pitch in. In the end, his employees pulled off the event without a hitch.

Despite the fact that none of his relatives or employees has ever been seriously injured, his wife still worries about him on the job — after all, where there’s explosive material there’s risk, and he said it’s especially dangerous around the Fourth of July because of the increased demand for pyrotechnics.

“My belief is when you stop fearing [fireworks], that’s when you can have a problem; when you become too comfortable and let your guard down,” he said.

While some danger remains, the switch to electronically controlled fireworks in the last 15 to 20 years has added some safety, Casse said. At smaller shows, fireworks might still be lit by hand, but he said most shows today are fired wirelessly or with an electronically pushed button.

“Everything is planned out hopefully to the second or to the minute as far as what time you’re going to do what effects,” he said. “It’s broken up into different scenes: an opening, a main body and a finale to cap everything off. Most of the shows you see, especially big ones, use software programs; you turn the key or switch and then the firing panel will shoot the show for you.”

The Casse family’s involvement in pyrotechnics began with Casse’s grandfather, who sold safety equipment such as extinguishers, engines and hoses to an Indiana fire department in the 1940s.

The fire department handled fireworks shows in those days, and the elder Casse’s interest ignited after meeting someone involved with the entertainment explosives.

While his uncle and cousins maintain a fireworks business in Indianapolis, Casse’s father decided to continue his career in the South in the early 1970s. He later passed the torch to his son who, in 1990, founded Skylighters.

These days, Casse runs his business while his father helps out from time to time. Even though he has employees, he said most of them also hold jobs in a variety of fields, such as firefighting and paramedics, because it’s a seasonal business that lacks enough work for a large full-time staff.

The most meaningful fireworks display Casse has ever done was one for an employee’s funeral in Keystone Heights on New Year’s Eve almost five years ago. During the five-minute memorial show, fellow co-workers yelled the man’s name and shouted, “This is for you!”

38 | Summer 2014

PHOTOS BY ELISE GIORDANO

John Casse’s fireworks display lights up the sky at Gator Growl 2012 at UF’s Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.

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“He loved fireworks more than even me,” Casse said. “There were some tears, but also some happy [thoughts], knowing it was something he would’ve been smiling over.”

Every show Casse does requires personalization, which he accomplishes by inquiring what each client is looking for. For UF, the goal is obvious.

“To me, as much orange and blue you can get, you should get,” he said.

The university’s shows vary depending on the event.

The Fourth of July display is a main-attraction event that lasts about 15 to 20 minutes and emphasizes UF’s colors as well as red, white and blue.

On the other hand, Gator Growl or sporting events use fireworks to cap off the night and add a signature at the end of a celebration, Casse said. These shows pack as much entertainment as possible into about three to six minutes.

But no matter how long a show lasts, Casse believes fireworks serve their purpose: to entertain and bring joy to audiences.

“I think people connect with them and view them as a special occasion, a celebration or something happy,” he said. “Maybe it’s all the colors and the noise.”

Casse’s children, however, have become immune to the effects of fireworks. Although their friends find them exciting, he said his sons are more interested in video games and music.

But his oldest child, 20-year-old Camden, does find himself following in his father’s footsteps by helping at events. He is too young now, but someday Casse’s son will be presented with the choice of keeping the business in the family.

“Assuming everything went well and everybody’s safe, there’s no feeling like when it’s over and you hear the crowd cheering.”

“It’s definitely something I’ve kept in mind,” Camden said. The aspiring sports writer, who recently graduated from the College of Central Florida with an associate degree and hopes to transfer to UF, said he would consider maintaining his father’s company on the side if he ends up working for a publication in the state.

But for now, Casse is content to fuel the family fireworks business and brighten the nights of those who witness his work.

“Assuming everything went well and everybody’s safe, there’s no feeling like when it’s over and you hear the crowd cheering,” he said. “That’s basically what it’s all about — that you’ve entertained people.” s

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A Lasting Tribute

for Veterans SunState Federal Credit Union matching funds to help expand the Kanapaha Veteran’s Memorial

F

rom locations in both the Gainesville and Lake City Veterans Administration Medical Centers, SunState Federal Credit Union has a long-standing tradition of honoring and helping area veterans. In its latest efforts, however, SunState is calling upon not only its members, but the community at large as well, for help.

SunState has pledged $7,500 in matching funds for contributions toward the refurbishment of the Veteran’s Memorial at Kanapaha Park in southwest Gainesville. For every dollar contributed to the fund, SunState will match with a dollar of its own in hopes of raising at least $15,000 for the Alachua County Memorial Committee, the group which maintains the Kanapaha facility.

“We want to encourage our members to contribute to this cause,” said David Nicholson, who served in the Marine Corps, is a past commander of Post 16 of the American Legion in Gainesville, and is a current board member for SunState. “We’re committing $7,500, and we really want to encourage the community to support this important endeavor as well.”

The memorial is in need not only of refurbishment, but expansion as well, according to John Gebhardt, Chair of the Alachua County Memorial Committee.

“The memorial is beautiful, but we cannot recognize in proper form veterans from current or future wars,” he said, explaining that the layout is based on a “walk through time” in which one

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foot of space equals one year. Currently the latest entries run into the parking lot, leaving no room for additional recognition.

The plan is to reduce the length representing a year to three quarters of a foot, which will allow inclusion of veterans from current wars and still leave room for 80 more years of space – allowing for a more lasting tribute. New memorial stones will be made, with the existing stones being recycled via donations to other memorial gardens and facilities.

It’s easy to donate! Simply stop into any SunState branch with your donation. Cash or checks accepted.

While there is no deadline to contribute funds, the committee hopes to have the work completed in time for Veterans Day, 2014. The new memorial will be dedicated with a ceremony that day, and the committee expects thousands of people to come out and help in the celebration.

Gebhardt said that SunState reached out to them to offer their support for their project in the form of a matching-funds campaign, which lends a much-needed boost to the cause. To encourage the donations even more, the credit union has made it easy to give; anyone wishing to donate can simply bring a check or cash into any SunState branch and mention that it is for the expansion of the Kanapaha Veterans Memorial. Anyone can give to the cause,

be they a member of the credit union, a citizen of Gainesville, or even a traveler passing through.

Gebhardt, who served with the United States Army in the Vietnam War, is heartened and encouraged by the campaign and looks forward to seeing the support come in. This is because he knows the importance of recognizing those who have served, and he appreciates the contribution that SunState is making to this cause.

“We live in a complex time when there is rich diversity of opinions and activity. All that diversity is guaranteed by the constitution, and vets and current active duty personnel are sworn to protect the constitution. But while we enjoy this diversity, we need to step back and remember who paid the price for the freedoms.

“It’s only right and proper that we recognize the service of all veterans and active duty personnel by erecting monuments in their honor,” he continued.

“And it’s more important to remember those who have paid the supreme price and were killed in action. We live in a very patriotic community – and SunState has stepped up.”

www.sunstatefcu.org

OUR TOWN PUBLISHER’S NOTE

Count us in!

I think this is the first time I have ever done this, but after proofing the magazine and reading this particular commitment that SunState is making to the Veteran’s Memorial in our area, I wanted to offer them our support.

As a life-long resident of Gainesville and Alachua County, my family and I are fortunate to call this area our home. As a business owner and publisher of several area magazines, Tower Publications has always supported the veterans in our area.

Through the pages of Our Town and Senior Times Magazines, we’ve often written about the brave men and women who’ve served the country, and today I’m happy to be able to support them financially.

On behalf of Tower Publications, it is my privilege to commit $1000 to this cause and look forward to seeing the expansion project begin. My hope is that our initial commitment “kick-starts” this campaign and gets SunSate closer to its goal of expanding the Veterans Memorial.

Thank you for committing to this wonderful endeavor and we look forward to covering the grand re-opening of the Kanapaha Veterans Memorial.

CHARLIE DELATORRE, PUBLISHER

www.VisitOurTowns.com

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COLUMN >> CRYSTAL HENRY

Naked Salsa Wildflowers and Weeds

I

was 5, and it was a sunny spring day in West Texas when I found a cluster of tiny white flowers among the dust and sticker burrs of my native landscape. They were so beautiful with their sturdy green stems and delicate white teardrop leaves. I plucked them carefully out of the ground and ran across the yard to show my grandmother my new treasures.

As I bounded in the house my great aunt shrieked, “Get those weeds out of here! I can’t breathe.”

Aunt Darla always had a flair for the dramatic. A chain smoker since she was about 9 years old, she had trouble breathing when people were wearing deodorant.

The smile faded from my face as I looked at the little bouquet.

These couldn’t possibly be weeds.

Weeds were a nuisance; something unwanted and invasive. How could such a tiny burst of beauty be an intrusion on that stark and dusty landscape?

My grandmother told her sister to hush and grabbed a small empty jelly jar. She filled it with water and placed my tiny bouquet in gently.

She displayed the arrangement prominently on the kitchen table, so I beamed and ran outside. Aunt Darla couldn’t take the fumes and had to leave.

I later asked my grandmother if those flowers were in fact weeds.

She paused for a moment and asked me if I thought they were. I said no

44 | Summer 2014

way. The whole yard was dry dirt.

There were painful sticker burrs and fire ant hills dotting the landscape. I got tangled in tumbleweeds as I ran across the dusty yard. These little white flowers seemed so full of life.

They were sturdy enough to survive the harsh conditions of the desert, but they were so delicate and pretty that they stood out among the browns and tans of the land I spent roaming as a child.

Grandma said every year in spring people trek to South Texas to watch the bluebonnets bloom.

The medians and vacant fields are flooded with a sea of blue, then orange swirls when the Indian paintbrushes come to life. Then, as more wildflowers bloom, the pink, purple, yellow and red hues paint the landscape. People pull off the highway to snap pictures of their babies nestled among the wildflowers, and families meet photographers in fields to get professional photos taken with them. But in all actuality these wildflowers are weeds. They aren’t planted like pansies or roses, but instead they grow wild each year just like crab grass or sticker burrs.

But they’re an annual sign of spring. They’ve become a Texas tradition. You can’t even get a Texas driver’s license without presenting proof of residency with a bluebonnet photo and a passing grade on your Alamo factoid quiz.

My grandmother explained that

because of a collective agreement, those wildflowers are deemed valuable. They aren’t weeds because so many people can see their beauty. I asked if she thought my flowers were beautiful. Of course she said yes.

My grandmother taught me that the difference between weeds and flowers is perspective. There are plenty of things in our lives that just pop up. They seem like a nuisance because they are unexpected and different than everything we are used to. But we can make a choice to see these unexpected little blessings as flowers instead of weeds. It’s all about our perspective.

I watched my 4-year-old daughter pluck a dandelion from the grass outside of her school. Instinctively, she closed her blue eyes and blew the fluffy seeds into the wind. I asked if she made a wish, and she giggled and said yes. She whispered that she wished for more dandelions.

I smiled knowing that those little floating seeds were all potential dandelions carrying her wish across the sky. They would soon land, and some of them would in fact make her wish come true.

I’m sure whoever was in charge of keeping the grounds of her preschool would see those future dandelions as a nuisance. A weed to be eradicated. But to my daughter they were a wish come true, and I for one can see the beauty in that. s

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In our latest response to this never-ending growth, we have added yet another pediatrician by welcoming Dr. Stephanie Kirkconnell to the Alliance Pediatrics family!

“I am excited to be joining the Alliance Pediatrics team,” said Dr. Stephanie. “Being your child’s doctor is an honor, and I look forward to serving my patients and community.”

Dr. Stephanie grew up in Gainesville and completed her undergraduate studies and medical training at the University of Florida. During her residency she was selected to serve as Pediatric Chief Resident, a testament to the leadership and innovation that we hold in high regard at Alliance Pediatrics.

But most importantly, she has a heart for ensuring that all families are given equal opportunity for high quality and comprehensive healthcare, and she embraces the patientcentered treatment model that has served our families well. She is accepting new patients and looks forward to creating lasting relationships with the both her patients and families.

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>> HEALING ART

UF Health Unveils Liminal Bell to Mark Cancer Treatment Milestones

WRITTEN BY CRYSTAL HENRY PHOTOGRAPHY BY KRISTEN KOZELSKY he first step over the threshold into the cancer treatment center marks the beginning of a difficult journey for cancer patients. The road ahead will put their body, mind and spirit through rigorous strains in order to defeat an unwanted force in their lives. The first step into that journey is a harrowing one to face, so it is only fitting that the first step out should be met with symbolic celebration.

Debra Hutchinson has a long history in oncology, and throughout her career she has seen the end of cancer treatment celebrated in different ways. At one facility they formed a kazoo band that played pomp and circumstance for patients finishing their treatment, but there wasn’t any kind of fanfare in her department at Shands. So, she and another nurse collaborated to find a way to celebrate patients in their department. It started with the idea for a nice sounding little bell attached to the wall for patients to ring as they walked out from their final treatment. But they needed to get approval for anything they wanted to hang in the hall.

Tina Mullen, director of Shands Arts in Medicine was called upon to give her approval, however she had to decline their

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Creating the project took more than 120 hours of labor.

During the process, the wood for the bell housing and the benches was cut and drilled, assembled and disassembled. At the installation, Artist Alexis Dold marked the floor to drill the holes in the concrete for the brackets that would hold it all in place.

request because of fire code issues. What seemed like a setback was actually the beginning of the liminal bell project. Although she couldn’t approve the installation of a bell in the hall, Mullen was very interested in the idea of the bell and what it represented.

“I was really touched by the genuine interest of the staff to create something special for their patients,” Mullen said. “And I think genuine intent is often met with opportunity.”

Hutchinson said it was a bit of a fluke the way that Mullen was involved because she was exactly the right person to bring this little idea to life. Hutchinson said

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they thought they were thinking big just by putting a little bell in the hallways, but Mullen had bigger plans.

Mullen started brainstorming ways to create a space that allowed patients to mark this significant time in their lives in a ceremonious way. She said when patients go through treatment with their family, friends and their entire care team, it seemed anticlimactic to walk away with just a high five considering all the effort and emotion put forth in getting through the treatment process.

“This is a major piece of someone’s life,” Mullen said.

And Mullen knew just the space to celebrate, a place

originally used as a gallery that was intended to inspire reflection and serve as a sanctuary. She also knew just the artist for the job. Alexis Dold was asked to create the bell itself because the notion matched with something he wanted to put out into the world because of his own experiences. Several years ago two of his close friends lost their battles with cancer. This was his way to pay tribute.

“Things just started to serendipitously fall into place,” Mullen said.

Hutchinson said once Mullen got involved, she and Dold took the driver’s seat.

“We jokingly called it the Lex and Tina show because they had all the connections.” Hutchinson said.

As the artist, it was Dold’s job to find the materials for the project, and he wanted to incorporate objects and materials that were used and acquired from the area. A man named Mark Clark donated the wood for the project from his own stash. Clark harvests trees on the University of Florida campus that have died or have been struck by lightning. With his own money he bought a large saw designed to saw logs into planks. He stores and dries the wood at his home. The wood Clark donated had to be harvested, cut and dried for two years. Once

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Alexis Dold likes to use local and repurposed materials in his creations. All the wood used in this project was harvested from downed trees on the University of Florida campus and donated by Mark Clark.

After an extensive sanding process, Dold rubbed beeswax oil into the wood and used steel wool to burnish the finish.

www.VisitOurTowns.com

Dold got it he had it kiln dried to kill any bugs and remove as much moisture as possible. He ran them through a planer to flatten the tops and bottoms then he brought them back to his shop to be measured and cut. He said the sanding process began with an 80-grit sandpaper, then 120-grit, 220-grit, 320-grit, 400-grit and then handfinished with 600-grit sandpaper.

He finished it with beeswax oil and burnished it with steel wool. The donated wood was transformed into two benches and the main support structure for the bell.

Dold said the entire project took about 130 hours of labor, of which he was paid for about 20.

He donated more than 100 hours to Jamie Waggnor and Merri Kay Sullivan, his two friends who lost their cancer battles.

When it came time to decide how to make the bell, Dold wanted to use something unique but meaningful. He collected and cut off the bottoms of several large cylinders, including fire extinguishers, propane tanks and oxygen tanks. He held a meeting where each committee member rang each potential bell to find the tone they liked best. They wanted something with resonance that was uplifting. And the oxygen cylinders not only sounded the best, but they also carried meaning since they were familiar fixtures to those undergoing cancer treatment.

“It’s a physical embodiment of the hope that these people will have,” Dold said. “It’s a physical embodiment of the closure that people are seeking.”

For the bell striker, Dold created a custom leather-wrapped dowel similar to a small baseball bat. It will be connected to the support structure for patients to use, however the local Lowe’s Home Improvement store donated an entire pallet of wooden dowels that patients can use to create their own strikers while they are undergoing treatment.

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“When you finish treatment, you start recovering from the treatment. It’s like a new stage in your life.”

Dold said he just wanted a chance to be involved in a project that allowed people closure after such a taxing time in their lives.

“What’s really important about it is how many people it’s going to affect,” he said. “For decades it’s going to affect people in a positive way.”

Maria-Luisa Riviere has been undergoing cancer treatment for the last two years, and she said she is looking forward to ringing the bell at the end of her treatment.

“It’s hard to go through all these treatments,” she said. “And it’s great to look forward to the end.”

She said the bell will be a visual and auditory reminder of what each patient is striving toward.

“A bell signifies joy and celebrations,” she said.

Bells are used at churches and weddings to send a message out into the world. And she believes that each time a patient hears the bell it will bring them a message of encouragement and hope. She said it’s always uplifting to hear that another patient is winning the fight, and the bell will signify each success.

Mullen searched to find just the right name for the bell, and she came upon the word liminal. The word liminal has Latin roots meaning a threshold or a space between.

And the bell is to signify the threshold from treatment to recovery. It’s about standing in the space where patients will transition to the next part of their journey.

“When you finish treatment, you start recovering from the treatment,” Riviere said. “It’s like a new stage in your life.”

Mullen said it reflects back on the notion of the human community, which is what health care really is: humans caring for humans.

The opening night event and inaugural bell ringing was scheduled for May 10, and Hutchinson said the patients seem very excited. The bell is installed in a space overlooking a garden and will be a place of reflection and celebration. It’s near the elevators coming down from medical oncology, so patients coming down from their last treatment will have their celebration surrounded by their care team to mark the next step in their journey to recovery.

Hutchinson couldn’t be more pleased with the direction the idea of the bell has taken.

“It grew from this little bell hanging on a wall to a piece of art,” Hutchinson said.

And it is art that is meant to inspire. s

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Cohen & Montini Orthodontics

The art and

science of patient care.

W

hen you walk into Cohen & Montini Orthodontics in Gainesville, one of the first things you notice is the artwork - a natural landscape painting here, a sketch of Spiderman there, Florida and FSU emblems side by side.

The works have one thing in common; the artist is Dr. Reid Montini, owner of Cohen & Montini Orthodontics.

“Art is a big part of who I am, and when we are designing someone’s smile I think that’s important,” said the former art major who considered a career illustrating medical textbooks before deciding on dental school. “To me, orthodontics is the perfect mixture of art and science.”

Dr. Montini has practiced at Cohen & Montini Orthodontics since 2005 and uses Invisalign®, clear braces, silver braces, and retainers to create beautiful smiles. Cohen & Montini Orthodontics also offers a complimentary developmental observation program for young patients who are not ready for treatment. Patients with more complex cases such an impacted canine, misaligned jaw, or severe crowding have access to a 3D x-ray machine and computer aided treatment planning. This allows Dr. Montini and the patient to visualize the plan and outcome prior to initiating treatment.

The state-of-the-art technology is complemented by Dr. Montini’s sense of fun and his desire to make patients feel at home. The waiting room area is flanked by two flat-screen TVs showing the latest animated movies, and the tooth brushing station features an Xbox 360 gaming system that keeps patients and siblings entertained.

He reassures first-time patients with five simple yet effective words: “No shots, no drills – period.”

Dr. Montini works under what he calls a conservative and open-minded philosophy,

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emphasizing the importance of observing younger patients first to see how growth progresses on its own.

“Watching younger patients for a period of time to see how they naturally develop is smart,” he said. “If we’re watching a child for six to nine months without seeing progress and there’s a situation that could potentially be harmful, then we step in and give a nudge.”

Montini’s love of both art and medicine led him to his career in orthodontics. He graduated Magna Cum Laude with his biological science degree from Florida State and graduated in the top five of his class at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine. He then went on to the University of Florida for his orthodontics residency – a prestigious program that only accepts three applicants per year.

During his residency, Dr. Montini also received a Master of Science degree for his research on the perceptions of facial aesthetics following orthognathic surgery. “We were looking to see whether people saw a big improvement in how faces looked in profile following orthodontics and jaw surgery,” he said.

It was research that appealed to Dr. Montini’s longtime love of drawing, painting and sculpting – all of which gives him a unique perspective for his work. “With the overall aesthetic of the smile, we’re taking into account the shape of the face, the position of the bones, the position of the teeth relative to the lips, and symmetry,” he said. “My background makes me uniquely suited to assess and improve facial and smile aesthetics. I view each patient’s smile as a unique work of art.”

While most of the practice’s patients are teenagers, Cohen & Montini Orthodontics also serves adult clients and young children. Most patients are

referred from their dentists, but Dr. Montini cited some signs parents can look for when considering whether their child should visit an orthodontist: • Crooked teeth.

• Larger than normal gaps between teeth.

• A large overbite, in which the top teeth extend far in front of the lower teeth.

• An underbite, in which the bottom teeth extend in front of the top • A crossbite, in which the bottom jaw is skewed to one side.

• A sense that your child’s teeth simply haven’t grown into the right place, even if you don’t know exactly where they should be.

• The American Association of Orthodontists recommends that your child get an orthodontic check-up no later than age 7.

Although Dr. Montini appreciates the artistic side of his orthodontic practice, he finds great satisfaction in his personal relationships with his patients. He enjoys sitting down with his patients at each visit and chatting about their lives, and with treatments and follow-up spanning several years he gets to see them grow and thrive as people.

“That’s probably the best part about what we do,” he said. “It’s cool to see that the kid who came here in middle school is going to medical school next year. We see an awkward looking 13-year-old with gangly teeth, and all of a sudden she’s prom queen. That’s rewarding, that’s fun.

“Now there’s your art.”

Cohen & Montini Orthodontics is located at 7520 W. University Ave., Suite C in Gainesville. For more information or to schedule an appointment, please call 352-332-7911 or visit www.cohenandmontiniorthodontics.com.

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>> LOUD AND PROUD

Power Chord Gainesville Girls Rock Camp Promotes Personal Power and Creative Expression

WRITTEN BY JENNIFER RIEK he electric guitar, its voice lively and thrumming.

The electric bass, booming and strong. The electric keyboard’s staccato cadence. The drum’s pulsating, powerful beat. One by one, the young musicians of Gainesville Girls Rock Camp stand before the rows of instruments and ponder the rhythms lying dormant in each.

This summer, 33 girls will vibrate the walls of Persimmon Academy in the Bailey House on NW 6th St. They are the movers and the shakers of the new generation of music.

Co-director Chelsea Carnes started the Gainesville chapter of the rock camp after her experience volunteering at Jacksonville’s camp in the summer of 2012. She fell for the organization’s message and the streamlined process of carrying it out. Seeing the pride in the girls’ shining eyes, she knew Gainesville would embrace the creative outlet. And she knew that even more than friendships, laughter, and musical practice, Gainesville would embrace what the camp truly stood for.

“It’s about music,” Carnes said, “but it’s also about empowerment.”

Soon after, Carnes approached her friend Jennifer Vito, owner of the local bar, “1982.” She chose Vito for her longtime commitment to feminism and women’s music, as well as her involvement in

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PHOTO BY MICHELLE PARKER

PHOTOS BY CHRISSY MARTINEZ

The Gainesville’s Rock And Roll Camp For Girls uses music and performance as a platform to promote self-esteem, community, and creative expression, for young women and girls.

the annual “V-Fest.” Each year, Vito coordinates the music festival benefitting the domestic abuse network “Peaceful Paths” and promotes awareness against domestic violence. Together, the women began to advertise for the summer of 2013.

Now with a year of success in its pocket, the camp opens the process of application as the first buds of April bloom. Submissions come in the form of art and essays, crafted by careful, hopeful hands.

“We ask the girls to send us something to let us know why she wants to be involved,” Carnes said. “It’s awesome to get a funny drawing back from an 11-yearold telling us why she wants to be in music, what kind of music she’s into, who she is.”

The five-day, 9-to-5 camp focuses most of its attention on instruction and practice. After the girls

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select their instruments and break into bands, they begin working collectively on writing an original song.

Nearly all of the campers are inexperienced or have never even played. No level of prior knowledge affects the application process, Carnes said. Diversity and acceptance are highly valued, and partial and full scholarships are available to lighten the $200 tuition.

The camp is entirely volunteer run by approximately 60 local women, 20 of which are full-time. Many women, unable to take a week off from work, still donate a few hours whenever they can. Men contribute through benefit shows, advertising, raising money and helping with the camp. All the camp workers are intentionally female.

“We want to show girls women can run sound and do tech stuff and set up microphones and be promoters and drummers,” Carnes said. “We want them to see

every position necessary to make it happen can be fulfilled by a woman.”

When the girls are not performing, they participate in an eclectic collection of workshops run by local female musicians. Last year the campers, ages 8 to 17, participated in self-defense classes, yoga, Egyptian dance lessons and sessions with graphic designers to create their own album covers. A Women’s Rock History lecture illustrated the last 80 years, covering present culture back to the time of blues and jazz.

Every day provides a lunchtime concert by allwomen bands and female solo artists. Last summer, the girls heard the works of a heavy metal band, a songwriter circle, the pop R & B group “Wizard Women” and more. After the concerts, the floor opened up for a Q & A to allow the girls the opportunity to speak up.

“The camp exposes them to adult women who have been performing for years,” Carnes said. “The point is to give them microphones and say ‘be loud, be heard, say what you want to say.’”

All throughout the week, the girls keep an eye on Saturday night: Showcase. For most, it will be their first time setting foot on stage. They will stare past the blinding lights to the faces of friends, family and fans. They will swing through the same spectrum of fear, elation and power as countless female performers before them. Each band that has gathered and grown together will finally reveal the product of their combined talent. Last year the event was hosted at “1982,” and Carnes and Vito expected parents and friends, maybe a few interested passersby.

Showcase sold out within the first 15 minutes, so fast the directors were forced to shift people out so parents

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PHOTOS BY CHRISSY MARTINEZ

Four of the bands from the 2013 camp (from left): Rock Out Loud, Mix It, Silent Laugh, Red Fire Breathing Dragons.

could see their children. The event was packed to the point that onlookers were watching through the windows.

This year, on June 14, the crowd will cheer from the ground floor of High Dive. The MC will call out rock group names as legendary as the year before — Rock Out Loud, Awesomeness Overflowing, Red Fire Breathing Dragon.

Alivia remembers gripping the neck of her blackand-white guitar and strumming the opening notes.

She and the other members of Rock Out Loud fell smoothly into the practiced beat, kicking up the energy of the audience with a song about — what better? — rock songs. Everyone carried out their individual part and belted out the words as a whole.

“It was really awesome,” Alivia, now 11, said,

dragging out the ‘ly’ like a pick sliding down the nylon strings of her guitar. “I was kinda scared our song wasn’t going to be that good, but I think it was.”

The euphoria that filled Alivia that night lingered long after the band took their bow. She talked about it with two campers she has remained close with — Nora, whom she’d met that week, and Emma, whom she’d known before. All three wanted to feel that excitement again.

So was the start of Soundtrack, an all-girls band that has been meeting in Carnes’ home studio for the better part of the year. Alivia brings her own electric guitar and amp. Nora, 10, totes in her electric keyboard.

Emma, 10, supplies her guitar and bass. The girls aren’t sure yet what kind of music Soundtrack will settle on.

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They just want to make sure they get to keep playing.

“All in all, it was really fun,” Alivia said. “I really liked all of it, the Egyptian dancing and stuff, but I liked the band practices the most. I guess I’m just like that.”

Alivia’s mother, Beth Hunter, had proposed the idea to her daughter after seeing a film of the Jacksonville camp at a Boca Fiesta summer movie screening.

“When I realized it was Chelsea Carnes that was doing it, I said, ‘Oh, yeah, we have to do this. She’s awesome,’” Hunter recalled. Alivia had previously attended

a music camp in Live Oak but had never taken formal lessons. After attending last year’s Rock Camp and already set to attend this summer, she has no doubt Alivia will return in 2015. Carnes reported that 75 percent of the 2013 campers reapplied.

“The thing that’s so amazing about it is the mission for girls’ empowerment,” Hunter said. “It’s awesome for me, for us, to see these bands full of women for Alivia to watch and look up to. She has these role models, and they’re not just saying it; they’re doing it.” s

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>> TO THE RESCUE

Rachael Ray

Challenge Saving Lives One Paw at a Time

WRITTEN BY CRYSTAL HENRY n 2001, more than 8,500 animals were put to death in Alachua County. Simple things like getting pets spayed or neutered and finding new homes for unwanted pets were responsibilities that many pet owners failed to carry out. Still, the animals were the ones who suffered.

Unlike many rescue organizations, Alachua County Animal Services must take in every single stray or surrendered pet, and it doesn’t take complex math formulas to figure out that the number of animals coming into the shelter was greater than the number of animals it could accommodate. Alachua County had a problem that desperately needed a solution, so the community got to work.

Jeannette Peters began working with Alachua County Animal Services in 2000 to help Alachua County become a no-kill community.

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“This is social change,” Peters said. “And social change takes time.”

Alachua County Animal Services is structured like most communities in that they must take in every single animal, and they can’t turn any away or say that they are full. But what makes them stand out is the way they have partnered with the community. Peters said it works in Alachua County because the rescue groups work together with ACAS, whereas rescue groups are typically very fractious.

In Alachua County they have a no bash, no trash policy between shelters and rescue groups. Instead of focusing on increasing kennel space, they focus on increasing kennel flow. They have a 90-day target rate to get pets adopted or pulled to a rescue. If after 90 days the pet is still there, they create an aggressive marketing campaign for that animal.

By 2011, the number of animals euthanized in the shelter dropped to less than

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Once the stray or feral cat is fixed, its ear is clipped as an international sign of sterilization, and they are released back into the neighborhood where they were captured.

2,500. Although 2,500 might still seem like a lot of animals lost to euthanasia, it is a drastic reduction that not many shelters around the entire country have been able to achieve.

Peters said becoming a no-kill community doesn’t mean that not a single animal is put to sleep. But it does mean that the only animals put down are those that are dangerous with intense behavior problems or those that are so injured or sick that the only humane

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thing to do is to put them to sleep.

This doesn’t mean that all sick animals will die, she said. They have wonderful advancements in heartworm treatments and help for skin conditions like Demodectic mange, so more sick pets will have a chance at a healthy life.

“It’s going to take constant vigilance to maintain,” Peters said.

They would like to be an example and help other

communities realize that they can achieve this kind of success, as well. Peters said another thing that really made the difference is that back in 2000 the county commission heard their plea and went all-in to help.

Controlling the animal population doesn’t just mean subtracting from the current pool. The best way to prevent animal deaths is to control the number of lives that come into the world through pet sterilization.

There is an over-abundance of animals around the entire country, so before welcoming new puppies and kittens into the world, the best thing to do is to find homes for the ones who are already here.

Alachua County has two great spay and neuter resources through Operation Pet Snip and Operation Catnip. Since it opened in 2010, Operation Pet Snip has

performed about 18,000 spay and neuter surgeries. The organization sterilizes approximately 30 animals per day, and the cost is roughly $50 for cats and $80 for dogs.

That price also includes other healthcare necessities such as rabies vaccines and flea preventatives. However, the clinic is meant to be a one-time clinic. Pet owners should find a trustworthy veterinarian to provide their pet with preventative and emergency care for life.

Operation Catnip has performed more than 30,000 sterilizations on feral and stray cats. The program allows people to borrow a trap for free and bring in any roaming cats for spay or neuter surgery. In a single morning, the University of Florida veterinary school performs between 200 to 250 sterilizations.

Once the stray or feral cat is fixed, its ear is clipped

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PHOTO COURTESY OF ALACHUA COUNTY ANIMAL SERVICES

Siphie wasn’t a stray, nor was she a lost dog. She came to the shelter in March because her owners could no longer care for her. She was terrified, and she wouldn’t even come out of her kennel for a vet exam for weeks.

as an international sign of sterilization, and they are released back into the neighborhood where they were captured. Replacing the cat back to its original neighborhood serves two purposes: Not only does the sterilized cat stop bringing more cats into the world, but it also takes a place in the colony so that unsterilized cats don’t move in.

“The best place for cats is in a home,” Peters said.

“But just killing them doesn’t solve the problem because more cats will move in.”

The solution to controlling the cat population is populating the colony with sterilized, non-breeding cats.

Because of its immense success, Alachua County Animal Services was one of only 50 shelters nationwide to be selected for the 2014 ASPCA Rachael Ray $100K Challenge. Shelters across the country will compete to break their own records at saving the lives of animals in their community. During the summer, the goal is to save more dogs, cats, puppies and kittens than during the same period last year.

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From June 1 to August 31, Alachua County plans to save animals through trap and release, adoptions, transfers to non-profit animal adoption agencies, and ultimately double the number of pets returned to their owners. Many of the pets that come into the shelter are strays born on the street, but for those that once had families, Peters said a reunion is the best outcome.

Unless their owners have surrendered them, lost pets can be reunited with their owners with initiatives such as free microchips.

In order to reach their adoption goals, they are waiving adoption fees for adoptions through Alachua County Animal Services. Although free and reduced adoption fees have been heavily scrutinized for the fear that people with bad intentions will snag cats and dogs for things such as dog fighting and baiting, Peters said there is emerging research from the University of Florida to determine the quality of homes during free and low-cost events compared to regular adoption fees.

She said they are finding that the commitment of

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She said there’s another myth in Gainesville that students don’t make good adopters because they will just dump the pet at the end of the semester. But in actuality, students are some of the best adopters and volunteers, she said.

adopters is the same regardless of adoption fees, but they still take precautions to ensure that the animal is going to the right home. For instance, they make sure landlords allow pets, and check to see that any other pets in the household are up-to-date with their health records. The commitment to a pet, whether it is adopted through a shelter or purchased through a breeder, depends on the pet owner and not on the fee.

“We see $400 pure-bred Yorkies turning up in shelters,” Peters said. “At that point it’s a commodity like an expensive purse that they can discard if they want.”

She said there’s another myth in Gainesville that students don’t make good adopters because they will just dump the pet at the end of the semester. But in actuality, students are some of the best adopters and volunteers, she said.

On May 31 and June 1, Alachua County will participate in Maddie’s Pet Adoption Days. Adoption fees will be waived across the city during the country’s biggest free pet adoption event. Last year, Alachua County had 680 adoptions in two days, and came in 3rd place behind the entire San Francisco area and New York City. For specific adoption locations at this year’s event, check out adopt.maddies.org.

Helping Hands pet rescue is dedicated to returning lost pets to their owners by providing three free

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microchip clinics. And Alachua County Animal Services is starting a program where animal control officers will have a way to scan a wandering pet’s microchip right in the field. This allows them to return the pet to its home right then and there.

Peters said the help they’ve received from the community has been invaluable. Maddie’s Fund has invested more than $5 million in the community over the past decade through grants, sponsoring and Maddie’s Pet Adoption Days. And the Wagmore Foundation picked up the baton when Maddie’s funding ended.

Peters said planning, partnership and patience got Alachua County where it is today with the number of lives saved. They set concrete goals and publicized them. They agreed to work together and to stop bashing and trashing among rescues, and they had patience.

“Everybody wants the killing to stop, but in order for it to stop for good you have to have little incremental goals,” Peters said.

There are hundreds of animals awaiting adoption right now, including puppies, kittens, senior dogs, teenage dogs, purebreds and designer breeds, Peters said.

They all come spayed or neutered and are up-to-date on all vaccinations. s For more information or to volunteer check out the Alachua County Animal Services Facebook page.

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dopting a pet is a wonderful way to gain a new family member and save a life at the same time. But selecting just the right pet goes deeper than which one has the cutest furry face. There are plenty of variables to consider, for instance puppies will require a lot of training, working breeds require lots of exercise, and some breeds are known to just be stubborn. Certain breeds will require regular grooming that may not fit into your family’s budget, and breeds like Great Danes and Boxers are prone to certain diseases and other health issues. The right veterinarian can help you identify the right pet for your family, so having one that you trust can be an invaluable resource.

When selecting a veterinarian to care for your pet, start by talking to friends and family nearby who have pets for their recommendations. Take the time to find online reviews and visit the websites and Facebook pages for the different veterinary hospitals in your area. Call around and speak with the office staff to gauge if they seem friendly and polite over the phone, then stop in to visit a few of your top choices. Take your pet in to get a feel for the office and watch how your pet interacts with the staff, and once you’ve narrowed down your choices be sure to schedule a well check so that you and your pet can meet with the veterinarian in a 76 | Summer 2014

low-key situation. It helps to establish a good vibe for your pet, rather than bringing them in during a stressful emergency situation. It is important to take your new pet to see a veterinarian within the first week they are adopted to identify any potential issues like dental disease or congenital deformities.

Take any records you received from the adoption agency to bring them up to speed. Your vet will be your best source of information in the early days of your adoption. They can help with physical as well as behavioral issues, so finding a veterinarian you can trust is paramount.

Robertson Animal Hospital is a full-service veterinary hospital that emphasizes preventative care to not only identify diseases early to stop or

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slow their progress, but also to prevent disease entirely. They are currently offering discounted spay, neuter and dental packages in addition to their other services such as vaccinations, radiology and surgery. Their online pet records allow you to access your pet’s files any time without keeping track of cumbersome paperwork. Robertson Animal Hospital conveniently offers a discounted office visit for healthy pets needing routine preventive care during their wellness hours from 1 to 3 pm, Monday through Friday. Feel free to call and make

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>> LET ME TELL YA ‘BOUT MY BEST FRIEND

Friends with Benefits There are Healthy Advantages to Having a Furry Companion

WRITTEN BY AMANDA WILLIAMSON hen local student Ricky Munoz wanted a companion to ride the long hours back to his hometown in South Florida, he adopted Leo. A bubbly, little black fur ball, Leo was — at the time — a six-week-old Labrador mix puppy. Over the six months since Munoz brought Leo home, the dog has grown into a gangly youth, but is still full of energy.

Munoz adopted Leo for companionship, but knows he has received much more than just a new friend.

“It’s been a good experience, definitely teaches responsibility,” he said. “He keeps me occupied and makes me happy. He’s something to look forward to when I come home.”

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Munoz isn’t alone.

According to the Humane Society of the United States, 62 percent of all American households in 2012 included at least one pet. Inside those homes, 83.3 million dogs and 95.6 million cats resided.

Despite the fact that so many people turn to animals for companionship, there are other reasons for living with a pet than simply the expectation of a happy greeting. Perhaps pets make us healthier just by being present. They require exercise, care and love. They push us to get outside for a daily walk. They provide a shoulder to cry on and a non-judgmental ear.

Studies have proven, time and again, that man’s best friend offers much more than unconditional love.

PHOTO BY AMANDA WILLIAMSON

The ACHS Executive Director, Amanda Burks, holds Peg, a 4-month-old puppy, outside of the shelter. “Having a pet is worth so much more than dealing with the bad things,” she said. “I end up coming back to unconditional love. You love your family despite the downsides. And when you make your pet a part of the family, you get the good and the bad.”

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PHOTOS BY AMANDA WILLIAMSON

ABOVE: Ricky Munoz pets his 6-month-old black Labrador, Leo, at Squirrel Ridge Dog Park. “I was looking for a companion,” he said when asked why he adopted a new puppy.

RIGHT: Jennifer Taylor holds Nancy, a cat waiting for adoption at the Alachua County Humane Society.

According to the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association, pet ownership lowers blood pressure, prevents heart disease, alleviates depression, reduces stress and decreases doctor visits.

“The transition has been made where dogs aren’t just animals,” said Jessica Robertson, a veterinarian at Robertson Animal Hospital. “They are now family members. People have moved them into the house…

Even if there wasn’t research about the human-animal bond, just by watching clients every single day, no one could tell me it didn’t exist.”

In 1980, before science really cared about the human-animal bond, researcher Erika Friedmann wrote a groundbreaking study that showed people with pets were more likely to be alive a year after discharge from coronary care unit. Even though cardiologists basically ignored her findings at the time, she inspired a flood of interest in Anthrozoology.

Since then, researchers have uncovered the same findings: Owning a pet is good for you. Psychologist at Miami University and Saint Louis University conducted three experiments to examine the benefits of the animals on the average person. In their article, “Friends With Benefits: On the Positive Consequences of Pet Ownership,” they said, “Specifically, pet owners had greater self-esteem, were more physically fit, tended to be less lonely, were more conscientious, were more extraverted, tended to be less fearful and tended to be less preoccupied than non-owners.”

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Seniors who own pets tend to go to the doctor less, since animals can be therapeutic and relieve daily stress, according to Pet Partners, a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Pet owners tend to have lower cholesterol and fewer health problems. The animals promote social interaction and encourage exercise, the nonprofit states.

One of the pet owners who brought his dog to Robertson suffered from posttraumatic stress disorder after returning from military duty abroad. But Robertson said she could tell the companionship provided by the animal helped the man overcome his PTSD. “His dog was his life,” she said. “His dog encouraged him every day, helped him get up and get outside…

Dogs are just there for them. And no matter what an owner has done in the past, they love you unconditionally. You can be five minutes late for dinner, and they won’t even care.”

In Alachua County, the majority of pet owners find a companion through adoption, said Amanda Burks, the director of the Alachua County Humane Society.

“That’s why I got my first dog,” she said. “Most of our adopters make their pet a part of the family. Every now and then, you see someone come in for a barn cat. But most of the time, it’s to get a family pet.”

Much like the studies showed, Burks believes having a dog means pet owners spend more time outdoors, which can increase their activity level.

She also attributes the scientific findings to the fact

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“You can’t have a bad day.

She’s just so silly”.

PHOTO BY AMANDA WILLIAMSON

“I think owning a dog is better than having a kid, honestly,” said Janet Overhultz as she watched her tiny Jack Russell, Lucy, run laps around the dog park. “She’s always up for going places. There’s nothing she won’t eat.”

that dogs increase social opportunities, which can partially explain why pet owners experience a reduction in loneliness.

Dog parks can be very social spaces, Burks said.

Most pet owners agree, including Munoz, who said he has never encountered a rude person while visiting the dog park.

“Dog parks are kind of like daycare,” Burks said. “You get to let your dog loose, and then you sit back and talk to the other puppy parents.”

The friendships may not develop beyond the park’s borders, but individuals can create routines and relationships with other owners, she said. Plus, there’s always new people and new dogs to meet.

Janet Overhultz frequently brings her new

five-month-old Jack Russell, Lucy, to the dog park. Lucy joined the family after Overhultz decided she wanted a companion animal.

“I just needed something to be happy about when I came home,” she said. “You can’t have a bad day. She’s just so silly. She doesn’t fetch. She likes to bite at the other dogs. My life is a little dirtier because of her, it seems.”

Lucy, who is Lucifer when she’s in trouble and Lu when she isn’t, has chewed two pairs of shoes since she was adopted. Two comforters died — stuffing torn from their insides —in the months it has taken Lucy to adapt to her new surroundings. But Overhultz forgives her little furry friend, knowing that the benefits of owning her outweigh the mess she has to clean up.

The positive thing about owning a dog, she said, as

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she glanced around d Squirrel Ridge Dog Park off Williston Road, is that Lucy is always up for a park visit. Dogs and d their owners dotted d the wide-open space ce in front of Overhultz.

Labradors, pugs and hususkies dashed across the e property, digging in the dirt, splashing ashing in the on-site pools and chasing the occasional airborne tennis ball.

“I work so much it’s nice to just come out here with her,” she said. “Not necessarily to make friends, but to watch. Dog people are good people. We’re amongst good company.”

Though cats don’t provide as many of the social aspects of pet parenthood, they do provide all the same health benefits. When petting either a dog or a cat, the level of cortisol, a hormone associated with stress, is lowered. The production of serotonin, a chemical connected to well-being, is increased. Science has shown that even watching a fish swim can produce these same results.

According to WebMD, cat owners actually have fewer strokes than people who have never owned a cat. Researchers believe cats may actually have a more calming effect on their owners than other animals, the website states, but it may also have to do with the personality of cat people.

“Dogs are always going to love you and always going to want to be around you before anyone else,” Burks said. “I’ve found that cats are different, but not as much as people think.”

Usually, staff at the Alachua County Humane Society can tell a dog person from a cat person when the future pet parent walks into the office.

“People who want cats are different than people who want dogs,” Burks said. “I’ve even had a person tell me, ‘We just want a cat in the house. If we can pet it every once in a while, super. If it just wants to hang out in the house, that’s cool too.’”

According to a study published in the journal Pediatrics, children who live in a home with a pet during their first year of life are more likely to be healthier, compared to children who don’t own a pet.

Macy Hernandez believes her pit mix, Indy, brings her the benefits of daily happiness. After her family dog died, she realized how much she missed having a dog to come home to every day. It’s a nice feeling to know someone is waiting, she said.

Like most pet owners, she knows the benefits will always be worth more than the accidents.

“He chewed my $100 pair of shoes, and I wanted to kill him,” she said with a laugh. “But I just can’t be mad at him.” s

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>> ENTREPRENEURS

Tech Toyb x Bringing Ideas To Life

STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY

BY AMANDA WILLIAMSON ven though the rooms inside the Florida Tech Toybox ox seem mostly empty — a scattering of 3D printers, a CNC router and spare parts — the nonprofit designed to build the ideas of Gainesville’s creatives already has a running project ct list and a membership process in the works.

With a long history in technology-based entrepreneurship, founder Mark Davidson realized many new businesses staggered and failed because they were unable to build a working prototype to showcase their inventions.

“If you just have an idea, you really have nothing,” Davidson said, reclining in a conference room at the Gainesville Technology Enterprise Center, the Toybox’s new home. “You need to have a prototype. It can be ugly, but it needs to be working.”

Before establishing the Tech Toybox, Davidson worked in the University of Florida’s Microfabritech Center. The

E

TOP: The CNC, or a computer-controlled cutting machine, router inside the Tech Toybox headquarters cuts various designs, including a star, into a wood panel.

BOTTOM: Jake Hyvonen, a volunteer at the Tech Toybox, enters information into the non-profit’s in-house CNC.

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A 3D printer made by volunteers at the Tech Toybox begins construction on a puzzle, an example of just one of the projects guests will be able to accomplish when the non-profit opens its doors to the public.

center developed the in-house capability to manufacture early stage, proof-of-concept models for research contracts. For Davidson, it was important to present a semi-finished project to clients as proof of what their contributions had furnished.

Even though Davidson parted ways with the University, he knew the talent he carried away from his time at the center would be an invaluable tool for the tinkerers and inventors in the greater Alachua County area. Because of the nonprofit’s uniqueness, Davidson knew it would be a welcome addition. Only two other nonprofits like the Tech Toybox exist in the United States, Davidson said.

“You need to have a prototype. It can be ugly, but it needs to be working.”

“There are a lot of maker spaces,” he said, “but what we do is teach people how to do the project.”

The Toybox’s mission is to help people create something from the idea in their head, he added.

For example, when clients present a project to the Tech Toybox, Davidson asks if it is okay to create

88 | Summer 2014

a team to work alongside the client. Those team members, in essence, get to participate in a simulated start-up company, but on a real project. The client benefits from the additional assistance, and the members benefit from hands-on experience. Suddenly, Davidson said, you have additional people who now know how to get a company off the ground and bootstrap it.

UF professor Oscar Crisalle believes the facility is greatly needed in the community.

“There are so many so-called machine shops,” he said. “This is a machine shop on steroids. Most machine shops can only do things involving metals and stainless steel. Here you can do plastic prototyping, electronics and a number of other services.”

The way Tech Toybox accomplishes the task — crafting a prototype from an idea — is through its large space full of toys.

“We’ve got a machine shop, plastics, electronics, a 3D printer,” Davidson said. “But we’re also putting in a lab, so we have microscopes coming.”

With a big toy box, he added, the creation process can be streamlined. Everything an inventor might need can be found within 50 feet of his or her workspace.

Say one Toybox member wants to construct a robot, but realizes at the last minute he or she needs a custom piece or even additional metal for the project. The

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Jake Hyvonen, a volunteer at the Tech Toybox, speaks with Eric Pheterson, a member of Gainesville’s maker culture and owner of GOOD, Inc. Pheterson is excited to see the Tech Toybox open its doors to the public, since he’s hoping to extend some of his company’s projects into the engineering realm.

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Toybox provides everything — or at least the tools to make it happen — in one central location.

Through the membership program, visitors pay a monthly fee to access the workspace, its tools and the knowledge of its on-site staff. As of now, the membership fee is planned to start at $130 per month with discounts provided to students.

Since the Toybox is a nonprofit, the monthly fees will be used to pay rent and operation costs. The machines will need upkeep and a salaried staff be kept on hand to provide assistance when needed.

Through the Toybox’s partnership with Santa Fe College, the nonprofit is offering educational classes on a wide variety of topics. A recent class, held in April, taught participants how to build their own website. An upcoming class will walk guests through the process of building a 3D printer, which they will then be able to keep for future use.

The classes are designed, in most part, for beginners.

No one will be expected to have prior knowledge before taking any of the educational offerings, Davidson said.

If the Toybox offers job-training classes in the future, those specific classes will require some prerequisites.

Davidson plans to work with the local high schools by providing a Saturday workshop that will let the students work hands-on with a variety of tools in the Toybox. A typical class should, as of right now, consist of approximately 10 students working on four different projects on four different machines. If everything works out, the program should begin in the fall.

By instructing the young students, he is introducing

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Jake Hyvonen, a volunteer at the Tech Toybox, prepares the in-house 3D printer at the non-profit’s grand opening night, during which they began fundraising to collect approximately $10,000 to open the doors to the public.

them to tools they might not have worked with otherwise.

“You may not have a use for [a tool] today, but if you don’t know what it is or know what it does, you wouldn’t know that it was there to solve a problem when that problem comes along,” Davidson said. “We want to talk about what the tools can do and how you can use them to create.”

Most electron microscopes remain holed up across the country in research laboratories that tend to not allow the average public access. The Toybox, however, plans to let users test its microscope. Through simple designs and instruction, Toybox staff will teach the basics behind the electron microscope.

“You don’t have to understand all of the physics behind how the electron microscope works to make some cool pictures and look at tiny things,” Davidson said. “We can teach in a few hours, using cartoons, just what the thing does and how to use it. Then let them

sit down and take some cool pictures. Now that’s in their toolbox.”

Though the nonprofit was not accepting members as of April, they were working alongside student groups to construct interesting prototypes. The assistance helped establish a workflow for the relatively new company, which has only been in existence for about a year.

One recently completed task was to assist a student in building a radio-controlled hover craft. The Toybox fabricated several of the custom parts needed for construction. The nonprofit is also working alongside a UF student group with plans to create a hydro-technic fountain (think Las Vegas) on campus.

But before the Toybox can open to full-time members, it must raise enough funds to support the operation. An estimated additional $10,000 is needed to properly open the doors and acquire the machinery necessary for the space.

Tech Toybox is using the crowd funding website, Indiegogo, to gather donations from supporters around Gainesville and maybe even globally. As of right now, they have only collected 27 percent of the funds needed to open to the public. Though the Indeigogo campaign expired at the end of April, donors can still contribute to the cause.

“We moved into this space with the expectation of expanding,” Davidson said, gesturing to the Gainesville Technology Enterprise Center. “We really like working with Santa Fe College. We intend to be here a while.”

But already the Toybox is looking ahead. The long-term vision for the company is to spread its reach by replicating the concept throughout the country.

For the company, its business market is booming. For Davidson, he knows the Tech Toybox can provide the maker culture with exactly what its needs right now.

“We need to be encouraging creativity,” he said.

“This is an incubator. Companies need prototypes, and if we can give it to them, that’s a bonus.” s

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COLUMN >> ALBERT ISAAC

Different Note The Space Girder

I

t gets dark at night in the Florida Keys. Very dark.

At least it did on Sunshine Key back in the ‘70s when my family spent summers there. We had a boat and a travel trailer and a space in an RV park.

I didn’t appreciate that place at the time, not like I would now, if I could go back to that time.

In Miami, where I grew up, the night skies were bright with sodium vapor lights. At least that’s what we called them — a gazillion lights casting their orange-red hues into the night skies. From my house we could see downtown Miami aglow. I sure couldn’t see very many stars in the big city.

But in the Keys I saw an inky black sky splattered with a billion dazzling stars, and white cloudy areas, which were actually galaxies containing a billion more stars. I had never seen anything like it. Nor had my buddy who was staying with us for Dad’s annual pig roast. It was a gala event. My parents would invite their adult friends for food and merriment, and one (or more) of us kids got to bring a friend.

That evening, my buddy and I roamed the island, navigating by the light of the moon and those brilliant stars. We came to one of the old bridges with the giant arches, an ancient structure made of concrete and steel. The guardrails were once the rails from the Key West Extension, which had been destroyed in the great Labor Day hurricane in 1935. Entire islands and more

We stood there on the concrete wall, 10 to 15 feet above water, and stared at the bridge, the moon, the stars and the reflection of it all. than 500 people simply disappeared off the face of the earth by the time this unnamed storm was through wreaking havoc. The railroad was never rebuilt. Last time I was in the area, pylons and twisted rail could still be seen sticking up from the deep waters.

On this night, my friend and I climbed a concrete embankment below the bridge, onto a narrow seawall,

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and looked out at the dark and ominous water. The night was clear, the water calm. We stood there on the concrete wall, 10 to 15 feet above water, and stared at the bridge, the moon, the stars and the reflection of it all. The reflection of the bridge in the still water revealed a bizarre apparition: not a series of arches but instead one giant structure with holes in the middle. It looked like a giant girder surrounded by the inky black universe, punctuated by a billion blazing stars above and below. We called it the space girder.

It was an illusion, and a good one, because we both saw it. We marveled at the sight, and if we stared long enough the illusion became even more convincing.

Cars drove by, headlights flashing like a strobe through the guardrail. It was mesmerizing.

And no, we were not drinking.

We went back to the trailer and told my younger sister about the space girder. She wanted to see it so we headed back with sister in tow. It was dark and we didn’t have a flashlight, but we didn’t need one.

Soon we reached the concrete embankment with the narrow seawall. We walked with care out upon its slick surface until we were nearly beneath the bridge, the perfect vantage point.

“I don’t see it,” she said.

We urged her to keep staring, to let her eyes and mind relax. She stood between us, all three of us staring out, two of us seeing the space girder, one of us seeing a bridge.

“I see it,” she gasped. And at that very moment her feet slipped out from under her, sliding toward the edge of that seawall, high above dark foreboding dark water.

She grabbed us with both hands and caught her balance as we all caught our breaths. This we did not expect.

At the moment of her perceiving the illusion, her feet slid toward the precipice. But thankfully she didn’t fall.

With great caution we vacated the premises, counted our blessing, and changed our underwear.

My friend and I observed the phenomenon of the giant space girder several more times during that visit.

But now, nearly 40 years have passed since I’ve seen such a sight — or even visited that spot.

They say you can’t go back home, and it’s true. When I was in the Keys it never felt like home, but it sure does now, in my melancholy memories. This makes no sense, because I haven’t been back in decades. Or perhaps it is precisely because I have not been back that I can feel this way. There are memories associated with that time, memories of family and friends and fishing and pig roasts that make me long for a simpler time.

But nothing stays the same. When I last visited Miami, I didn’t recognize my own neighborhood. I fear that nothing in the Keys will be familiar to me should I go visit these days.

But if I sit here, turn off the lights, close my eyes and relax, I can see my mom and dad, my brothers and my sister, and that giant space girder stretching out into infinity, basking in the starlight of a trillion stars. s

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>> INTERVIEW

Mike Myers

GAINESVILLE ENVIRONMENTALIST

Gainesville community member, Mike Myers, is the co-founder of The Repurpose Project, a local nonprofit creative reuse center in Gainesville. He, along with his partner, Sarah Goff, works directly with community members to both recycle and refurbish usable goods. He has dedicated more than 40 years of his life to recycling and sustainability, making it a mission to keep functional products from ending up in landfills. Despite his own dedication to sustainability, he realizes that our altered awareness of environmental degradation has only become a reality over the past 10 years. He hopes to continue spreading the word about The Repurpose Project’s mission to students and community members alike, seeing as we are all key to a more promising future for our planet’s health.

PHOTOGRAPHY AND INTERVIEW BY DAMIAN GONZALEZ

AGE: 67

How would you describe a typical day at your job?

HOMETOWN: TIFFIN, OHIO

MM: Our hours are three to seven on weekdays, but as soon as we open the gate out there people start coming in.

They’re in here until we close. Saturdays we’re open from 10 to six and it’s the same thing. People are here all day long.

PROFESSION: CO-FOUNDER OF THE REPURPOSE PROJECT TIME IN GAINESVILLE: I CAME HERE IN ’75

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How did you attain all of the materials housed in The Repurpose Project?

MM: All of the materials in here are donated. They would have been in a landfill otherwise, but we salvaged them.

We do art projects with them. We figure the creativity of art is the way to carry this stuff forward.

Do you work elsewhere?

MM: Sarah and I have day jobs because we’re a nonprofit, so we have to keep our money rolling. Sarah is a web designer and I salvage buildings.

What are specific responsibilities you have as a co-founder?

MM: Sarah and I just guide the whole operation. We brainstorm it and put it together. We have one employee, Lynn, and she’s our store manager. Lynn maintains the store and the volunteers, since we’re a nonprofit. She takes care of sales and pricing. She’s also great with displays, keeps the place clean, talks to people and always has something for the volunteers to do.

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What do you like most about your job?

MM: I like the smiles on the people’s faces. It’s really nice to meet people. Everybody seems to be happy about what we’re doing, so it makes me happy. I’m really thrilled because the generation that is in college now and the generation coming up are going to be the generations that deal with sustainability on a real hands-on level. I’m a baby-boomer, so my generation created a lot of the throwaway society and throwaway ideas. But we didn’t supply the answers to the problem as we were creating plastic everywhere. We never thought, “What are you going to do with this?” I feel like I can contribute my knowledge or my abilities now to set up a sustainability profile that will follow along to the future.

With the store having so many nooks and crannies, do you ever fear potential theft?

MM: My theory is, there’s a very small percentage of society that’s not honest. Almost everybody is honest.

So I don’t worry about people taking things. And you know what? It works out.

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How did you find out about the Tailored Waste competition?

MM: UF’s Office of Sustainability approached us.

We were pleased that we could collaborate with them.

We collaborate with UF off and on.

Did you take part in selecting the winner for the Tailored Waste competition?

MM: We review the entries and help the winner make whatever it is they design. We are going to put it on one of our manikins here and it’s going to be displayed on Campus Earth Day (April 11th), at the Plaza of the Americas. After that, we’ll be having an art exhibit at the Hippodrome State Theatre gallery and the winning design will be on display until May 19th, which will be great exposure.

What other projects have you collaborated with UF? MM: During the summertime, Dr. Joos, who works out of the Warrington College of Business, has a course that deals with sustainability and entrepreneurship.

I do panel discussions with her classes and we work with interns who want to work with sustainability.

In the summer, there are also high school kids that come to UF for about five weeks to take part in one of her programs called YELS, Young Entrepreneurs in Leadership and Sustainability. There are about five or six YELS students and I mentor them. I also deconstruct buildings for UF and Shands when they need stuff to go away but don’t want to throw it in a landfill.

They will call us and we go get it. I do that with the city of Gainesville and I also do that with Alachua County and Santa Fe College.

What sparked your initial interest in creating The Repurpose Project?

MM: Well, I’ve been recycling and dealing with sustainability for over 40 years, but in the last 10 years there is a lot more interest. The words recycling and sustainability have become more of a catchphrase. People are growing up with recycling in their households, but it was not like that 40 years ago. Now 100 years ago, it was. Everything was valuable. If you had a board, you

didn’t throw the board away. You would use it again.

We’ve only really been in a 125-year cycle of throwing things away. As a result, we really wanted to find out what to do with this. Sarah worked in Ft. Lauderdale for four years at a place called Trash to Treasures and it is a creative reuse center. When she moved to Gainesville, she was on the lookout for some wood and I had a company called Bearded Brothers, which is a deconstruction nonprofit. As she started talking to me, we realized we had a lot of goals that were the same.

How has your work with Bearded Brothers Solutions influenced your work at The Repurpose Project?

MM: Well, the passion of reuse is still there because when you take a house apart, someone is going to be using the materials and it doesn’t go to a landfill. I’m really adamant about landfill diversion, which involves keeping things out of landfills. So those concepts blend together really well. We actually blended the deconstruction business into The Repurpose Project, so it’s the same entity.

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“Well, the passion of reuse is still there because when you take a house apart, someone is going to be using the materials and it doesn’t go to a landfill.”

When was the building that houses The Repurpose Project constructed?

MM: This building was built in 1929 by the city of Gainesville. It had always been an automotive garage of some kind. When the city built it they used it to repair the buses, but when it became available, Sarah and I struck up a rent agreement with the landlord and started this Repurpose Project.

What have been some of the reactions from locals?

MM: The response has been very positive. More and more people are finding out about us. Sarah is a web designer, so we have a great website and a great social media presence. We have over 2,200 ‘likes’ on Facebook

100 | Summer 2014

and a lot of those ‘likes’ are in the 18-35 demographic.

Students are really open to the idea of reuse and repurposing. Gainesville is unique. There are a lot of people graduating who choose to stay here and raise their family. The government is young and a lot of the people involved in making things happen here have that youth-oriented profile. We’re constantly trying to forge new relationships with other entities in the area, around the state and throughout the country that would be interested in taking some of the stuff that we get and developing a business around recycling.

We are going to be launching a campaign now to buy local and buy used, and we feel as though that will have a big sustainability footprint. When you buy local, then things aren’t being shipped in and the packaging isn’t an issue. The money also stays local, seeing as it doesn’t go out to a corporate headquarters. The community generates it’s own livelihood that way. s

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COLUMN >> BRIAN “KRASH” KRUGER

Gate Crashing ON DECK: Seed Memory, The Ones To Blame, Becca Pieters, Loose Bearings DATE: SUNDAY, MARCH 2, 2014 VENUE: THE LUNCHBOX reetings, live music aficionados! This sunny and cool afternoon found your intrepid reporter at downtown Gainesville venue the Lunchbox. The Lunchbox is located on the southwest corner of the Bo Diddley Plaza, just across from the courthouse.

on the north side, overlooking the Plaza with a great view of the stage.

From time to time the Lunchbox also has live music, in the back courtyard. Since the courtyard is outdoors with no roof, such shows tend to be “weather permitting,” but when they do go on, a bar is opened there for beer service, so that the patrons can quench their thirst without having to go to the front of the building where

Long ago the Lunchbox’s brick building was a gas station, so it has a covered porch in front where I presume the gasoline pumps used to be. The restaurant has food for takeout, or there are outdoor tables along the west side of the building and in a small courtyard

the food is ordered and picked up.

The Lunchbox is owned by local musician Tate Clair, who is the singer for a punk band called The Ruins based out of West Palm Beach, as well as more local projects (more about one of those later). Although the

PHOTO BY DENISE BASLER

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Lunchbox is usually closed on weekends, Tate does open for special occasions, such as The Fest.

Being a local muso, Tate knew a couple other such musicians who were doing something special, and thus this Sunday event. Those two musos were and are Chelsea Carnes and Jen Vito, and what they were and are doing that’s special, is called the Rock and Roll Camp for Girls Gainesville. As you might expect from the name, the project empowers girls by showing them they can rock.

After having volunteered for a similar event up in Jacksonville, Chelsea decided to do the same thing here, and she and Jen put on the first weeklong camp

possible futures,” as their Facebook page puts it. They have a couple tunes available for free download on their website.

Next up was the all-woman band The Ones To Blame doing their country rock/honkytonk tunes. Jen (yes, the same Jen) plays drums, with Jackie Leeper on Fender bass, Su Mendez on f-style mandolin, and Emma Brady on acoustic guitar. All of them sing. And they have a full album available.

The final female-including act was solo singerguitarist Becca Pieters, a slip of a gal whose acoustic guitar is almost bigger than she is. She used to play as White Elephant Gift Exchange, has a wonderful voice

during summer 2013. So, this Sunday afternoon and evening were devoted to raising funds and awareness of the second iteration for 2014.

Having loaned the premiere 2013 Camp a few guitars and basses, I was already onboard from an informational standpoint and more than happy to throw a little dosh their way. And, of course, to hear some cool local tunage.

I got there just as Seed Memory, a duo, was finishing a short set. They are made up of real life couple Jen Vito and Sterling “Sterlo” Stokes. Jen is also known as Jen Knowmore, as she is the lead singer of longrunning punk band No More, with whom Sterlo also played for a while. Jen and Sterlo also played in the Gainesville Liberation Orchestra, and Sterlo in Today Doesn’t Count. So the two have a long Gainesville punk rock pedigree. In Seed Memory, each plays electric guitar (Jen her trusty white Les Paul Studio, and Sterlo an Xaviere LP copy), with rhythm tracks from a laptop.

And they both sing “songs about earth, technology, and

and sings folk-type tunes, and she has an album too.

After a long break to change out drum kits and put up a new backline, the final band of the day (by then evening) was five-piece Loose Bearings, playing updated Cali-style skate punk. Unlike virtually every band in existence today, they don’t seem to have a freestanding website or even a Facebook page (a show announcement on another local venue’s webpage confirmed this absence), so, unfortunately, I can’t give you the names of the players except that Tate is the lead singer. There are two guitarists, one playing a P-90 Melody Maker, and the other a Gibson SG, a bassist playing a Peavey bass, and of course a drummer. The members appear to have been around for awhile and seem to be in their 30s if not 40s, which is refreshing to see, especially for a punk band. (Of course, being 55 and fronting a punk rock band, maybe I’m biased.)

Over $600 was raised for the Camp!

Now, go see some bands. s

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>> GOOD STEWARDSHIP

Saving Spaces Alachua Conservation Trust Aims to Protect Florida’s Fragile Ecosystems

WRITTEN BY AMANDA WILLIAMSON nvisible lines cross North Central Florida.

They cut across wetlands, through hardwood forests, past wide-open prairies. These boundaries set aside parcels of untouched, wild Florida, and guarantee they will not be touched in the future by eager developers ready to build high-rise apartment complexes.

Since 1988, the Alachua Conservation Trust has designated more than 50,000 acres for conservation purposes.

A glance at a map reflects the organization’s numerous contributions toward environmental protection.

“We conserve land for wildlife and public recreational opportunities. From a community standpoint, it improves the quality of life for our residents,” said Tom Kay, executive director of ACT. “But we are also protecting the drinking water. The land we save is very

I

beneficial to the storage of our water.”

The Herzog Cave Preserve, Little Orange Creek, Prairie Creek Preserve, the Santa Fe River Preserve and the Historic Haile Homestead have all been conserved by the organization. Miles of land — in plots as small as 40 acres to as large as 1,090 acres — will remain pristine. Each piece may represent a different Florida habitat, but the goal of ACT is to eventually connect every conservation zone across the state, Kay said.

ACT protects mostly wildlife refugees or historical sites — or land described by Kay as special places situated on the “Emerald Necklace” of Alachua County.

But the mission now goes beyond just local sites: The organization has stretched its protective fingers across approximately 10 counties.

“Our mission is not just to buy land, but make it so

PHOTO BY AMANDA WILLIAMSON

Melissa DeSa plucks Bells of Ireland from the Forage Farms garden, a piece of flowering turf located on the Prairie Creek Preserve owned by Alachua Conservation Trust. “This land, it was meant to be farmed,” DeSa said. “It was already cleared. Animals had been grazing it for years. There’s a barn and a well over there. It was like a farmer’s dream.”

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Vote Yes

ON 1

The T he Alachua C onsse Conservation Trust: Vote Yes on 1 V For many years, Florida had one of the nation’s premier land conservation programs, first called Preservation 2000 and more recently named Florida Forever.

In 2009, the legislature de-funded those programs and used the documentary tax stamp revenue (a small fee on every real-estate transaction) to balance the budget. With real estate closings once again increasing, there are more than sufficient funds for land conservation, while using only a third of his existing revenue stream.

Alachua County projects have benefited from these state programs in the past, with major projects including the Barr Hammock, Phifer Flatwoods, Hogtown Creek Headwaters, and additions to San Felasco Hammock and Paynes Prairie.

If the referendum passes, it will enable ACT, the Alachua County Forever program and water management districts to finish conserving land along the Santa Fe and Suwannee Rivers.

For the amendment to pass, the ballot initiative needs at least 60 percent of the voters to vote “yes” on the measure. If the referendum is successful, $10 billion will become available over the next 20 years for the purchase, restoration and management of Florida’s conservation lands and water resources without raising taxes. It will be Amendment 1 on the statewide Nov. 4, 2014, election ballot. st

In Information nfo form rm m provided by The Alachua A Al achu ac hua hu a Conservation Trust

106 | Summer 2014

we can continue to buy land,” said Ivor Kincaide, ACT land manager.

Conservation for the Alachua Conservation Trust usually comes easier than for the government, which has loops it must jump through to acquire funding.

ACT simply locates a critical piece of land, organizes its donors and then purchases the property. For example, Plum Creek, the largest landowner in the United States, decided to sell Phifer Flatwoods Preserve. The largest bidder: a land development company in Louisiana.

The preserve winds through flatwoods and basin swamp area. It connects several key conservation plots already saved by the trust between Gainesville and Hawthorne. To ensure the preserve’s protection, ACT rallied its supporters and received donations from individuals, foundations and non-profit groups. The effort raised more than $3 million for the initial land purchase.

Kay said ACT identifies critical pieces of land as those of historical significance or those important for wildlife conservation, but they can also be pieces of property adjacent to land owned by the trust already. A deciding factor in whether land should be purchased is if it is considered a “corridor,” or a property that could connect two already existing plots. Phifer Flatwoods, while beautiful in its own space, was also a corridor.

Currently, ACT has targeted Little Orange Creek Preserve as one of its important projects, but it also has smaller projects in progress throughout the county. Kay was unwilling to name the areas the trust has not yet purchased.

“We’re in the real estate business as well,” he said, a small chuckle following the seemingly apologetic response.

In addition to purchasing property, ACT works to educate adults and children on the environment. For adults, the workshops focus on the season’s hot topics.

The springs are always a favorite, Kay said.

The Springs Eternal exhibit recently ended at the Florida Museum of Natural History, but the struggle to increase awareness continues. There is currently a massive push around the state by environmental activists, politicians and concerned citizens to increase funding for springs protection, Kay said. Workshops provided by ACT can help to educate uninformed individuals or increase the knowledge of passionate springs protectors.

One of ACT’s recent workshops delivered a talk on black bears, which inhabit Little Orange Creek Preserve.

But, as the black bear population increases, Kay said there is talk among the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission about creating a hunting season for the large bears — a topic that remains in constant controversy.

For children, the events tend to revolve around seasonal changes, such as bird migration or composting.

“It’s easy to identify species when they are present,” Kay said. “It’s not going to be any fun to go out and look

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PHOTO BY AMANDA WILLIAMSON

Ivor Kincaide glances inside one of the blue bird nests Alachua Conservation Trust built on the Prairie Creek Preserve. The nest boxes provide natural holes for birds on lands where trees and snags were routinely removed. ACT created 30 different designs for various cavity-nesting birds: Wood Duck, American Kestrel and the Eastern screech-owl.

for something that isn’t there.”

Like most environmental organizations, ACT believes the children are the future of conservation. Younger generations need to be outside and involved in their natural surroundings so they can learn to enjoy it, he said.

“To continue this movement into the future, you have to have kids,” Kay said.

All the workshops are free and open to the public, but Kay suggests signing up in advance. The adult classes tend to draw about 60 to 80 people, but the children’s classes must be limited to around 10 participants.

“Some people are interested in the springs, but not in black bears or frogs,” Kay said. “At most of the events, you can probably count on 20 to 30 percent of the same people, but there’s always an infusion of new visitors.”

Some individuals still don’t recognize the value of having conservation land in the community, but untouched Edens can actually improve a location economically. With more pristine environments, such as the Santa Fe River Preserve, Kay said, eco-tourism increases. North Central Florida is home to the largest constellation of springs in the world, and many of the

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properties purchased by ACT conserve that idyll.

By providing clean water, clean air and aesthetically appealing hideaways, the Alachua Conservation Trust hopes to improve the likelihood that county residents will venture into Florida’s natural surroundings.

For all the ACT’s efforts, the Land Trust Alliance selected the trust from over 1,700 other organizations across the country for the “National Land Trust Excellence Award,” the highest honor for land trusts in the United States.

The Alachua Conservation Trust is the first land trust in Florida to receive the award, and was recognized primarily for its innovation and collaboration.

“This award wasn’t given to us for one specific event,” Kay said. “It was the culmination of all the years we’ve been working to preserve land.”

Since the 1980s, ACT has partnered with a variety of organizations to extend the reach of conservation.

Much of the land it saves does not remain under its control, but is instead sold back to the public.

For example, ACT recently sold a piece of property adjacent to the Paynes Prairie Preserve to Alachua County. But ACT also still manages and protects several thousand acres with assistance from partners in the community.

Though ACT co-owns and manages the Historic Haile Homestead, the Haile family and the Historic Haile Homestead Inc. runs the day-to-day operations

and maintains its family name on the house. The partnership preserves the unique resource as a historic house museum.

“At a time when acquisition started slowing down because of funding, we continued to create partnerships as a way to capture the energy in the different avenues of the conservation community,” Kay said.

The organization considers itself an incubator for other non-profits, such as Forage Farms and Conservation Burial, Inc. Both operate on ACT-owned land. One provides locally grown flowers to restaurants, hotels and event planners around Alachua County, while the other offers a natural burial within a protected conservation area.

“The goal here is not to have a headstone, but to have a place preserved through the burial,” Kincaide said. Around him, nearly unnoticeable hills in the land signaled the site where someone’s loved one rested.

“They feel a connection to something more important than a for-profit cemetery owned by a funeral home.”

To volunteer for the Alachua Conservation Trust or to donate to the cause, visit the organization’s website for more information: alachuaconcervationtrust.org.

The organization welcomes new volunteers and tries to find ways to match anyone’s needs with the needs of ACT. Many people, Kay said, help remove invasive species or trash from a conservation site, but volunteers can also help with the workshops. s

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> TERRI SCHLICHENMEYER BOOK REVIE REVIEW EW >>

One Room Schools written by Susan Apps-Bodilly c.2013, Wisconsin Historical Society Press $15.95 / higher in Canada 146 pages his morning on your way to school, you caught something: a ride.

It was way too cold to wait outside for the bus. Your teeth would be chattering tering before you could ever walk to school.. So you had a personal chauffer named “Mom” Mom” today, and you were pretty glad.

Now imagine wading to school hool in snow that’s waist-high, and having aving to build a fire when you got there. e. Imagine going outside to go to the bathroom, hroom, no matter what the weather. And then read “One Room Schools” by Susan usan Apps-Bodilly.

When Susan Apps-Bodilly’s s father was five years old, he was excited for his first day of school to arrive. As soon n as he heard the school bell from far away, he knew he had a half-hour to be at his desk and ready to learn. But first, he’d have a long walk to the schoolhouse.

T

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The schoolhouse was prepared for him, thanks to a neighbor who came and cleaned it top to bottom.

All the desks were lined up and waiting for the kids in grades One through Eight, the wooden floors were shined, and the windows were clear; it was 1939 and there was no electricity at school, so students could only use daylight and gas lamps to see their lessons.

Many of the kids who attended school had a job to do there. One older student was chosen to raise the flag each day, and it was an honor to have that job. Younger kids cleaned chalkboard erasers, or fetched the mail, or emptied wastebaskets. Teachers and older kids made sure the outhouses were easy to get to (there were no indoor toilets) or they pumped water and carried it inside for the water cooler.

Once all the school chores had been done, it was time to start learning. With eight grades in one room, younger students often would “listen in” on the lessons that older students were learning. Older students were always willing to help younger kids with their lessons, too. That helped a lot because everybody learned together.

Your local school has all kinds of amenities. But do the kids appreciate them? Once they’ve read “One Room Schools,” they surely will.

Using the Wisconsin-based tales of her father, Jerry Apps, author Susan Apps-Bodilly gives young readers a sense of a norm normal school day, 80 years ago, and the kids who ea eagerly attended those schools. Her chapters cover all seasons, lessons and recess activities, and they touch on the support that parents and c communities gave their schools, which began closing in the 1940s. And since all this migh might be hard for children to believe, Apps-Bodilly includes lots of pictures as proof, which was m my favorite part.

I’d like to say that this book is good for grandparents as w well as for kids, but I think elders would be hap happier with a Jerry Apps original.

Giving this bo book to your favorite 8-to-12-yearold to read, h however, might happily spark some memory shar sharing. You both may find that “One Room Schools Schools” is a book with class. s Terri Schlichenmeyer has been reading since she was 3 years old and she never goes anywhere without a book. She lives with her two dogs and 11,000 books.

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>> OMELETTE YOU FINISH

Hatch a Plan A Dozen Things to Contemplate When Considering Backyard Birds WRITTEN BY DARLA KINNEY SCOLES

With the Gainesville City Commission voting last fall to increase the number of chickens allowed in city residents’ back yards to 10 birds, more citizens than ever are looking into starting a flock of their own. While no permit or fee is required to keep poultry, there are rules and conditions and many things to consider before jumping on the fresh-egg-and-meat bandwagon.

Here’s an even dozen…

All Code information is from the City of Gainesville Code of Ordinances, Sec.30-124.

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: e s o p r u 1) P

ource d and a s ets, or foo p e b ard y rd k c a the y up Ba ebook gro hickens in c c a F e ctions e th fa l th il e f W mbers o t all thre e n e M s ? s re g p g da, re of fresh e online — ville Flori nd advice of Gaines a s n n o e k ti purpose a ic h C for which are inform t s h s e b y rl re a la nd eds and regu m, raise a icken bre which ch , keep the g m e in . All d th d lu n d c u n o in to fi ites ab and how ical webs the p to to p y, o ll o a and where ddition m the c o A . fr t m a e it th b ha nd care for a chicken chosen a ments of ed of bird re b e time, e th v other ele y a ected b re will s ff e a h e h b l rc il a e feed w Doing res purpose. for what on later. d frustrati n a y e n o m

CODE “Roosters of any age (generally characterized by an ability to crow) and any other crowing chickens are prohibited.”

2) Size of flock:

CODE “No more than ten (10) chickens are allowed.”

Tractor Supply Company Team Lead, Jaid Wrbas, of Bronson, has four hens and said they supply her family of two with all the eggs they need, as each hen produces five to six eggs per week. A poll of members at Facebook’s Northeast Florida Farm and Garden Swap page confirmed that 10 chickens are plenty for any family’s meat and/or egg needs.

Members also cautioned, however, that poultry can be highly addictive — leaving chicken-keepers always wanting to add more fledglings to the flock. One member even suggested that chickens are a ‘gateway bird’ and lead to other fowl such as ducks, guineas and peacocks — oh my!

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Summer Summ Su Summ mmerr 2014 20114 | 11 1113 3

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: g n i s u o 3) H

e of coop pe and siz ty h ic h w rmine ops seem ons in co ed to dete ti e a n ri a rs v e n e hile th s well as Bird ow e coops a ir fowl. W e d a th s -m e y d rv of rea om the best se online, fr are plenty d n re a e s th re , s rm sto list boasts endles lans in fa te. Craigs p a lf e rn o rs p, u ly o ib ing a coo do-it-y incred ith choos le to the p w n im s fu e ly ty e m riori insan . Have so are top p p makers bird safety d coops n a many coo le n b o a r functi of move e b ty m ri e la m u p e po but re the birds ing both nt years th e tt c fi e re n e In b . , here eased cre els has in with whe ard. and the y

CODE “Covered enclosures shall meet the setback requirements for an accessory structure in the applicable zoning district.”

4) Feed:

CODE “Feed shall be kept in rodent-proof and raccoon-proof enclosed containers.”

CODE “The area in which the chickens are kept shall be maintained in a sanitary condition, including the regular removal of chicken manure.”

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Your chickens have a purpose and their feed should too. Omnivores, chickens will eat just about anything. They love vegetable and fruit peelings as well as stale bread kitchen castings.

However, just as in the human diet, young birds have different dietary requirements than adults, and all require a balance of nutrients, fats, carbohydrates, proteins and supplementation. Thankfully, commercial bird feeds, like the dog and cat varieties, are formulated and labeled for just about every stage of a bird’s life and purpose, leaving only the choice between organic or non-organic feed. Plenty of information on feeding fowl can be found at Tractor Supply Company’s website as well as the University of Florida’s IFAS Extension site. Proper feeding is crucial the best end result. Read, read, read before you feed.

5) Plagues :

Pestilence and parasi tes: Unfort ens in the unately, h backyard is aving those going to p to others to chickresent an join in the open invit fun and, li ation birds are p k e any other rone to infe livestock, ction and thing.) Som disease. (B e of these ird flu is a ca n b real and diet. S e prevente ome cann d with vacc ot. Make su ination on the role re y ou are wil of zookeep ling to tak er and vet little chick e as you pee s on sale a r at those t the flea m a hen to th cute a rk e t. You can’t e vet. You are the ve just run and willin t. Diligence gness to d , knowledg octor are p e art of the package to o.

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6) Predators: “If you have chickens,” said local flock owner Faye Carr, “then you have predators.” Carr has lost fowl to unwanted hunters of the animal variety in the w. past and does what she can to ensure security now. , e,” “Predators are every chicken keeper’s nightmare,” Carr said. “You can bury fencing around and under your coop (for the diggers), you can electrify the perimeter of your chicken yard (for the climbers), and cover the area with netting (for the flyers). Do all of those things and more and you’ll still lose ce. e ce ien perien exper ex expe e experience. he chickens to predators. It’s part of the u a bitt just mourn just Be prepared as best you can and mourn ey are chickens. he if it happens to your flock. But they Everybody and everything likes to eat chicken.” me me om b come bec n become can p ts can pet Remember, your current pets mix. mix e mix. the to the ns to ken kens ken predators when you add chickens

CODE C ODE “Odors dors fr from om chi chicke chickenckennkeeping eepin ee ping g shall shall shal l not not be detectable detect det ectabl able e at at property perty per ty boundaries.” bounda bou ndarie ries.” s.”

CODE C O “Legally, “Le L gal a l backyard chicken chickens n in the city of Gai G Gainesville nes s must be ke kep kept t in a “fenced area or r cov covered vere e enclosure.”

7) Poop: Just as having chickens means having predators, having chickens means you have chicken poop. Depending on the number of chickens you keep, you might have a lot of chicken poop. What to do with it all? Here again, there are several options. Members of the Backyard Chickens of Gainesville Facebook group offer their take on dealing with this byproduct as follows: “I shovel it up and put it in old feed bags, then compost it.”

“I haven’t bought fertilizer in years. I use manure or used brooder bedding for pretty much everything.”

“Chicken manure is great for gardening as fertilizer.”

8) Feral birds:

Newnan’s em in the ere a probl w s n ke til a coveric n Feral ch y years u an m r fo d borhoo es and Lake neigh nty deputi dup by cou n u ro s e unwantes th of-darkn s captured al ci fi s of t emen n problem code enforc feral chicke o n e il h o W 2012. ville, n ed birds in e in Gaines present tim e th ts the at ar g st in ho are roil eighbor” w n at h “t to be iligent in one wants must be d n owners ke ic h C . e. next on e contained eir birds ar th at th g n ensuri

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CODE C ““To report a violation, v la vio please call 352-334-5030.”

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9) Time:

CODE C OD

e Factor in all the time required to deal with numbers three t about mind your change just through eight, and you might Time chickens. as such taking on a backyard project spent on chicken keeping varies from owner to owner —

Of course, there is no code relating to time, but we all know there is never enough of it.

10) Rules:

and with the purpose of the birds themselves — but most flock keepers agree that the average time ranges from 10 to 60 minutes every day. Remember that last part.

esville has rules. Alachua County nes nes aiine Gaine G Gai ul . Neighborhood Home Owner rules as ru has s have rules. Check the rules a ciiation oc Ass oci Ass Assoc e you spend your first dollar on birds. ore efore bef bef befor

“Baby chicks require a lot of time, at least two hours,” said Wrbas, who was selling $2.99 chicks at the Newberry store’s recent Chick Days. “But with adult chickens, an hour of time per day would be all you’d need.”

“I prefer to spend about 20 to 30 minutes a day but most days it’s about five to 10 minutes,” said Ben Steltenkamp, Backyard Chickens of Gainesville member. “I’m not going to admit how much I just stare at them and laugh. Chickens are funny beings.”

CODE C ODE

““Effective “Ef Effec fe tiv fec ti e Nove N November vembe mber r 21, 21, 2013, 20 3, 201 3 Sec Sec.30 Sec.30-124, .30-12 -124, the ke keepeping of chickens is allowed by right as an accessory use to any single-family dwelling in the following residential zone districts: RSF-1, RSF-2, RSF-3, RSF-4, and RC.”

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CODE C ODE

12) Join a group:

“Chicken products and/ or by-products shall not be sold on the property.” pro operty. y

The best research is someone else’s experience.

Join a group or ask a friend who has already successfully chosen and maintained a flock and you’ll learn much more than years of book or online reading might provide. Not a joiner? Many become members of Facebook groups such as Northeast Florida Farm and Garden Swap and lurk until they are comfortable joining in with a post or two. And this is one part of chickenkeeping that is absolutely free (until you fall in love with that puppy someone is giving away online and take that in, too).

11) Ask your neighbors: Knowing the rules doesn’t mean you know it all. Ask your neighbors how they feel abou t you keeping chickens. You might find an ally in your endeavor — or a vigilante code enforcer.

“You also might find that your neighbor already has chickens and can provide you with fresh eggs from their back yard,” Carr said.

“Why duplicate efforts?”

CODE

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352-332-6671

www.napolatanos.com

ITALIAN — Napolatanos is the longest original owner operated restaurant in Gainesville. Nappys, the name the locals have given Napolatanos has the most extensive menu. Whether you choose pizza, calzones, salad, burgers, sandwiches, pasta, seafood, steak dinners or the best chicken wings in town, Nappy’s uses only the freshest ingredients. Visit on Tuesday & Wednesday for half price appetizers. Save up to $4 on pizza on Thursday and $5 off bottles of wine on Saturday. Outside dining with live music on Sunday evenings. Family meals for pick-up starting at $21.95.

Flying Biscuit Café 4150 NW 16th Blvd., Gainesville, FL 32605 Located in the Fresh Market Center Mon - Fri: 7am - 3pm • Sat - Sun: 7am - 4pm

352-373-9500

www.flyingbiscuit.com

BREAKFAST — The Flying Biscuit is out to reinvent breakfast in Gainesville! Maybe you’ve tried their soon-to-be-famous creamy, dreamy grits or their “moon dusted” breakfast potatoes, but did you know you can have them at anytime? With a unique open menu, all the items that appear are available throughout the day. With a variety of healthy and hearty dishes, The Flying Biscuit caters to a variety of tastes. With options ranging from the Smoked Salmon Scramble, the Bacon Cheddar Chicken Sandwich or the Tofu and Tater Salad, there’s something for everyone. Call us up to an hour before your expected arrival time to add your name to our call ahead seating list.

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Taste of the Town

SPECIAL RESTAURANT ADVERTISING SECTION. CALL 352.372-5468 FOR ADVERTISING INFORMATION.

COCKTAILS CIGARS WINES SPIRITS

Craft Cocktail Specials Monday-Friday Till 8pm

Tioga Town Center - Next to World of Beer • 352-727-4755 / fluidloungetioga fluidlounges.com •

OUTSIDE SEATING

Bring our southern flair to any party!

APPROVED VENDOR APPROVED CATERER

• CUSTOM MENUS • VEGAN & GLUTEN FREE MENUS • PLATTERS

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352-872-4956 • 352-505-0369

TE CO M P L E + P SET U WN TEAR DO

OUR WORRY-FREE GUARANTEE OFFERS YOU STRESS FREE DINING AT YOUR NEXT EVENT

Large or small, the Mamas cater it all!

Call today!

Call for an appointment to create a custom menu

352-538-0697 122 | Summer 2014

Gator Tales Sports Bar 5112 NW 34th Blvd (across from the YMCA) Mon-Tues 4pm - Midnight • Wed-Thurs 4pm - 2am Friday 11am - 2am • Sat 9am - 2am • Sun 9am - Midnight

(352)-376-9500

www.gator-tales.com

BAR & GRILL — GATOR TALES Sports Bar features 3 large separate entertainment areas! You can relax at our Tiki bar in a large covered outdoor patio with tropical tunes enjoying 3 large screen TV’s. If you prefer to be inside, visit the sports bar, where you can find large TV’s, a performance stage with nightly entertainment including karaoke, live bands and acoustical sets. We have a separate pool hall and offer two happy hours every day. Gator Tales has a variety of domestic and import beers including a local favorite Swamphead Stompknocker and BigNose. Appetizers black angus burgers, gator tail, and salads.

Breakfast served all day everyday. Check our website for trivia, karaoke and other events.

High Springs Coffee Co. 52 North Main St, High Springs, Florida 32643 Mon - Fri: 7:00 am - 3:00 pm • Sat: 11:00 am - 4:00 pm

352.278.2623

www.highspringscoffee.com

COFFEE/LUNCH — High Springs Coffee Co in downtown High Springs is the new local spot. Our great tasting coffees, roasted locally, using beans from all over the world are nothing short of happiness in a mug. Featuring a full espresso bar, homemade baked goods and specialty sandwiches, the High Springs Coffee Co is a destination hang out. We welcome you to stop in and feel right at home: grab a cup and a muffin (or a scone, cinnamon bun, piece of quiche... whatever suits your fancy) and enjoy all that High Springs Coffee Co. has to offer. We also have free wifi and an ATM for your convenience.

Dave’s New York Deli 12921 SW 1st Road • Tioga Town Center Open 7 Days

352-333-0291

www.DavesNYDeli.com

AUTHENTIC NY DELI — The Reviews are in and here’s what customers are saying about Dave’s NY Deli Tioga Town Center!

“Best Reuben, Best Pastrami, Best Philly, and Best Wings” Dave’s continues to be the place to go for authentic NY Deli food and Philly Cheesesteaks. Owner Dave Anders says “Nothing beats quality ingredients combined with a friendly staff. We bring in all of our Pastrami and Corned Beef and Cheesecake from New York’s Carnegie Deli. In addition we offer Nathan’s Hot Dogs, NY Kettle Boiled Bagels, Nova Salmon, Knish, Cannolies, Philly Cheesesteaks, Wings, Cubans, Subs, Kids Menu and more.”

Come out and enjoy Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner at Dave’s NY Deli.

Now serving beer and wine.

www.VisitOurTowns.com

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Newberry’s Backyard BBQ 25405 W Newberry Rd, Newberry Monday-Wednesday 11am-9pm • Thursday 11am-9pm Friday and Saturday 11am-11pm • Sunday 10:30am-8pm

352.472.7260

newberrybbq.com

BBQ — The one and only Newberry’s Backyard BBQ is located in our historic building in beautiful downtown Newberry. Our pork, chicken, beef, and turkey is smoked to perfection daily. Our salads and sides are always fresh. If you are thirsty we have the best sweet tea in the South and a full bar as well. Make sure to bring your kids, we serve their meals on a frisbee that they take home. For your entertainment, we always have live music on Friday nights and Karaoke on Saturday evenings. Always remember big or small we cater all gatherings.

Mark’s Prime Steakhouse & Seafood 201 SE 2nd Avenue, Gainesville, FL (Historic Downtown) Monday: 5:00pm - 9:00pm • Tues-Sat: 5:00pm to 10:00pm Happy Hour: 5:00pm - 7:00pm

352-336-0077

marksprimesteakhouse.com

STEAK & SEAFOOD — Mark’s Prime Steakhouse and Seafood has a goal to create a unique dining experience that will please the palate and soothe the soul. We serve the finest beef, the freshest seafood, and naturally fresh vegetables. Recipient of Wine Spectator’s Award of Excellence 2004-2011. Join us for Primetime Happy Hour featuring drink and appetizer specials Monday thru Saturday 5-7 pm. We are pleased to feature our full service, private dining facilities. It would be our pleasure to help plan your next reception, banquet, business meeting, or social gathering. Complimentary valet service.

Adam’s Rib Co. 211 NW 13th Street, Gainesville, Florida 32609 1515 SW 13th Street Gainesville, Florida 32608 Monday - Saturday: 7am to 9pm Sunday: 9am to 9pm

352-373-8882NW 352-727-4005SW AdamsRibCo.com BARBECUE — Looking for the best BBQ in Gainesville? Then look no further than Adam’s Rib Company. Adam’s Rib is North Florida’s Premier Barbecue restaurant, serving North Florida’s finest beef brisket, pulled pork, bbq spare ribs and slow smoked chicken and turkey. Choose from over 20 sauces – from honey sweet to habanero hot – and everything in between. Don’t forget dessert, like their scrumptious “Banana Pudding” and their famous Peach Cobbler. Serving breakfast, lunch and dinner, Adam’s can cater any event locally. Give Adam a call for your next tailgate party 352-514-8692!

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WINGS • SEAFOOD SANDWICHES SOUPS • SALADS STEAK • PASTA FLATBREAD HOUSE SPECIALS Chomps has LIVE music every Friday starting at 9pm & Saturday starting at 8pm. We also have Trivia Nation every Tuesday at 7pm.

352-727-4722 5109-A NW 39th Ave, Gainesville, FL 32606

www.chompsgrill.com www.VisitOurTowns.com

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The Great Outdoors 65 North Main Street, High Springs, FL 32643 Open at 11:00am Tuesday through Sunday

386-454-1288

www.greatoutdoorsdining.com

AWARD WINNING DINING! — A Golden Spoon recipient since 2010, the Great Outdoors features a menu that is carefully planned and lovingly prepared. Our Executive Chef is on the premises at all times carefully overseeing every detail, ensuring that your food is prepared fresh in the kitchen. Our steaks are hand cut and our sauces and desserts are home-made. Entrées range from prime aged steaks, fresh seafood prepared with your favorite spices, to fabulous burgers and sides. Sit by the fireplace while enjoying live music every Wednesday – Sunday as you dine under the stars on the outdoor patio. Happy hour with delicious appetizer and drink specials every Tuesday - Saturday from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM and weekly dinner specials Tuesday – Thursday.

Northwest Grille 5115 Northwest 39th Ave., Gainesville 32606 Open 7 Days: 11am to 10pm (Friday open until 11pm) Saturday & Sunday: Serving brunch 10am to 3pm

352-376-0500

www.northwestgrillegainesville.com

SEAFOOD — Locally owned and operated, Northwest Grille has been providing the finest quality fish and seafood entrees in a friendly atmosphere since 1996. Whether it’s their fresh, local seafood and fish, or handcrafted sauces and specialty desserts, Northwest Grille has something to please your palate. Meat lovers will enjoy the hand-cut steaks and vegetarians will love the wide range of vegetarian options.

Serving lunch and dinner daily, Northwest Grille, offers an extensive brunch menu on Saturdays and Sundays from 10am-3pm. Northwest Grille also features a full liquor bar with nightly drink specials. Happy hour is served daily from 3pm-7pm and all day on Wednesday – offering a wide assortment of craft beer, wine and $5 martinis.

Copper Monkey West 14209 W Newberry Road, Jonesville, FL 32669 Across from the Steeplechase Publix Sunday-Thursday 11am - 11pm • Friday-Saturday 11am - 12am

352-363-6338

mycoppermonkey.com

Restaurant & Pub — Located in the heart of Jonesville, this All-American dining is convenient to all neighborhoods in Gainesville, Alachua, Newberry, High Springs and beyond. Our family-friendly dining features great food at a great price. Whether you come in for the “best burger in town” or try any one of our freshly made salads, pastas or sandwiches, you will not leave disappointed. Our USDA choice steaks, served with 2 sides, offer a great alternative for the perfect celebratory meal. We also feature a full-service bar with signature drinks and many options for your viewing pleasure. Great food, great price, we’ll see you soon.

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500 Beers • 40 taps • Live Music wobgainesville

wobtioga

wobtioga

World of Beer - Gainesville • Tioga Town Center NEXT TO FLUID LOUNGE • WOBUSA.COM/GAINESVILLE

HEALTHY BY DESIGN Healthy eating is enjoying tasty food without worrying about all the fat added to it. At Embers Wood Grill, most dishes come right off the grill, without any need for butter or oil—just a little bit of smoke stimulates the proper flavors for your taste buds.

LOCALLY CONSCIOUS While our customers can enjoy all kinds of domestic products at Embers, Supporting the local community is one of our top priorities.

GAINESVILLE’S ONLY USDA PRIME CUT STEAKHOUSE

352.380.0901 • 3545 SW 34th St., Suite A

www.embersofflorida.com www.VisitOurTowns.com

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CALENDAR If you would like to have an event considered for publication in this calendar, please submit information directly. post 4400 NW 36th Ave., Gainesville, FL 32606 | e-mail editor@towerpublications.com | fax 352-373-9178

GUIDED WALK First Saturdays 10:00am KANAPAHA BOTANICAL GARDENS - 4700 SW 58th Drive. Kanapaha offers guided tours the first Saturday of every month. The docent is master gardener Alicia Nelson. Regular admission price for non-members and members are admitted free of charge. 352-372-4981.

LIFE IS A HIGHWAY Through August 17 Times vary HARN MUSEUM OF ART 3259 Hull Road. “Life is a Highway: Prints of Japan’s Tokaido Road” will highlight a selection of more than 150 woodblock prints that depict the history of the Tokaido Road — the most heavily traveled route in pre-World War II Japan. Works by such notable Japanese printmakers as Utagawa Hiroshige, Utagawa Kuniyoshi, Utagawa Kunisada and Sekino Jun’ichiro will be included in the exhibition, which spans more than 100 years of Japanese printmaking traditions.

“Life is a Highway,” signals the Harn’s commitment to the exhibition, study and preservation of Asian art, following the opening of the museum’s 26,000-square-foot Asian art wing.

352-392-9826.

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RETROSPECTIVE IN BLACK AND WHITE

PORTRAITS WITH PRESENCE

NEWBERRY WATERMELON FESTIVAL

May 1 - 16 10:00am – 4:00pm

Through Sept. 20 Times vary

SANTA FE COLLEGE President’s Gallery.

Larry Santucci’s photographs use only ambient light to create well-composed black and white images that compel the viewer to linger and absorb the subject matter.

352-395-5464.

Saturday, May 17 Times TBA

THOMAS CENTER 302 NE 6th Ave. Presenting work from both emerging and established artists, “ABOUT FACE Portraits with Presence” is one of the most expansive exhibits in the 35-year history of the Thomas Center Galleries.

Curated by Anne Gilroy, the exhibit reaches broadly in defining “portraiture.”

The collection of work combines classical and traditional work with unexpected interpretations of portraiture in the artist’s enduring quest to capture the presence of a person in both two- and three-dimensional media. 352-393-8532.

NEWBERRY - Destiny Church, future site, SR 26 just past SW 202nd St. The 68th Annual Newberry Watermelon Festival is back for another year of seed-spitting, pie-baking, hogcalling and, of course, watermelon-eating.

The watermelons are provided by local growers and are free to visitors.

REFINERY: A MODERN DAY FAERY TALE May 9-25 Times Vary THE ACROSSTOWN REPERTORY THEATRE Baird Center, 619 South Main St. The Acrosstown Repertory Theatre and Alachua County Rapscallions Theater proudly present this “Gainesville Homegrown” mainstage event, written by local author Chuck Lipsig and directed

by Jessica Arnold.

Fridays & Saturdays at 8pm, Sundays at 2pm.

352-234-6278.

MEMORY LOSS, DEMENTIA AND ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE Thursday, May 15 1:00pm – 2:30pm HIGH SPRINGS - High Springs Branch Library, 135 NW First Ave. A presentation explaining the early signs of loss of memory. 386-454-2515.

SWING & COUNTRY DANCE WITH BEGINNERS Friday, May 16 7:30pm – 10:15pm THE MOVEMENT 1212 N. Main St. A beginner-friendly lesson designed to get you out on the floor and dancing country-western the same night. Light refreshments provided but feel free to bring something to share.

Bring leather or soft-bottomed shoes please. Price: $10.

352-316-1762.

newberrywatermelonfestival.com.

BLUEBERRY FESTIVAL Saturday, May 17 8:00am – 4:00pm PALATKA - Bostwick Community Center, 125 Tillman St. Oldfashioned country festival includes blueberry pancake and sausage breakfast served until noon; blueberry ice cream and homemade blueberry pies and other yummy desserts; festival T-shirts; all types of vendors — crafts, jewelry, plants, clothes and food; blueberry plants; fresh blueberries straight from the field. Continuous entertainment; kids games; pet adoptions; bloodmobile; library used book sale.

386-325-5075.

SALE & AG FEST Saturday, May 17 8:00am – 12:00pm ALACHUA COUNTY EXTENSION OFFICE 2800 NE 39th Ave. A variety of herbs, annuals, perennials, natives, trees and more will be available at exceptional prices.

This annual plant sale is a fundraiser for the Alachua County Master Gardener Volunteer Program.

The Ag Fest will be providing information on the following: beekeeping, raising goats and rabbits, growing mushrooms, raised bed gardening and more. Also, presentations are scheduled on the following topics: herbs in the garden, backyard chickens and heirloom tomatoes.

352-955-2402.

Touch-a-Truck ck Saturday, May 17 7

9:00am – 2:00pm

NORTHEAST COMPLEX AT CITIZEN’S EN’S FIELD - Eighth Avenue and Waldo Road. At Sweet Dreams Touch-A-Truck, citizens will be able to get up close to large vehicles, learn about them, and learn pedestrian safety. The organizers of Sweet Dreams Foundation (www.sweetdreams-foundation. org) created “the event to raise money for selected organizations while providing the community a hands-on educational experience. 352-219-6653.

AIR SHOW RESCHEDULED Saturday, May 17 9:00am - 4:00pm SANTA FE COLLEGE 3000 NW 83rd St. American Heroes Air Show. Free. Explore helicopters from law enforcement, fire service, military, ENG/EMS with static displays from local, regional, state and Federal/DOD agencies. www.heroes-airshow.com.

BLUEBERRY FESTIVAL Saturday, May 17 9:00am – 4:00pm ISLAND GROVE Intersection of SR301 & CR325. The Cross Creek-Island GroveLockloosa Volunteer Fire Department’s Annual Blueberry Festival. Vendors selling craft and collectibles, jewelry, local fruits and

Ask a Scientist Sunday, May 18

1:00pm – 4:00pm

FLORIDA MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY - Take advantage of this opportunity to talk with museum researchers. Bring your questions and find answers during an afternoon of discovery and learning celebrating museums. 352-273-2062. www.flmnh.org

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Creature Saturday, May 17 7:00pm GALLERY PROTOCOL - 2029 NW 6th St. A night of local art, live music, silent auctions, raffles, cash bar, food and surprise “celebrity” guests. Tickets are $20 and include a free commemorative print.

All proceeds benefit the Alachua County Humane Society.

352-373-5855.

vegetables, breakfast & lunch, turkey shoot, bake sale, yard sale, kids activities and live music. Admission is free and 100% of the proceeds benefit the Volunteer Fire Department. 352-4663353. crosscreekfestival.com.

to begin enjoying games, fun activities and meet new friends.

GAINESVILLE POPS CONCERT

GAINESVILLE HARLEY DAVIDSON - West of I-75, exit 390. Fresh meat hot off the smoker, cold beer, live music by Hollow Days, raffle prizes every hour, 50/50 drawings and a grand prize. Hunter from WIND-FM will be emceeing the event, and you’re invited to bring all your friends and family with you.

Proceeds benefit Stop Children’s Cancer. Info:

Saturday, May 17 3:00pm FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH - 419 NE 1st St. The Gainesville Pops celebrates Armed Forces Day with its Armed Forces Salute!

Concert. All who serve or served in the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Forces, Coast Guard, National Guard and Reserve units, and their families and the community who support them are

352-334-0165.

HARLEYDAVIDSON’S HOG ROAST Saturday, May 17 12:00pm – 4:00pm

marketing@gainesvilleharley.com.

invited. 352-373-7377.

BETTER LATE THAN NEVER

GIRL SCOUTS Saturday, May 17 1:00pm – 2:30pm

Sunday, May 18 2:00pm and 4:00pm

LIBRARY PARTNERSHIP BRANCH - 1130 NE 16th Ave. Sign up today

SENIOR RECREATION CENTER - 5701 NW 34th Blvd. The

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award-winning Gainesville Harmony Show Chorus of Sweet Adelines International will be presenting “Better Late Than Never.”

Tickets are $5 and can be purchased by calling 352-378-6837.

MUSIC IN THE PARK Sunday, May 18 2:00pm – 4:00pm HIGH SPRINGS James Paul Park & Community Garden, 200 N. Main St. Every third Sunday enjoy the beautiful downtown area with your family and friends — and local musicians and talent. Bring blankets, lawn chairs and refreshments.

352-275-4190.

WAG Sunday, May 18 2:30pm - 4:00pm MILLHOPPER BRANCH LIBRARY - 3145 NW 43rd St. “The Inner

Critic: Where Writing and Spirit Collide.” Dr. Lezlie Laws, professor of English and director of writing programs at Rollins College, will speak at the monthly meeting of the Writers Alliance of Gainesville on disarming the inner critic. Laws is founder of LifeArt Studio that provides workshops, retreats and coaching in creativity and the creative process, creative living, yoga asana and the yogic tradition. Free. www. writersalliance.org.

GARDENING TECHNIQUES Monday, May 19 12:00pm – 12:45pm ALACHUA - Branch Library, 14913 NW 140th St. Gardeners and homesteaders meet to discuss planning and strategies to improve gardening techniques for our area. Bring your own brown bag lunch. 386-462-2592.

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HEALTHY AGING SERIES Tuesday, May 20 3:30pm - 4:30pm

Mother and Daughter Tea Party Friday, May 23 3:00 – 4:00pm CONE PARK BRANCH - 2841 E. University Ave. Dress in your best and don’t forget your hat. There will be games, food and of course, tea. Please register in advance at www.aclib. us/events or call the library, 352-334-0720.

THE VILLAGE - Tower Club Ballroom, 8000 NW 27th Blvd.

NFRMC Healthy Aging Series: Joint Pain. Dr. Timothy Lane, orthopaedic surgeon with The Orthopaedic Institute, discusses joint pain and the latest surgical techniques for hips and knees. Light refreshments will be served. For questions or to register for this free event, please call 352-548-3540 or visit www.TheVillageOnline.com/Events.

GAWN Wednesday, May 21 11:30am – 1:00pm SWEETWATER BRANCH INN - 625 E University Ave. The Gainesville Area Women’s Network luncheon – third Wednesday each month. Attend for great networking and a hot lunch. Register: GAWN.org.

GAINESVILLE NETWORKING CHALLENGE Wednesday, May 21 5:30pm – 7:00pm

Girls Night Out Wednesday, May 28 5:30pm CORKS & COLORS - 3415 State Road 26. Did you miss the first Girls Night Out at Corks & Colors earlier this month? Don’t worry, you will once again have the chance to be creative, drink wine, have fun and support a great cause. Your $10 donation at the door allows you to enjoy food and drinks. For $25 you can choose from one of two canvas options to paint along with an instructor — 30 percent goes to United Way.

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JONESVILLE - Sabore Restraurant, 13005 SW 1st Rd. Come network with business professionals in a casual setting on the third Wednesday of each month. Invite your friends! Enjoy complimentary delicious hors d’oeuvres!

SHINE ON MEDICARE Thursday, May 22 1:00pm – 3:00pm HAWTHORNE

- Hawthorne Branch Library, 6640 SE 221st St. Florida Department of Elder Affairs offers unbiased, confidential counseling at no cost by trained SHINE volunteer counselors.

Individual sessions help those eligible for Medicare understand their options. Please bring: Medicare and Social Security cards, print-out of medications from pharmacy or bottles, proof of annual household income to determine benefits, driver’s license or photo ID and letters from Social Security, Medicare or Medicaid.

Call for appointments: 1-800-963-5337.

NONPROFIT SUMMIT Thursday, May 22 8:00am EMERSON ALUMNI HALL - 1938 W. University Ave. The Nonprofit Center and the University of Florida Department of Family, Youth & Community Sciences partner again to provide the 2014 Nonprofit Summit. In its fourth year, the Nonprofit Summit is one of North Central Florida’s largest educational conferences for nonprofit professionals, board members, community leaders and the student population of emerging leaders.

Attendees will receive training, build and strengthen relationships, identify resources and learn from one another during an inspiring day filled with some surprises. www.summit.ncncf.org.

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POFAHL STUDIOS OS

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Making summer plans for the dancer in your life? ballet intensive

>> Especially for intermediate to advanced level students

June 2 – June 6

summer workshop >> ALL AGES and SKILL LEVELS WELCOME! Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Contemporary and Hip-Hop

June 9 – July 26

dance intensive

>> Especially for intermediate to advanced level students, Ages es 10+ Master teachers in ballet, contemporary, conditioning, jazzz & repertoire ded.

Performances held on August 3 and August 10. Lunch provi provided.

July 28 – August 8

adult classes

>> For all skill levels beginner eginner to professional. On-going Instruction available

THE OFFICIAL SCHOOL OF

N A T I O N A L

B A L L E T

POFAHL L STUDIOS Judy Skinner and nd Kim Tuttle – Directors

ALL PHOTOS © JOHNSTON PHOTOGRAPHY

Celebrating 58 Amazing Years!

352-373-1166

or send an email to:: kim@pofahlstudios.com 1325 NW 2nd Street • Gainesville, Florida 32601

www.pofahlstudios.com hlstudios.com www.VisitOurTowns.com

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TRAVEL PROGRAM Saturday, May 24 1:00pm DUNNELLON - Library Meeting Room, 20351 Robinson Rd. Lowbudget travel across the United States.

Jane Weber, a local columnist for the Chronicle and global traveler, will give a slide show presentation about low budget travel across the United States. 352-438-2520.

FROGS AND FRIENDS FRIDAY Sunday, May 25 2:00pm MORNINGSIDE NATURE CENTER - 3540 E. University Ave. Educational building.

Join the fun - get the facts! Youngsters, with an adult, can join an animal caretaker for an exciting and educational program featuring live amphibians and reptiles. Free program.

352-334-3326.

SEWING WORKSHOP Wednesday, May 28 9:30am SENIOR RECREATION CENTER - 5701 NW 34th St. The Gainesville Sewing Circle will hold a sewing workshop.

Bring a bag lunch.

Anyone interested in any aspect of sewing is welcome as a guest.

Bring your show-andtell. 352-265-9040.

GAINESVILLE GARDEN CLUB LUNCHEON Thursday, May 29 11:00am – 1:00pm GAINESVILLE GARDEN CLUB - 1350 NW 75th St. The Club presents “Through The Garden Gate, Our Legacy and

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Our Future.” Learn more about the garden club and becoming a member. 352 331-0426.

ARTWALK GAINESVILLE Friday, May 30 7:00pm – 10:00pm DOWNTOWN - 104 SE 1st Ave. A free monthly self-guided tour that combines exciting visual art, live performance and events in downtown Gainesville. With many local galleries, eateries and businesses participating, Artwalk is an exciting, fun way to experience the amazing wealth of creativity the Gainesville community has to offer.

352-384-3950.

FASHION SHOW AND TEA Saturday, May 31 1:30pm KANAPAHA PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH - 6221 SW 75th Terrace. Fashion show by Belk with light refreshments, music, silent auction, gift baskets, baked goods and door prizes. Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 at the door. Children 12 and under are $5.

352-378-9080.

CELEBRATE JAPANESE CULTURE Sunday, June 1 1:30pm – 4:30pm HARN MUSEUM OF ART - 3259 Hull Road.

Browse the museum store merchandise relating to Japanese culture and the Tokaido Road. View demonstrations on how to wear kimono, create bento lunches and paint in Sumi-e style. 352-392-9826.

TRAVEL TALK Sunday, June 1 3:00pm HARN MUSEUM OF ART - 3259 Hull Road. Take a virtual tour of Japan’s history through author Jerry Heines’ travel experience and photos, which includes several important posts along the Tokaido Road. Heines’ book “Japan’s Explosive Cultural Evolution” will be sold in the store with a book signing following his talk.

352-392-9826.

CLASSIC MOVIE MONDAY Monday, June 1 12:00pm – 2:00pm CONE PARK LIBRARY BRANCH - 2841 E. University Ave. Enjoy a classic movie from the library’s collection.

352-334-0720.

SENIOR SAFETY SEMINAR

HISTORY BUS TOURS Saturday, June 7 10:00am – 11:30pm MATHESON MUSEUM 513 E. University Ave. Experience the heritage, culture and history of Alachua County with the Matheson Museum’s “Now and Then History Bus Tour.”

Discover the rich history of education in Gainesville. Hear the stories of the determined individuals and institutions that transformed Gainesville from frontier town to the educational heart of Florida. The history bus tour begins at the Matheson Museum with light refreshments.

352-378-2280.

SUMMER READING KICKOFF

Thursday, June 5 2:00pm - 4:00pm

Saturday, June 7 11:00am – 4:30pm

THE VILLAGE - Tower Club Ballroom, 8000 NW 27th Blvd. A series of educational lectures targeting three major safety issues for seniors: fall prevention, medication safety and fraud.

TOWER ROAD BRANCH LIBRARY - 3020 SW 75th St. Children get ready to Fizz, Boom, Read! and sign up for Summer Reading.

Teens - Spark a Reaction! And adults are invited to enjoy Literary Elements.

The Puppetman and Storybook Lady will put on a great show to encourage reading.

Afterward, participate in a community fair and Tower Road Branch’s summer science fair project to find out what happens to trash in a compost bin with superhero “Waste Watcher.” Please bring an item to contribute to the compost pile.

352-333-2840.

TRUE COUPONING COUPON CLASS Saturday, June 7 10:00am CHRISTIAN LIFE FELLOWSHIP CHURCH 19817 W. Newberry Road. When you leave class, you will be ready to start immediately saving.

Become a super saver.

All workshops are free. 352-472-5433.

Erica Canova, M.D. Aulisio, M.D. The first line of defense Anthony Allison Matthews, PA-C Keith Whitmer, M.D. Miranda Whitmer, M.D. Tara Andrisin, PA-C against skin cancer starts with you.

New Patients Welcome!

Examine your skin on a regular basis for signs of skin cancer and consult a dermatologist if you notice anything suspicious. This can help ensure that skin cancer is diagnosed in its earliest, most treatable stage.

352-332-4442

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• Mulching • Clean-ups • Skid Steer Work

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Land & Lawn, LLC

352.258.3147 www.SouthernLandandLawnService.com

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SCHOOL’S OUT FAMILY FEST Saturday, June 7 11:00am – 5:00pm

Cornho Cornhole ole e Tournament Sat., May 31

11:00am

THELMA BOLTIN SENIOR ACTIVITY CENTER - 516 NE 2nd Ave. Peaceful Paths presents this family-friendly event featuring a tournament, side games of skill and a raffle of a custom set of Florida “Gators” cornhole boards. Proceeds benefit the client assistance fund. 352-334-2189.

FORAGE FARM AND PRAIRIE CREEK LODGE 7204 SE Circle 234.

Come join Forage Farm to celebrate what’s great about our community. Live music geared toward kids from great local bands, local food vendors, arts and crafts, games, nature walks, food and garden workshops, water fun and more.

All proceeds from event benefit Forage outreach programs and the Gainesville Seed Library. Adults are $8, and kids are $5. www.foragefarm.org.

AFRICAN SAFARI Saturday, June 7 1:00pm – 2:30pm

Fitting Writing into a Busy Schedule

ALACHUA COUNTY HEADQUARTERS LIBRARY - 401 E. University Ave. A young missionary student finds himself behind the lens in 1970s Africa filming one of the world’s greatest philosophers and religious leaders, A.C. Bhaktivendanta Swami Prabhupada.

John Milner, also known as Cyavana das, will comment on his experiences after showing his film.

352-334-3939.

Sunday, June 8

DECORATING WITH NATURE

2:30pm

Saturday, June 7 1:00pm – 2:30pm

MILLHOPPER BRANCH LIBRARY - 3145 NW 43rd St. Satchel Raye, of Satchel’s Pizza, will tell the Writers Alliance of Gainesville how he finds time to write. Besides running his busy schedule, supporting community activities, indulging in his love of painting and stained glass, and participating in family life, he finds time to journal, blog and write stories that he prints on the backs of his menus.

352-334-1272.

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ALACHUA COUNTY HEADQUARTERS LIBRARY - 401 E. University Ave. Candle votive craft using natural materials to bring nature into your home. Materials provided. Please register in advance at www.aclib.us/events or call 352-334-3939.

TAMPA TAIKO Wednesday, June 11 2:00pm – 3:00pm NEWBERRY - Alachua County Library Newberry, 110 S. Seaboard Drive.

Celebrate the science of sound by joining Tampa Taiko for their astounding drum show. 352-472-1135.

DEARLY DEPARTED June 13 – July 6 8:00pm HIGH SPRINGS - High Springs Playhouse, 130 NE 1st Avenue.

Friday and Saturday nights, 2:00pm, Sunday matinees.

This wacky comedy is a tale of the Turpin family proves that living and dying in the South are seldom tidy and always funny. Tickets are $11 for adults, $8 for children 12 and under, $9 for seniors on Sundays and are available on-line (for a $1 service fee) at www.HighSpringsCommunityTheater. com/2/. Info: Facebook: www.facebook.com/HSCTheater

FAMILY DAY Saturday, June 14 1:00pm – 4:00pm HARN MUSEUM OF ART 3259 Hull Road. Take a family-friendly tour of the art on view in the exhibition.

Print your own multicolor image of a playful scene from woodblocks prepared by a local artist and enjoy a demonstration of traditional woodblock cutting methods.

A donation of $5 per family or $2 per child is requested if participating in the art activity.

352-392-9826.

Parks for play and long walks in nature.

Exquisite art galleries.

Activities for learning, fitness and connection offered year-round.

So much to love.

All in your city.

Gainesville. www.cityofgainesvilleparks.org

City of Gainesville Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs Department is accredited by the Commission for Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies (CAPRA).

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MARJORIE HARRIS CARR

HOGTOWN HOMEGROWN

Tuesday, June 17 6:00pm

Thursday, June 19 3:00pm – 4:00pm

MATHESON MUSEUM - 513 E. University Ave. Dr. Peggy Macdonald will make a presentation on her new book “Marjorie Harris Carr: Defender of Florida’s Environment” at the Matheson Museum.

Discover one of Florida’s unsung environmental heroes, Marjorie Harris Carr. Macdonald will examine Carr’s campaigns to protect Paynes Prairie, Lake Alice, the Micanopy Historic District and the Ocklawaha River.

Matheson Museum founder Dr. Mark Barrow will share historic postcards and take the audience on a photographic tour of the Ocklawaha River. 352-378-2280.

ALACHUA COUNTY HEADQUARTERS LIBRARY - 401 E. University Ave. Join local sustainable grower Stephanie as she teaches you how to make food with items found locally.

Space is limited to 40 participants.

352-334-3900.

UNIFIED TRAINING CENTER - 809 W. University Ave. Traditional Hula Dance classes offered every Tuesday. All levels welcome.

Instructor is Hawaii born with professional Polynesian dance background. Hot Hula Fitness classes (cardio/fitness based) offered every Tuesday from 8 p.m. - 8:45 p.m.

First class is free.

352-641-0885.

GENTLE CAROUSEL THERAPY HORSES

BEGINNER SWING DANCING CLASSES

Saturday, June 21 11:00am – 11:30am

Wednesday, July 2 7:00pm – 10:00pm

HIGH SPRINGS - High Springs Branch Library, 135 NW 1st Ave. Come meet the miniature horses Magic and Hamlet.

Learn about their work and read along with their new book. Don’t leave without a horse hug. 386-454-2515.

THE MOVEMENT - 1212 N. Main St. Enjoy beginner West Coast swing classes and join an active community of friendly dancers.

What is West Coast Swing? This ain’t your grandparents swing dance: you don’t throw the follower in the air, and you aren’t dancing at 2,000 beats per minute.

This a mid-tempo dance that is sultry, sophisticated and playful — and a fun way to get in shape.

352-514-4238.

GAWN Wednesday, June 18 11:30am – 1:00pm SWEETWATER BRANCH INN, 625 E. University Ave. The Gainesville Area Women’s Network luncheon – third Wednesday each month. Attend for great networking and a hot lunch.

Register: GAWN.org.

GAINESVILLE NETWORKING CHALLENGE Wednesday, June 18 5:30pm – 7:00pm JONESVILLE - Sabore Restraurant, 13005 SW 1st Rd. Come network with business professionals in a casual setting on the third Wednesday of each month. Invite your friends! Enjoy complimentary delicious hors d’oeuvres!

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HOGGTOWNE HOMEGROWN COOKING DEMO Tuesday, June 24 2:00pm – 4:00pm CONE PARK BRANCH LIBRARY - 2841 E. University Ave. Learn how to grow, harvest and create your own meals out of the items you have at home.

Participants will make their own meals. This program is limited to 40 patrons. Please register in advance at www.aclib.us. 352-334-0720.

POLYNESIAN/ HULA DANCE CLASSES Tuesday, July 1 7:15pm – 8:45pm

WOMEN’S SELFDEFENSE CLASS Saturday, July 5 2:30pm - 3:30pm GLOBAL MIXED MARTIAL ARTS ACADEMY 4000 W. Newberry Road. This class is offered free to the community. This class is offered every first Saturday of the month. You are welcome to come every month.

352-371-1007.

SUMMER CAMP: ‘GREAT OUTDOORS’ July 7 – July 25 7:00am – 6:00pm CLARENCE R. KELLY COMMUNITY CENTER 1701 NE 8th Ave. Explore with friends grades 1 through 8.

Resident price: $142.50.

Nonresident: $213.75.

Last day for standard registration: July 3.

352-334-2185.

ENGLISH COUNTRY DANCE Monday, July 7 6:45pm – 9:30pm UNITED CHURCH OF GAINESVILLE - 1624 NW 5th Ave. Come learn an ageless dance. Men, you do not need to lead or choreograph. There is no partner hold.

This dance style began in the 1500s and is still being enjoyed worldwide.

Come to enjoy the wide variety of dance moves, musical styles and tempos. No partner, experience or special dress necessary.

Calling by Randy Thorp. Music by Hoggetowne Fancy.

Everyone is welcome.

352-246-4659.

HEARKEN NIGHTS Friday, July 11 8:00pm HIGH SPRINGS Playhouse, 130 NE 1st Avenue. Live concert by a returning local musician, debuting her newest CD. Tickets are $10 at the door. www.facebook.com/ HSCTheater.

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FLICK AND FLOAT Friday, July 11 Time TBA OCALA - Hampton Aquatic Center at Martin Luther King Recreation Complex, 255 NW MLK Boulevard. Hang out in the pool while watching a movie on the big screen...a splash for the whole family.

Admission fee applies.

Info: Carla Chindamo at 352-368-5517.

BOOK LOVERS

Living the Gospel in Downtown Gainesville!

The Rev. Louanne Loch Rector

Saturday, July 12 3:00pm – 5:00pm MILLHOPPER BRANCH LIBRARY - 3145 NW 43rd St. Book Lovers Group of Gainesville will be discussing “The Giver” by Lois Lowry. Adults of all ages, professions and gender are welcome to join in discussing selected titles.

352-334-1272.

WAG MEETING

Dr. John T. Lowe Dir. of Music

Sunday Services 8:00am • 10:30am • 6:00pm

Wednesday Service

Sunday, July 13 2:30pm MILLHOPPER BRANCH LIBRARY - A speaker or panel discussion sponsored by the Writers Alliance of Gainesville. Open to anyone interested in the written word. www. writersalliance.org

12:15pm

GAWN

100 NE 1st Street Downtown Gainesville (352) 372-4721 www.HolyTrinityGNV.org The Episcopal Church welcomes you ...and we do mean YOU!

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Wednesday, July 16 11:30am – 1:00pm SWEETWATER BRANCH INN - 625 E.

University Ave. The Gainesville Area Women’s Network luncheon – third Wednesday each month. Attend for great networking and a hot lunch.

Register: GAWN.org.

GAINESVILLE NETWORKING CHALLENGE Wednesday, July 16 5:30pm – 7:00pm JONESVILLE - Sabore Restraurant, 13005 SW 1st Rd. Come network with business professionals in a casual setting on the third Wednesday of each month. Invite your friends! Enjoy complimentary delicious hors d’oeuvres!

DOWNTOWN SUMMER JAMS Friday, July 18 6:00pm – 10:00pm OCALA - Citizens’ Circle, 151 SE Osceola Ave. This summer concert series is back for a fourth season with some of the best young local bands. Musicians will showcase their talent and food trucks will showcase their great fresh food.

Contact Stan Creel at 352-368-5517.

CAR SHOW Saturday, July 19 10:00am – 3:00pm DOWNTOWN - Take part in the official thirdannual High Heels and Hot Wheels Car Show.

Donate new and gently used shoes on First Friday. www.pledge5.org.

INS AND OUTS OF COPYRIGHT LAW Sunday, July 20 2:30pm - 4:00pm MILLHOPPER BRANCH LIBRARY - 3145 NW 43rd St. Attorney Katharine F. Rowe will speak and answer questions at the monthly meeting of the Writers Alliance of Gainesville about

Red, White & Blues Festival Thursday, July 3

6:00pm – 9:00pm

OCALA - Citizens’ Circle, 151 SE Osceola Ave. A patriotic festival in honor of our country. Live music, food and fun for the entire family. Splash pad open, too. For details, contact Stan Creel at 352-3685517. Have a Red, White and Blue Day!

the complexities of copyright law faced by writers. Rowe is a Partner of the Law Firm, Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP and the section head of the Intellectual Property Practice Group of the Jacksonville office. www. writersalliance.org.

PUCCINI’S ‘MANON LESCAUT’ July 24 and July 27 12:30pm and 2:30pm HIPPODROME THEATRE 25 SE 2nd Place. The Royal Opera House presents this early Puccini masterpiece as it makes a welcome return to Covent Garden in a new production by Jonathan Kent. A consummate Puccini soprano, Kristine Opolais caused a sensation as Madama Butterfly in 2011, and with Manon

Lescaut, the bold but impressionable heroine, we’ll see a different side of her character. This is a much-anticipated new production, and Kent’s vision of a young girl who faces temptation in the big city will surely resonate with today’s audience.

352-375-4477.

ARTWALK Friday, July 25 7:00pm – 10:00pm DOWNTOWN - 104 SE 1st Ave. Free monthly self-guided tour that combines exciting visual art, live performance, and events in downtown Gainesville. With many local galleries, eateries and businesses participating, Artwalk is an exciting, fun way to experience the amazing wealth of creativity the Gainesville community has to offer.

352-384-3950.

BACK TO SCHOOL BASH

ADULT RELIEF PAINTING

Saturday, August 9 10:00am – 2:00pm

August 9 and 10 10:00am – 4:30pm

OCALA - MLK Recreation Complex, 1510 NW 4th St. Celebrate “Back to School” with backpacks, school supplies, health services, food and entertainment. Guardian must accompany their children. Please contact Ire Bethea at 352-368-5505.

YOUTH PRODUCTION August 6-17 7:00pm Friday and Saturday nights HIGH SPRINGS - High Springs Playhouse, 130 NE 1st Ave. Law & Order, Nursery Rhyme Unit. Summer production for youths 8 to 18 years of age involving all aspects of the production.

Auditions are June 23 and 24. Tickets are $5.

For more information: www.facebook.com/HSCTheater.

www.VisitOurTowns.com

HARN MUSEUM OF ART - 3259 Hull Road.

Participants in this beginner workshop will be inspired by prints from the exhibition and create their own relief prints. Saturday’s class will create a small multicolor reduction print on flexible printing plates using water-based inks and a small color print on hard linoleum using a printing press and oil-based ink. Sunday’s class will produce prints with linoleum using Chine-collé, watercolor and monoprint techniques. Saturday, $100 nonmembers ($90 Harn members); Sunday, $50 nonmembers ($40 Harn members.

352-392-9826. s

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>> CRADLE OF HUMANITY

Under the STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY NATANYA SPIES

It’s called the rainbow nation for more reasons than one.

As the African sun sets and lights up the horizon with warm comfort colors, and the wildlife gets still, it seems like all of life stops for a few minutes; troubles become insignificant, trials become silent, and everything in this life is suddenly endurable.

Under the African sun, the nation comes together and illuminates color.

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The sun setting in the midst of the African bush is nothing short of magic. On an evening at the Kruger National Park, it felt like the heavens were opening as the rays shined through the clouds and color filled the sky — truly the most unforgettable sunset I have ever seen.

A GUIDE TO THE RAINBOW NATION ut color does not only thrive in its scenery. Its people, languages, art, culture and traditions are what make the country truly special. Demonstrated by its six-colored flag and 11 different languages, the term, rainbow nation, was established to represent the post-apartheid era when all colors and backgrounds united.

The beautiful nation of South Africa never fails to amaze the people that cross its borders. Although I moved to the United States as a 6-year-old, I frequently return to South Africa to visit my relatives, and every time, I experience a different aspect of the nation.

B

Every time, I leave more intrigued than the last. The seven-month study abroad journey in 2012 marked a time when I felt more immersed and captivated by the rainbow nation than ever before. I would like to invite you on a journey to explore a place that I will forever consider my home.

Let’s start with my favorite city. Take a cosmopolitan city vibe and mix it with mountains on one side and the ocean on the other, and you have a formula for one of the most popular tourism cities in the world: Cape Town. The best place for wining, dinning and shopping is undoubtedly the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, which is named after Queen Victoria of England and

www.VisitOurTowns.com

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Kalk Bay (above), a trendy village and Cape Town suburb, is not only home to fisherman, but also artists, craftsman and surfers. For visitors, it’s worth a stroll through the shops and galleries to get a glimpse into the tranquil life of locals who seem to always live in vacation mode.

A view from a Stellenbosch winery reveals its valleys, hills, mountains and neighboring wine lands. Stellenbosch is about an hour from Cape Town and is the second-oldest town in South Africa, widely regarded to be the wine hub of the country.

her youngest son Alfred. It’s the type of place where high-end shopping during the day with a stunning view of the harbor turns into a thriving nightlife scene with live performances. The classy Waterfront hotels are the ideal place to stay overnight while in the Cape, allowing you to embrace both the scenic and commercial aspects of the city.

While you’re near the V & A Waterfront, take some time to explore the infamous Robben Island to get a glimpse of the place where Nelson Mandela spent more than half of his 27 years of imprisonment. After all, he was the most significant figure during the Apartheid era — not to mention South African history. And I think

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many would agree that to understand the essence of the people and culture of South Africa, one must fully fathom its gripping history.

Take a cable car up Table Mountain, South Africa’s most well known landmark, or just hike it if you have the time and want to exercise. The hiking trails lead to Table Mountain National Park, which leads to the downward slopes toward the famous Cape Point. The thrill of being about 3,500 feet above sea level combined with the view of the Atlantic Ocean and Cape Town’s surrounding areas makes the ambiance surreal.

Travel to the renowned Cape Point, or Cape of Good Hope, and see the lighthouse, and then travel further to

The Cape Coastal Route along the stunning Western Cape coastline runs from Cape Town to Port Elizabeth and is worth the drive to be in the midst of the mountainside and ocean views that the country has to offer.

the southernmost point, Cape Agulhas, to witness the conjoining of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans.

Driving through the Western Cape Provence will allow you to discover a number of ports and towns, each one more impressive and picturesque than the last. Hermanus is known to be the best whale-watching site in the world, especially in September when whales migrate and birth their young in the warm spring weather. One of the towns you don’t want to miss is Stellenbosch, a place where you can’t help but drink a lot of wine. The second oldest and easily the most scenic town in the country, the architecture and music make it a cultural and artistic hub, and the small-town

feel is derived from it being centered around Stellenbosch University. Do yourself a favor and visit the stunning vineyards of Stellenbosch. The succulence of the wine, friendliness of the people and charm of the land is a combination of utter perfection. Also, brandy is a pinnacle asset to locals and is distilled in cellars in the midst of the wine lands of Stellenbosch.

Experiencing the richness of the wine and vast open vineyards was the highlight of my entire trip through South Africa. Every moment felt like I was stuck in a pile of postcards, and stuck was exactly where I wanted to be. I just wanted to pause time and hold on to that postcard forever.

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Essential

Travel Tips Starting with the currency, everything is calculated in rands. Currently, the rate of exchange is about R10 for $1.00, so the U.S. dollar is at a valuable advantage. You’ll notice that restaurant food is much less expensive than in the states. Pick the right places to eat and you will undoubtedly get the best value for your money. The appropriate restaurant tipping fee is 10 to 15 percent.

Gas stations are called petrol stations, and each has a staff that fills your tank for you. They are usually tipped around R5 to R10. Also, when you park in busy areas such as shopping centers, car guards typically watch your car and should be tipped at least R5.

Crime is a riskier issue in South Africa, and being aware of your surroundings is essential. Hold tight to your purse, don’t stop at a red light late at night in a secluded area, and keep valuable belongs such as your phone and laptop in the trunk of your car when you drive.

Speaking about driving, you will now be on the left side of the road, while sitting in the right side of the car. So, there’s no right turns on red and be careful for one-way streets, because that almost ended very badly for me.

Most people in South Africa understand English, but if you want to form an immediate connection with locals, try these Afrikaans phrases when you first meet people:

Hoe gaan dit? (How are you?) • Aangename kennis (Pleased to meet you.)

Totsiens (Goodbye.) • Baie Dankie (Thank you very much.)

Some prefer to explore the most popular tourist attractions — but some want to explore a country for what it is — to see what keeps the locals around. If you fall into the latter, I would encourage you to get a different glimpse into the Western Province and visit Oudtshoorn, the ostrich town. Driving through the Klein Karoo and into the small town of Oudtshoorn will give you a glimpse into the natural diversity that South Africa has to offer. Embrace the countryside and stay in a guest cottage. Meet the hospitable locals. Ride an ostrich and visit the Cango Caves to see natural limestone formations and caverns. When else in the life will you have that opportunity?

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For most people, December holidays in South Africa are spent at the beaches, which is the best time to plan a vacation. Each beach has something new to offer.

Located in the Eastern Cape Province, Jeffrey’s Bay is known to be South Africa’s hot spot for surfers and one of the best in the world. Camps Bay on the Western Cape provides indescribable views of the most prevalent mountain ranges, known as Lion’s Head and the Twelve Apostles. Blouberg Beach provides for the best view of Table Mountain and Robben Island.

Every visitor to Africa wants the safari experience.

Most people picture the big safari trucks where everyone’s covered in khaki and hanging out of the windows

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I vividly remember driving leaving the Kruger National Park at the end of my week-long-stay and witnessing the one thing I had always longed to see: a baby giraffe. According to the Kruger National Park’s website, only about 50 percent of calves ever reach maturity because of the large risk of becoming prey for lions and leopards.

The splendor of a zebra is that each one has a different pattern of stripes, which helps family members recognize one another. Pictured is a zebra taken at Kudu Game Ranch, a private game reserve situated in the mountains in the Mpumalanga province.

Elephants, called olifante in Afrikaans and a member of the Big Five, are especially present around Olifants Rest Camp in the Kruger National Park. One of the many lodging camps in Kruger National Park, it is positioned at the top a hill overlooking the Olifants River.

with binoculars. But to me, the real “safari” experience is waking up before dawn and going on a morning drive when the animals are waking up, drinking water and scheming to find breakfast. A real safari is when you don’t want to roll down your windows for fear that a baboon will jump in your car or the elephant crossing the road ahead might face you and charge. From my experiences, that is real safari. The Kruger National Park is where most of these memories were made.

Located along the Mozambique border and comprised of guest cottages, safari tents, self-catering rest camps and private game lodges, it is a popular tourist area as the largest game reserve in Southern Africa, stretching

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more than 7,000 square miles. The park was founded in 1898 by former president Paul Kruger to safeguard the wildlife in the Lowveld area. A trip through Southern Africa isn’t complete without searching for “The Big Five,” the lion, leopard, elephant, rhinoceros and Cape buffalo. Known as the five most difficult to hunt and dangerous animals in Southern Africa, these creatures are also the most worthwhile to spot.

While you’re in the Mpumalanga province, drive through one of my favorite towns, Dullstroom, the trout fishing capital of the country. Go with an appetite to my favorite restaurant, the legendary Harrie’s Pancakes, the best sweet and savory pancakes you’ll

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ever eat. Don’t miss its breathtaking waterfalls, which may just be the reason it’s one of the top wedding destinations in the country.

Moving on to the next province, KwaZulu-Natal is where the Drakensberg Mountains — meaning Dragon Mountains — are located. The mountain range consists of four different valleys including the Champagne Valley in the Central Drakensberg, the Amphitheatre Valley, the Middledale Pass Valley located in the Northern Drakensberg and Cathedral Peak near the Didima Valley, which is my personal favorite. Each valley provides numerous accommodation options.

Known as the most popular nature reserve in South Africa, the rugged Drakensberg area allows for outdoor activities such as hiking and mountain biking and is home to more than 150 bird species.

I grew up in the Gauteng Province, and it always will be the place I return to, the medicine for my nostalgia.

I would encourage anyone to experience the one thing that never fails to unite the nation: rugby. Go see the Springboks, South Africa’s national rugby team, or the Blue Bulls, Pretoria’s local team, play at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium. Drive past the Union Building, the main office of the government and president, Jacob Zuma. Its beautiful architecture and historical significance of South Africa’s transition to democracy when Nelson Mandela was inaugurated makes it an ornamental establishment to the nation’s capital city.

The nine provinces of South Africa, each one unique, makes it a country where locals and visitors prefer to drive rather than fly, because of the captivating scenery. The provinces come together, each making culturally enlightening contributions, from art to wine to landscape and wildlife. The best word to describe my country is diverse — from the Zulus and the Xhosas — the two biggest ethnic groups — to the Afrikaners of Dutch origin, and from the rugged mountains to the captivating oceans, it is truly one of a kind. If exploring the beauty of South Africa wasn’t on your bucket list before, I sure hope it is now. And I hope the rainbow nation will bring just as much color to your life as it has to mine. s

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>> EVERY DROP P CO COUNTS OUN UNTS T

How to Save a Life LifeSouth Remains the Sole Supplier of Blood in the Alachua County Region

WRITTEN BY AMANDA WILLIAMSON young woman — maybe a local college student, a friend, a daughter — crashes headlong into the front of another vehicle as she drives to work one morning. As the vehicle flips, her body bounces around the car compartment. Police determine she wasn’t wearing her seatbelt, but somehow she’s hanging on to life. She is rushed to the hospital.

Time is essential. The hospital immediately recognizes she has lost too much blood and begins to transfuse her with O negative blood.

She lives. But the story doesn’t always end so positively.

According to Laura Bialeck, LifeSouth District Community Development Coordinator, only 5 percent of the people in the blood bank’s service region donate life-saving blood. Of those people, there’s a significantly smaller percentage that carry the universal O negative and still take time to donate.

“If you go to any of the hospitals in our community and you need blood, it’s going to be there because someone local donated it,” Bialeck said. “We’re the sole supplier of the blood products.”

A

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As for those walking around with the life-saving, universal O negative, Bialeck considers it a moral obligation to donate. In trauma situations, doctors usually do not have time to check a patient’s blood type, so they give them O negative. As a result, the supply goes quickly.

The LifeSouth Blood Center usually has a sign hanging outside its buildings telling passersby the community is currently in an emergency need for the blood type.

Sometimes people respond to the plea. Others just drive by. But for those who stop, Bialeck said the center greatly appreciates the time well spent.

On June 14, the community center wants to say thank you. It’s World Donor Day, and they are recognizing those who donate by providing free movie tickets while supplies last.

“Do something amazing,” the theme for this year’s event, rings true to Bialeck’s words.

The World Health Organization started World Blood Donor Day to raise awareness of the need for safe blood and blood products and to thank voluntary unpaid

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D nation Facts 1b blloo ood d do ona natio tio ti on n (1 pin (1 int) t) can an sav ave ve up to 3 lliive up ves 4.5 4. .5 m miillllio ion A ion Am mer eriic can ans wiill w ll ne ee ed a bl blood ood oo ttrran ansf sfus usio ion th his is ye ea ar PHOTO BY AMANDA WILLIAMSON

Morre Mo e th ha an 44 4,000 ,0 000 00 blloo b lo oo od dona do on na ati tion ons arre ne a nee ed ded d ev e very ery d er da ay Som Some So me eon one iin n the he U.S U. S.. ne ee ed ds s bllo b oo od ever every ev erry tw wo se seco con nd ds Ty T ype pe O is the the th bloo bl ood type typ ty pe e mos mos mo stt often fte ft en n req re qu ues este ted b by y ho h os sp pit ital als

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Toni Chiara sits at the LifeSouth Community Blood Center as she donates platelets, a process that takes over an hour. “I’ve been donating since I was about 18. I think we should all do it if we are able to,” she said. “I’ve just gotten in the habit of it.”

blood donors for their life-saving gift.

Every year, countries across the world celebrate World Blood Donor Day. The United States provides blood based on a volunteer donor base. Some countries, Bialeck said, do not have the same policy. They still pay for the blood.

However, paying donors for blood can encourage people to be dishonest during the interview process.

LifeSouth’s main concern is to keep the blood supply safe, she said.

Catherine Stewart, a 21-year-old University of Florida student, tries to donate as often as she can.

However, she stopped donating whole blood when she realized there was such a demand for platelets, which cannot survive outside of the body for more than a couple days.

“I just like to donate whenever I can,” she said, “and donating platelets is like donating five times. They aren’t type-specific, so my platelets can go to anyone.”

While in high school, Stewart organized schoolwide blood drives through an in-school community service organization. She has been donating since she was 16, but also encourages others to give their time and blood as well.

“I like to know that I did my contribution,” Stewart said.

The blood used in an emergency is already on the shelves before the event occurs.

Platelets promote blood clotting and give those with leukemia and other cancers a chance to live.

PHOTO COURTESY OF LIFESOUTH

Today’s large modern bloodmobiles are a far cry from the converted RV that first brought blood drives to donors across North Florida.

“I don’t really have a specific reason. I just like to help.”

LifeSouth became Gainesville’s first blood center in 1974 when the Civitan Group realized there was a need.

Now, the 501(c)(3) non-profit supplies blood to more than 100 hospitals in Alabama, Florida and Georgia. The blood collected in the community stays local to help patients in nearby hospitals.

According to the LifeSouth website: “With over 30 donor centers, 44 blood mobiles and more than 2,000 blood drives a month, our LifeSouth team is committed to making sure the blood is there when you or your family member is in need.”

There are no substitutes for blood, and patients who need the transfusions depend on volunteer donors.

“It’s likely that during your life you or someone you know will need a life-saving blood transfusion, so you will be thankful for the people amazing enough to donate blood,” Bialeck said. “The need for blood — someone waiting for elective surgery or an organ transplant — happens every day. It just doesn’t hit home with people until it’s someone close to them.”

In Gainesville, the LifeSouth Blood Center sits at the center of three major hospitals, including Shands and North Florida Regional. Those hospitals depend on LifeSouth as the sole supplier of blood in the community.

Blood or plasma that comes from people who have been paid for it cannot be used for human transfusions.

The #1 reason blood donors say they give is because they “want to help others.”

However, Bialeck said the center is lucky y to have the University y of Florida and Santa Fe College so close by. College students comprise 23 to 25 percent of all blood donors. Most off them tend to be involved in organization’s that encourage donations, such as the sorority and fraternity systems.

Instead, the average American tends to go out of his or her way to avoiding donating. They make excuses: no time, new tattoo, fear of needles. For Bialeck, Americans have developed a bystander effect. The idea that someone is else is helping, she said.

“People think that someone else will donate in their place, but that doesn’t really happen,” she added.

To soften the blow, most of the donor recruiters explain the process of donation and try to alleviate most concerns. There are no nerve endings in the blood veins, so usually a donor won’t even feel anything.

LifeSouth provides juice and cookies. Donors must be at least 17 years old or 16 with a parental consent form. Valid identification must be presented and then the donor must pass a quick interview and physical exam. LifeSouth wants to ensure that it is safe for the donor to donate — for the donor’s sake, but also the

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PHOTOS COURTESY OF LIFESOUTH

Phil Baker (top), who still serves as LifeSouth’s board chair, holds up the big check with Var Heyl and Reeves Byrd in the campaign to build the blood center’s first permanent facility.

LifeSouth, then known as Civitan Regional Blood Center, got its start in a former doctor’s office. The CEO’s original desk consisted of two trashcans topped with a door.

guarantee the blood is clean.

The actual process of donating usually only takes four to eight minutes. The blood is then quarantined and tested d before it is sent out to the area hospitals.

Bialeck believes if LifeSouth could increase the percentage of blood donors in the community, it might be able to eliminate blood shortages in the foreseeable future.

“We just really want to thank our donors,” she said.

For more information about LifeSouth, World Donor Day, or to locate a blood mobile, visit the non-profit’s website at lifesouth.org. s

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Type O negative blood can be transfused to patients of all blood types.

A single car accident victim can require as many as 100 pints of blood.

Blood cannot be manufactured — it can only come from donors.

Only 37 percent of the U.S. population is eligible to donate blood — less than 10 percent do annually.

1 in 7 of people entering the hospital will need blood.

www.VisitOurTowns.com

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>> SOOIE!

It’s a H g’s Life Melrose’s Swine Sanctuary

STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY COURTNEY LINDWALL ou smell the pigs first — the mud-caked, pink-hooved, spiny-haired pigs, the curlytailed, wet-nosed, slop-eating pigs. There are piglets and potbellies, with half-ton sows and males standing waist-high.

There’s Herbert, the spotted feral pig found out by the train tracks, and Stella, the lucky pink pig who fell off the factory farm truck. Most roam the 30-acre property freely, napping in pig piles and soaking in mud puddles.

It’s a hog’s life at Rooterville, the nonprofit vegan pig sanctuary owned by Elaine and Dale West. Tucked down a long dirt road in the small town of Melrose, Rooterville at first glance fits in with the agricultural land typical of rural North Florida. Just a few minutes inside, however, and it’s clear that here the animals rule.

Like many animal sanctuaries, Rooterville began simply with a few special pigs.

Elaine’s first pigs were potbellies, those most commonly kept as household pets. Elaine moved from a 5-acre property to 10 acres in Archer, and her collection of potbellies ballooned to about 70.

Y

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In the beginning, the focus was far from veganism, a diet that abstains from all animal products including eggs, dairy and meat. In fact, even as Elaine’s love of pigs grew, she continued to eat meat for years.

In 2001, however, Elaine saw a video of an undercover investigation inside a pig farm, and never ate meat again.

“I started helping the pigs because nobody else was helping them,” she said.

She would take in the pigs that others couldn’t keep any longer.

She expanded beyond potbellies and began taking in feral and farm pigs, as well.

She took in the adult pigs, unwanted now that they were no longer cute piglets. She would take in cases of neglect or the pigs used to teach dogs hunting.

The hoarding situations are the worst, from which Elaine will often bring big groups of animals in at once.

“Someone will start out with two and end up with 80,” Elaine said. “There will be dead animals laying everywhere. The starving ones will be cannibalizing the dead ones.”

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PHOTOS BY COURTNEY LINDWALL

Elaine West cares for one of her original pigs, Stella (on left). Stella, who has been fighting cancer, is the first farm pig Elaine rescued. Since Stella, Elaine has opened her doors to more farm and feral pig rescues.

Elaine holds out one of Rooterville’s ducks (opposite) to be pet. At first, a home to just pigs, Rooterville has since expanded to include cows, turkeys, roosters, chickens, goats, bees, cats and dogs.

Sometimes, it’s other pig “rescues” that get in over their heads and then need to be rescued themselves. This commitment and difficulty in running an animal sanctuary is what made Elaine first hesitant to open her own.

“I went looking at other sanctuaries and thought, ‘No, this is too much sacrifice for me,’” Elaine said.

But today, Rooterville is the permanent home to around 200 pigs.

She and her husband, Dale, spend about $300 thousand a year running Rooterville — hay itself makes up $50 thousand. They depend on donations, help from volunteers, and two staff members. Especially because many of her pigs are special-needs cases, medical bills add up.

“I get people all the time who say, ‘I’d like to have a sanctuary,’ and I say, ‘You have no idea,’” Elaine said.

“It’s really labor-intensive and expensive.”

But Rooterville is just as much an educational non-profit that teaches cooking and nutrition as it is an animal sanctuary.

“Not many people know that nutrition can heal about anything with our bodies,” she said.

Both Elaine and her husband Dale learned the power

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of diet through personal experience.

Nine years ago, Dale married into Elaine’s pig rescue, but they found veganism separately and both attest to its benefits.

When they first met, Dale was 55 lbs. overweight and had a false heart attack scare, which they believe was an adverse reaction to the Atkins diet. After their first date, Dale decided he would go vegan, both for the animals and to help his health.

He lost 55 lbs. and has kept it off since.

Elaine didn’t start with a full vegan diet right off the bat. She continued to eat bowls of ice cream occasionally, she said, before she committed fully. Today, she prefers to call her diet “plant-based,” which focuses specifically on eating unprocessed foods from plant sources.

They often eat from their own garden.

Gradually, teaching nutrition and a plant-based diet became as much a part of her mission as saving the pigs.

They hold classes about increasing health through natural food and hope to relocate to Orlando to share their message with a wider audience.

“I would’ve been vegetarian a long time ago if I knew there was something to eat besides salad.”

“I started helping the pigs because nobody else was helping them.”

Elaine’s health improved. She lost weight. Her arthritis got better.

“Why do we think we can keep stuffing our bodies with junk and expect to feel good and be disease free,” they ask on their website.

The sanctuary has since expanded to include many types of animals beyond pigs.

There are ducks and roosters, chickens and turkeys.

They keep hybrid bees and goats, dogs and seven cats.

There’s the dachshund-duo, Ginger and Grey, often seen riding along in the golf cart with Elaine or jumping through pigpens.

“We got cows so we could tell their story, too — the story of dairy.”

Tinsel and Holly were both the calves of dairy cows that were sent to auction. They were weak and sickly, and couldn’t be sold. The two calves were given to a rescue organization and eventually brought to Rooterville, now their permanent home.

Elaine removed all dairy from her diet and talks about the alternative ways to get calcium outside the dairy industry.

Today, Rooterville is at maximum capacity.

“We can’t take everyone — I wish we could, but we can’t.”

Elaine said she often gets five calls a week asking to take unwanted pigs. She used to take more than she could fit and try to adopt them out, but she would often receive calls in a few years asking to take the animals back.

“Why are we putting animals through this? But then you get full,” she said. “Where are the ones you can’t take going? In someone’s freezer?”

She decided that Rooterville would always be a permanent home for the animals she brings in, although it breaks her heart to turn some away.

Elaine and Dale are always thinking of new ways to get their message out, to stop the cycle of animal abuse and abandonment.

One new strategy is to pay people to visit Rooterville and watch a short introductory video on plant-based diets. Elaine believes if visitors could just see the animals, they would be convinced to change their diets.

“We reach most people through the animals,” she said. “They’re no different than dogs and cats. They deserve to be treated compassionately.” s

www.VisitOurTowns.com

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REVIEW: BLUE GILL QUALITY FOODS

Adventures in Appetite STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY ERICKA WINTERROWD

Gainesville has a real gem in town. Blue Gill is a hidden treasure on the ground level of the Shands parking garage on 13th Street.

O

pened in June of 2011, Blue Gill is a sister restaurant of Mildred’s Big City Food and New Deal Café. The restaurant’s mission is to serve fresh, nutritious food made from the best local ingredients.

Walking up to the restaurant, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I mean it was a part of a parking garage, for goodness sake. How spacious could it be? I was immediately impressed as I entered a warehouse-style venue sprinkled with Southern charm — which meshed perfectly, since their food is inspired by the South. An enormous map of Florida fashions itself in the middle of the main wall, welcoming Floridians to “our kind of South.” A bullet pinning Gainesville gives a nod to the Gators and makes everyone dining feel like they are right where they are supposed to be.

But enough about the décor — on to the food, and my oh my, are you in for a treat. It takes a while to wrap your mind around the menu, because the options seem endless and each dish is like an uncharted adventure just waiting for you to sink your teeth into.

I started with a “snack,” the crispy cauliflower that was prepared in a light, crispy batter and served in a brown butter sauté sauce with chopped peanuts and raisins.

At only $6, how could you beat that? And dining with a group of three there was more than plenty to go around.

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As I attacked my snack I realized that this Florida bird needed to wet her beak. One look at the drink menu and I was no longer in Florida, I was in a Southerner’s heaven.

Trailer Park Punch is an absolute must when dining at this establishment. Served in a mason jar and topped with a slice of orange, cherry, and wait for it… umbrella! Even a Queen would admit to living in a trailer park, because sipping on this concoction makes you feel like you are livin’ the good life.

This punch is a magical mixture of rum, orange, pineapple and nutmeg. All that’s missing is one of those pink plastic flamingos stuck out front in the lawn of your imagination. So tacky but so good!

Experience Blue Gill’s gorgeous copper top bar while enjoying some of the best spirits, wines and brews a Gainesvillian has ever tasted.

My main dish was the Sloppy Tempeh Joe. I have a love affair with all things tempeh, so I know when it tastes its very best. This dish gives a generous over-flowing portion of tempeh crumbles, in a tasty BBQ sauce served on a lightly toasted bun.

A handful of crispy onion straws top off this entrée, and the option of homemade potato chips or a side salad is yours to decide. I went with the homemade potato chips, which were crispy and thick, seasoned to perfection. Yum!

“I have a love affair with all things tempeh, so I know when it tastes its very best. This dish gives a generous over-flowing portion of tempeh crumbles, in a tasty BBQ sauce served on a lightly toasted bun.” www.VisitOurTowns.com

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wonder. I will rely on the words that flew out of my fellow diner’s mouth. “First of all, it tastes like whipped cream. Then, you get a little taste of bacon, and then POW: chocolate!”

It arrived in a jelly jar — how adorable is that? Kind of makes you want to jump in the car, and head down to Blue Gill.

I’ll see you when you get there. s One of my fellow diners ordered the Deviled Crab and Scallop Cake, which was prepared with blue crab and bay scallop as well as bits of chopped fresh veggies.

Accents on the side were homemade tarter sauce, relish and local seasoned vegetables, making the dish a feast for the eyes as well as the mouth. This entrée produced a unique flavor combining the light scallops and flavorful crab, a combination that was perfectly paired, the best of both worlds.

Another one of my fellow diners chose the Green Tomato Taco. This dish is a unique twist on a Mexican favorite. Made with lightly breaded and fried green tomato slices on a soft tortilla, two tacos come with a side of guacamole, sour cream, and jalapenos. Ole’!

Anyone who knows me knows that my meal isn’t over until I have tasted something sweet. The possibilities are endless in the dessert department at Blue Gill.

I settled on the bacon chocolate ice cream — mainly because it sounded too impossible to be true.

I am at a loss of words, folks. But as my job requires me to write, I shall attempt to describe this magnificent

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Here’s the basics: PHONE: 352-872-5181 LOCATION: 1310 SW 13th St., Gainesville, FL 32601 Hours: Monday - Thursday: 11am - 10pm?Friday: 11am - 11pm?Saturday: 12pm - 11pm?Sunday: 11am - 8pm Parking is available in the parking garage above the restaurant. Parking fees are not enforced between the hours of 11am - 2pm, Mon - Fri, for Blue Gill’s customers.

Parking is also free on weekends, holidays and weekdays after 4:30pm. Customers who pay for parking can be reimbursed if they present their receipt to their server.

MENU: Seafood, Chicken, Beef, Pork, and Vegetarian.

PROS: Great local food; private dining room called “the barn” accommodates large parties — call ahead to reserve; excellent servers who are well versed on every entrée and brew.

CONS: May be a little tricky to find the first time you go.

PRICE: Main course items range from $9 to $21, and major credit cards are accepted.

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ADVERTISER INDEX 4400 NW 36th Avenue • Gainesville, FL 32606 352-372-5468 352-373-9178 fax AUTOMOTIVE

MEDICAL / HEALTH

PETS and VETS

Auto ER .......................................................85

Affordable Dentures ..............................95

Animal Cell Therapy .................................39

Park Place Car Wash & Detail ...... 37, 39

Alliance Pediatrics, P.A..........................47

Bed & Biscuit Inn ..................................... 75

Terry’s Automotive & Qwik Lube ..... 90

Caretenders .............................................. 151

Daytime Dogs & Friends ...................... 37

Cohen & Montini Orthodontics ..........56

Eager Pup ................................................ 167

Douglas M. Adel, DDS.............................41

Earth Pets of Gainesville ........................82

Gainesville Dermatology .............119, 135

Flying Fish Aquatics............................... 153

Gainesville OBGYN ................................... 8

Robertson Animal Hospital .................76

Gentle Dental Care ................................... 2

Wild Birds Unlimited ...............................17

FINANCIAL / LAW Edward Jones ...........................................93 Gateway Bank...........................................33 ProActive Tax & Accounting ............. 159 State Farm - Tish Oleksy ........................54 Sunshine State Insurance ..................... 111 SunState Federal

Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery ...........25 Samant Dental Group .................................7 UFHealth Plastic Surgery .......................23

RETAIL / RECREATION Charisma for Hair .....................................18 Floting Lotus Spa ......................................66

Alachua County EPD ................................111

A-1 Sewing Machine & Vacuum ..........66

Alachua County Waste Watchers.......32

Beacher’s Lodge...................................... 37

Alpha Bytes Computers ..................... 167

Bennett’s TrueValue ................................152

Frogs on a Lilypad ....................................62

Blue Springs ............................................ 152

LAE Beauty .................................................... 6

City of Gainesville ....................................137

Maureen & Co. Salon ................................66

Colleen’s Kloset........................................84

Sun Station Tanning ...............................67

Cootie Coo Creations .............................152 Crevasses Florist......................................67

CHILDREN and SCHOOLS

Dance Alive! ............................................ 133

Gainesville Country Day School ........45

Family Jewels & Pursestrings .............. 40

Millhopper Montessori School .......... 149

Fluid Lounge ........................................... 122

Especially for Women ..............................111

Gary’s Tackle Box ..................................... 118

REAL ESTATE

Action Chem Dry .......................................46 Alachua County Big Blue .............107, 147

Credit Union.....................................27, 42, 172

FITNESS and BEAUTY

SERVICE

Gator Spirits & Fine Wines ................ 170

Archer Electric Service ........................ 117 A&K Outdoor Services ..........................95 Bounds Heating and Air .........................115 Chimney Sweeps of America.............. 73 Craft Cleaners .............................................89 Creekside Outdoors ............................. 139 Gainesville Regional Airport ............... 75 Grease Busters ....................................... 167 Lotus Studios Photography ............... 20 Martin Back Group ....................................55 Southern Land & Lawn ......................... 135

RESTAURANT / CUISINE

The Atrium at Gainesville .......................94

Hippodrome ............................................. 131

Bosshardt Realty Services ................... 37

Jeannie’s Attic ..........................................66

Adam’s Rib Co. .............................. 124, 149

Miller Real Estate .......................................39

Klaus Fine Jewelry ............................. 3, 65

Bev’s Burger Café.................................... 153

Mike Weseman / Watson Realty..........10

Legoland Florida ........................................ 15

Chomps Sports Grill ............................. 125

Lentz House of Time .............................. 111

Copper Monkey West .....................121, 126

Liquor & Wine Shoppe ........................ 170

Dave’s NY Deli ........................................ 123

Mail Boxes & More .....................................55

Dos Mamas .............................................. 122

New Smyrna Beach .................................. 9

D.W. Ashton Catery ................................93

Paddywhack.............................................. 73

El Toro......................................................... 118

The Sleep Center ......................................... 4

Embers Wood Grill ................................127

Tennis Unlimited .......................................152

Flying Biscuit Café ................................ 120

TGE Bridal Boutique................................ 40

Formaggio’s Bistro & Wine Bar ...........64

HOME IMPROVEMENT American Metals ........................................83 America’s Swimming Pool Co. .............92 Budget Blinds ................................................5 Floor Store of Newberry .........................81 Graetz Remodeling & Custom Homes.... 19 Griffis Lumber........................................... 75 H2Oasis Custom Pool & Spa .............108 Overhead Door ....................................... 101 Pools & More .............................................63 ReUser Building Products .....................91 Red Barn Home Center .......................150 Rosenboom Construction ................... 115 United Rent-All....................................... 167

Thornebrook Chocolates .......................67 Thornebrook Gallery ..............................65 Thornebrook Village ............................. 64 Valerie’s Loft Consignment .................89 World of Beer ..........................................127

MISCELLANEOUS

Gator Tales Sports Bar ........................ 123 The Great Outdoors Restaurant........ 126 Heavenly Ham ......................................... 171 High Springs Coffee Company ...........123 Mark’s Prime Steak & Seafood ......... 124 Napolatanos Italian............................... 120 Newberry Backyard BBQ ................... 124 Northwest Grille ..................................... 126

Whitfield Window & Door..................150

Holy Trinity Episcopal Church ..........140

The Red Onion ....................................... 120

William Weseman Construction ..........11

Cash for Cars ..............................................137

TCBY ............................................................67

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PHOTO BY DARLA KINNEY SCOLES

page

112 >> PECKING ORDER

Got chickens? Want chickens? Learn more! Local chicken owner Faye Carr (seen here feeding some of her flock) suggests joining a group. “I like to try to get the community together,” Carr said. “It’s a social thing as well as a learning and sharing thing. Chicken people are great people. We barter; we trade. We’re all learning and working together.” www.VisitOurTowns.com

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Liquor & Wine Shoppe at Jonesville Mon-Thurs 9:00am - 9:00pm Fri & Sat 9:00am - 10:00pm Sunday: Noon - 6:00pm

CVS

The or Liqu WineSh&oppe

Y BE.R R N E WR D

o Kangaro

14451 Newberry Rd. Jonesville Turn at CVS in Jonesville and come straight to us.

352-332-3308

LIKE US ON FACEBOOK FOR TASTINGS, EVENTS AND EXCLUSIVE PRICING SPECIALS!

170 | Summer 2014

Mon-Thurs 10:00am - 9:00pm Fri & Sat 10:00am - 10:00pm

5701 SW 75th St. Gainesville

I-7 5 ER WAD TORO

CR 241

170

Create

ine Gator F Spirits Wine &

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Conveniently located in the Tower Square shopping area.

352-335-3994

LIKE US ON FACEBOOK FOR TASTINGS, EVENTS AND EXCLUSIVE PRICING SPECIALS!

www.VisitOurTowns.com

Summer 2014 | 171

171

172

To us...

It’s more than a nickel.

It may only be worth five cents, but this nickel represents much more then it’s value. It represents our commitment to always finding ways to improve the lives of our members. Since starting the Nickel-Back promotion, SunState Federal Union has given over 11 million nickels back to our members.

We’re committed to the financial well-being of our members and make decisions based on what’s best for them, not our bottom line. That’s the SunState difference. Dedicated to you, with all we do, even one nickel at a time.

Proudly serving our members and our community since 1957

352-381-5200

www.sunstatefcu.org