Our Town 2016 MAR-APR (Gainesville)

GHOSTS OF GAINESVILLE FIRST FLORIDIANS THEN & NOW PHOTOS EASTER CRAFTS

VOL. 07 ISSUE 02

GAINESVILLE EDITION | MARCH/APRIL 2016

Discover some fascinating things about where we live — and travel to exciting destinations both near and far!

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CONTENTS

G A I N E S V I L L E | V O L . 0 7 | N O. 0 2

M A RC H/A P R I L 2016

ON THE COVER >> FOR THIS EDITION, OUR VERY OWN TOWER PUBLICATIONS ARTIST, NEIL MCKINNEY, DESIGNED ORIGINAL ART FOR EACH COVER APTLY DEPICTING TRAVEL AND HISTORY. COLLECT ALL THREE EDITIONS WHILE EXPLORING OUR TOWN’S RICH HISTORY! C O V E R I L L U S T R AT I O N B Y N E I L M C K I N N E Y.

FEATURE STORIES 20

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MATHESON MUSEUM Step back in time and discover the history of a Gainesville gem. Named for Chris Matheson, a lawyer, minister and eight-term mayor of Gainesville, the legacy of the museum dates back 150 years.

MARK BARROW The Barrow family has been in Florida since the late 18th century. Meet Mark Barrow, Matheson Historical Museum founder, and discover how he intends to preserve the past for generations to come.

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WHISTLE STOP GAINESVILLE Discover the social and economic impact that railroad lines had on Gainesville many years ago.

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UNIVERSITY PRESS Established in 1945, the oldest book publisher in Florida continues to thrive.

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AROUND THE WORLD ALONE Gainesville descendants of world-famous sailor, Joshua Slocum, continue to crave the sea.

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CONTENTS

M A RC H/A P R I L 2016

36 THE FIRST FLORIDIANS Discover Florida’s diverse past through the Timucua and Calusa tribes who first inhabited our state.

46 PHOTO ESSAY: THEN & NOW Local photographer Pam Marlin transcends time by merging the past with the present.

COLUMNS 44 NAKED SALSA

by Crystal Henry

96 DIFFERENT NOTE

by Albert Isaac

122 HEALTHY EDGE

by Kendra Siler-Marsiglio

58 FORGOTTEN INDUSTRIES Citrus, Turpentine, Tung Oil and Spanish Moss — a few of the all-but-forgotten industries that helped improve the livelihoods of Gainesville’s residents long ago.

134 EMBRACING LIFE

by Donna Bonnell

68 RECIPE WONDERS Whip up some Deviled Egg (Boats) for Easter!

REVIEWS

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70 GATE CRASHING

MARCHING TO HER OWN BEAT Learn how Sophy Mae, the first female member of the Fightin’ Gator Marching Band, marched her way through a male-dominated field.

88 ST. AUGUSTINE HISTORY Explore the rich history of our country’s first city along with a special photographic accompaniment

by Pam Marlin contrasting present-day St. Augustine landmarks with historic photographs.

118 COTTONTAIL CRAFTS Learn how to make three adorable holiday decorations that everybunny will enjoy!

by Brian “Krash” Kruger

116 READING CORNER

by Terri Schlichenmeyer

144 ADVENTURES IN APPETITE

by Ken Peng

INFORMATION 99 Charity Winners 100 Taste of the Town 104 Community Calendar

124 GHOSTS OF GAINESVILLE Put a face to a name! Get to know the people whose namesake remains on some of the most prominent landmarks around our town.

The articles printed in Our Town do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Tower Publications, Inc. or

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their editorial staff. Our Town Magazine endeavors

SAVANNAH SMILES If you travel just a few hours northeast to Savannah, you’ll be whisked away to another place in time.

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. © 2016 Tower Publications, Inc.

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PUBLISHER Charlie Delatorre ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Hank McAfee EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Albert Isaac editor@towerpublications.com MANAGING EDITOR Ericka Winterrowd ericka@towerpublications.com CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Gabrielle Calise, Ray Carson, Donald Caton, April FitzGerald, Peggy Macdonald, Rick Sapp, Michael Stone, Cynthia Wonders Winterrowd, Hayli Zuccola CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Pam Marlin CREATIVE DIRECTION + DESIGN Hank McAfee, Neil McKinney ADVERTISING ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Jenni Bennett jenni@towerpublications.com Helen Mincey helen@towerpublications.com Nancy Short nancy@towerpublications.com INTERNS Bailey LaFever

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CALENDAR SUBMISSIONS If you would like us to publicize an event in the greater Gainesville area, send information by the 1st day of the month prior to the next issue. For example, submissions for the May/June issue are due by April 1. All submissions will be reviewed and every effort will be made to run qualified submissions if page space is available.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR We want to hear from you. Send your letters to the attention of the editor at 4400 NW 36th Avenue, Gainesville, FL 32606 or editor@towerpublications.com.

Letters must be signed and include a phone number in the event we need to contact you. (Your phone number will not be published.)

OUR TOWN MAGAZINE IS PUBLISHED BI-MONTHLY BY TOWER PUBLICATIONS, INC. REPRODUCTION BY ANY MEANS OF THE WHOLE OR PART OF OUR TOWN WITHOUT WRITTEN PERMISSION FROM THE PUBLISHER IS PROHIBITED. VIEWS EXPRESSED IN THE EDITORIAL PAGES DO NOT IMPLY OUR ENDORSEMENT. WE WELCOME YOUR PRODUCT NEWS. INCLUDE PRICES, PHOTOS AND DIGITAL FILES WITH YOUR PRESS RELEASE. PLEASE FORWARD PRODUCT SAMPLES AND MEDIA KITS TO REVIEWS EDITOR, OUR TOWN MAGAZINE, 4400 NW 36TH AVENUE, GAINESVILLE, FL 32606. WE CANNOT BE RESPONSIBLE FOR UNSOLICITED PRODUCT SAMPLES.

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A Publication of Tower Publications, Inc. 4400 NW 36th Ave., Gainesville, Florida 32606 phone: 352-372-5468 fax: 352-373-9178

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EDITOR ’ S LET TER M A RC H/A P R I L 2016

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History and Travel Ah, History. Not my favorite topic in school. But now that I’m older, I’m intrigued by stories from the past, especially when they include historic photos of people and places. And I do like to travel (although we typically only go to the mountains – perhaps when I retire…)

Speaking of pictures (and the past), my love of photography began before I was even a teenager. Back in the day, I had my own darkroom (water heater closet) where I spent hours developing film and printing pictures. As a young adult I acquired a box full of my grandfather’s negatives, a treasure trove of family history. I’ve yet to go through them all, but one day I will, especially since I no longer need a darkroom and chemicals to print them — these days my scanner and computer can handle the job quite easily.

The composite photo above includes one such negative, taken by my grandfather 80-some years ago. When I first laid eyes on it I realized I had also taken a photo of me and my wife posing on that big rock from the very same angle, and then again — about a decade later — with our son. The result is this three-part image, blending old and new, spanning generations.

With this concept in mind, for this edition we have a “Then and Now” series of photos of the University of Florida — and Gainesville in general — taken by a local photographer who also happens to have a love of history. (On a personal note, one of her images includes a shot of my former trombone teacher, the late great Richard Bowles!)

So along these lines, we offer you some interesting historical features about our area as well as some travel pieces, some of which take us to the oldest cities in the United States; a feature on Florida’s first inhabitants; a story on nearly forgotten industries that had once flourished in Florida; and a brief history of the railroad system (among others!).

Enjoy!

Albert Isaac, Editor-In-Chief

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M A RC H/A P R I L 2016

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Meet the Magazine Machine

24910 West Newberry Rd., Newberry, FL

You may have already seen this van buzzing around town, but we wanted to officially introduce the newest member of Tower Publications: The Our Town Van! With original art by our senior graphic designer, Neil McKinney, this distinctive automobile sports images of Tom Petty, Tim Tebow and a Calusa Indian. Historic landmarks such as the Hippodrome Theatre and the Devil’s Millhopper are also illustrated.

It just so happens that many of the images you see are significant to our current issue of history and travel, such as the railroad line that helped stimulate social and economic growth long ago.

Our area is also known for its beautiful springs and incredible cave-diving opportunities, so you’ll find a prominent image of a diver equipped with an underwater flashlight. And no Our Town automobile would be complete without a gator, so be on the lookout for him too.

Chomp!

The drawn elements are a painstaking collection of over 500,000 digitally drawn lines in total. Each line has deliberate consideration of thick and thin contrast so as to convey depth and value. Our associate publisher, Hank McAfee, laid out the composition. Once our production team decided on the composition of each side of the van, they tied everything together by adding vibrant colors to visually represent the collective melting pot that is our town.

We are proud to say that this van welcomes photos and selfies, so feel free to hashtag your sightings with #OTvan and/or #MagazineMachine. Let the fun commence!

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Loretta Coady-Fariborzian, MD • Adam J. Katz, MD, FACS • Ashley Lentz, MD, FACS Mark Leyngold, MD • Bruce A. Mast, MD, FACS • Dhruv Singhal, MD Dawn Daigen, PA-C • Maeve Rady, PA-C • Anne Marie Staples, PA-CMARCH/APRIL 2016

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CONTRIBUTOR S

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M A RC H/A P R I L 2016

APRIL FITZGERALD is an assistant professor of graphic and web design of the Digital Media Technology program at Santa Fe College in Gainesville, Florida. Outside the classroom, she also loves creating illustrations and building robot model kits. april.fitzgerald@gmail.com

CYNTHIA WONDERS WINTERROWD is an award-winning writer who was raised in Illinois and lives in Gainesville. She is proud to be a “Gator Mom” of three daughters, all UF graduates. Cynthia loves sharing family recipes that have been passed down in her mother’s handwritten cookbooks. recipewonders@gmail.com

RAY CARSON is a photographer with over 25 years of experience. He is the author/photographer of The Civil War Soldier - A Photographic Journey published by Stackpole Books and was the principal photographer for the book Gainesville: Alive With Opportunity. raycarsonphoto@gmail.com

GABRIELLE CALISE is a sophomore journalism major at the University of Florida and freelance writer.

In her spare time she enjoys collecting vinyl records, taking photographs and watching movies. gcalise@ufl.edu

RICK SAPP is a freelance writer who lives in Gainesville.

His goal is to sail around the world — obviously alone — and end his days eating truffles and chocolate, and drinking too much red wine in the south of France. rsa5@cox.net

DONALD CATON retired after many years on the medical faculty of the University of Florida. He describes himself as a ‘history junkie.’ When he is not traveling or writing he can often be found in the files at the Matheson Museum or watching birds as they migrate through his backyard. doncaton@msn.com

PEGGY MACDONALD is a native Gainesvillian and the executive director of the Matheson History Museum. She has taught history at Florida Polytechnic, Stetson and UF. She is also the author of Marjorie Harris Carr: Defender of Florida’s Environment. peggymacdemos@gmail.com

MICHAEL STONE is a journalist, photographer and communications teacher based in Gainesville. His primary topics of focus include health care, conservation and wildlife, and business. He enjoys traveling, wildlife photography and trying all the great vegan dishes at area restaurants. michaelstone428@gmail.com

HAYLI ZUCCOLA is a New England native who enjoys listening to music and traveling. After graduating high school with her AA degree she got her Bachelor’s in Journalism from the University of Florida.

HayzDesigns@yahoo.com

BRIAN “KRASH” KRUGER is a writer, musician and a graduate of the UF College of Law. He has played in some 17 or so local bands, playing most every Gainesville venue friendly to original music (and some not so friendly). bkrashpad@yahoo.com

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GA

INE SV MA ILLE TH E SO ’ S N M USE UM

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Preserving

Past the

S TORY A ND PHOTOG R A PHY B Y R AY C A R S O N

HISTORY BUFF

T

ucked away off of University Avenue can be found a Gainesville gem: The Matheson Historical Museum. Named for Chris Matheson, a lawyer, minister and eight-term mayor of Gainesville, the legacy of the museum dates back 150 years.

It was 1865 when a young man named James Douglas Matheson moved to Gainesville to complete a partially built family home, start a business and begin a new life. He married, started a family and opened his own mercantile store. Matheson and Company thrived for 45 years but despite the couple’s success there was much tragedy in their lives. Of their four children, two young daughters died from disease and a son died at age 16 in a hunting accident. Only one son, Chris, survived to adulthood.

Born in 1874, Chris was intelligent and well liked. Like his father, he joined the Army, but his military career was shortlived. When his younger brother was killed in the hunting accident, he resigned to help his grief-stricken parents.

Chris began a successful law career and became involved in politics working with the mayor’s office. He was instrumental in gathering statewide support for moving the University of Florida to Gainesville. He became mayor.

But despite his success, Chris was not satisfied with his life and he felt a calling to become a minister. With no formal training in the ministry, he proved himself knowledgeable enough to get a special license to become a pastor.

In 1919 he left Gainesville to become a pastor in Shawnee, Oklahoma. Not long thereafter he met a young teacher named Sarah Hamilton. Although now in his mid50s, he was smitten by Sarah, 25 years his junior, and actively pursued her.

They married in 1933 and continued their careers in Oklahoma until Chris was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 1945 MARCH/APRIL 2016

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HISTORIC PRESERVATION >> MATHESON MUSEUM

The living room in the Matheson house is decorated with furnishings from the Sarah Matheson collection, representing two generations of the Matheson, Steele and Hamilton families. The photo album on the pedestal contains family photographs dating back to the 1850s.

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and they returned to his family home in Gainesville.

The couple remained active in church but on October 23, 1952, Chris died in the very bed he had been born in.

Sarah continued to dedicate her life to the church and community service. In her 60s she traveled extensively and spent two years as a missionary in Korea.

She also served as a church visitor to patients confined in hospitals or at home, and for the next 26 years she visited thousands of people. She also would personally call each member of her congregation on their birthdays, which consisted of over 1,000 members.

However, not all of Sarah Matheson’s work involved the church. She worked with Habitat For Humanity, Friends of the Library, Friends of Music, and she also worked closely with international students. Because of her strong interest in history and preserving the past, she helped found the Alachua County Historical Society, becoming one of its first presidents and serving as a board member for 25 years.

There were several historical preservation groups during the 1980s but many of them had the same members, those people dedicated to historic preservation, whether they were buildings, artifacts or documents. Some were historians, some collectors, some librarians or archivists, but they all shared the same passion for preserving the past.

One such person is Mark Barrow, a cardiologist with a passion for collecting. His dedication would spearhead the drive for a permanent space.

A select group of historians and collectors, including Ben Perkins, Helen Ellerbe, Sam Proctor, Roy Hunt, Blair Reeves, Mark Barrow and Sarah Matheson, formed the nucleus of the the group, but many others gave their time and funding to help bring the museum into existence. They would meet every few months to discuss museum options and funding issues for getting a space. It would take over 10 years of effort before the Matheson History Museum would become a reality.

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The Tison Tool Barn (relocated from Tison’s property) contains tools John Tison donated to the museum in 1993. The Matheson and Company general store (right) as it appeared around 1900.

An antique mailbox decorates the front of the Tison Tool Barn. Museum staff had to attach a note stating “No Mail Delivery” to alert post office employees that it is no not an active mailbox.

HISTORIC PRESERVATION >> MATHESON MUSEUM

The Mathesons had no children and Sarah had deeded her house, its antique possessions and a $150,000 endowment to the organization.

In 1990 the American Legion Hall came up for sale. Located directly north of the Matheson House, it made an ideal spot.

The Mathesons had no children and Sarah had deeded her house, its antique possessions and a $150,000 endowment to the organization. But the endowment would only come after a museum was established and Sarah had passed away.

The building was priced at $80,000 and in desperate need of repair. The group convinced the City of Gainesville to approve a grant for $90,000 to purchase the building and a $340,000 grant from the Historic Preservation board to renovate it. But when the city commission was unable to fund the $90,000, Barrow took out a personal loan to cover the purchase. Other members also contributed to renovation costs including a $55,000 donation from Helen Ellerbe.

In 1990 more than 20,000 letters were sent out asking for support, which resulted in over $160,000 in donations. Much of this was because of Barrow’s persistent efforts with the city and donors. He was also instrumental in getting other collectors

to donate to the museum.

John Tison, a local businessman, donated his tool collection as well as the building that housed it. Barrow donated his own collections, including 20,000 postcards, most of the items in the recreated general store, 1,200 books on Florida, a collection of soda and medicinal bottles, and 50 drawers of archived articles and newspapers. The newspaper collection includes hand-colored issues of “Harper’s Weekly” from the 1860s to 1880s.

Helen Ellerbe donated her entire library to the museum.

Other collectors continued to expand the museum’s inventory including a stereoscope collection of 1,500 view cards, and various antiques and photographs.

The Museum is also home to the The Bone photography collection. Elmer Bone was a professional photographer who photographed Gainesville from the 1920s to the 1950s. His images not only document the physical change and growth of Gainesville, but also the life and activities of its citizens.

Sarah Matheson lived to see her dream become reality.

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HISTORIC PRESERVATION >> MATHESON MUSEUM

Visitors can see a 1930s–era kitchen with its still-functioning refrigerator, as well as the bedroom and bed where Chris Matheson was born — and died. Sarah Matheson’s sewing table sits by a window to take advantage of afternoon light.

Also on display is a soda bottle collection from Mark Barrow.

The top two rows are a historical timeline from the Coca-Cola Bottling Company in Gainesville, founded in 1908.

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Although she had deeded the house to the museum, the stipulation was that she could live in it until her death. In 1996, Sarah, gravely ill, requested to be released from the hospital to go home and die in the same bed her husband had. Her wish was granted and she passed away in December 1996. Her legacy lives on through the museum she helped found in her husband’s honor.

Today, the Matheson History Museum consists of the main building that includes a recreation of the Matheson Dry Goods store, and all the collections donated by Barrow and Ellerbe and a host of other collectors and preservationists.

Additionally, permanent and temporary exhibitions tell the story of Alachua County. Permanent exhibits examine area history from the Timucuan Indians to the Spanish occupation of the area to William Bartram’s travels and more.

The current exhibit, “The Long Road to FreedomThe Florida Black Heritage Trail,” is themed around Black History month and runs through March 18th.

The libraries and exhibits are open to the public. But the postcards, stereoscope and documents archive can be viewed by appointment only.

The building also has a rental space for meetings

and lectures. Rotating exhibits are housed in the main room.

Sweetwater Park is directly behind the museum complex along with the Matheson House, which is furnished with all the Matheson belongings from two generations, as well as other antiques. The house was originally finished in 1867, but includes rooms from different time periods up through the 1940s. The Matheson House can be visited upon request and is also available as a rental for weddings and events.

The Tison tool collection is also housed in a building on the property. In addition to the current buildings, the museum has received a $300,000 state historic preservation grant to renovate the former Melting Pot restaurant; it will be transformed into a museum archive, library and meeting place.

Open Monday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. the museum is free to visit but accepts donations to help cover expenses. It also hosts evening events and lectures. A schedule of events and how to access the collections can be found on their website www.mathesonmuseum.org.

The Matheson family may be long gone, but their legacy certainly lives on.

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PROFILE >> MARK BARROW

COLLECTABLES

A PASSION FOR HISTORY

Mark Barrow W R I T T E N B Y R AY C A R SO N

Dr. Mark Barrow said he was born with a collector gene that runs in his family and it has shaped the direction of his life.

“As a child I began to collect matchbook covers and it became an obsession, exceeding 1,000 covers and taking up so much space in the living room that my mother finally demanded they be boxed and put in the attic,” Barrow said. However, the matchbooks would only be the first of many collections.

Barrow was literally born on the road. His family lived in Crestview, Florida, and the closest doctor was in Pensacola.

“When my mom went into labor, my father tried to drive the 43 miles to the hospital but the birth couldn’t wait and I was born in transit on the road,” he said.

Once at the hospital, the doctor was unsure what to list as his place of birth since he was not born in the hospital or even the same county.

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The Barrow family had been in Florida since the late 18th century. Each generation had been farmers until Barrow’s dad, George William Barrow, decided to go to college in 1914 at the University of Florida. Army service cut short his college education and upon discharge he returned to Crestview to study law on his own. He practiced law for 25 years, served in the state legislature and was elected county school supervisor. All three of his sons also went to UF. Barrow was the youngest in the family and was a member of the first class to graduate from the University of Florida Medical School. He still had the collecting bug, but now it was ceramic jugs. Barrow would spend his spare time searching abandoned farmhouses and moonshine stills to add to his 60-piece collection.

PHOTOGRAPHY: RAY CARSON

As a student, he had a blind date with his future wife, Mary Besalski. The daughter of a Florida minister, Mary was an education major studying to be a teacher. She had an outgoing personality and a confidence that intrigued Barrow. In the book “A Partnership with the Past” Barrow writes that his wife was the only woman he had ever met that could both out talk and out argue him.

down several times, we decided to try again.

We ran into him in the bank and told him about our situation and he immediately went to the loan officer and told him to give us the loan ... We got it.”

As downtown Gainesville expanded it began to encroach on the neighborhood. A zoning request to allow residences to be used for business offices united preservationists

The Barrows got involved and helped form Historic Gainesville, Inc. to preserve the residential integrity of the northeast area.

Both had a mutual interest in history and historic preservation. They got married and their first child was born on the day Barrow graduated from medical school.

After receiving his Ph.D. from UF, he worked in North Carolina and Washington, D.C., before returning to Gainesville to accept a position as assistant professor with UF’s Department of Medicine. In 1972, Barrow left his teaching position to go into private practice in cardiology.

During this time, the Barrows had four more children and began searching for a suitable large house for their family. Because of their mutual love of history, they began looking at houses in the northeast area known as the Duckpond. Many of the old houses had fallen into disrepair and were considered investment risks by banks. The couple found the house that met their needs and appealed to their historical interests. Built in a colonial revival style by John Tigert, the third president of UF, the house was meant to represent a smaller version of Washington’s house in Mount Vernon. To the Barrows this was an opportunity to restore the house to its former glory. To the banks it was a bad risk, even at the low price of $30,000. The Barrows finally got help from a friend who was a retired bank president.

“He was retired, but still working at the bank,” Barrow said. “After being turned

and area residents. The Barrows got involved and helped form Historic Gainesville, Inc. to preserve the residential integrity of the northeast area. The group helped save the Thomas Hotel and turn it into a cultural center and also began documenting all the architecturally and historically significant houses in the Northeast, which eventually led to the area being designated as a historic district. The group also fought to save the Kirby Smith school and get historical designations for several other neighborhoods.

The Barrows’ love of history and preservation also took another turn; the restoration of the Tigert house had fueled their desire to save and restore historically significant houses. The next move was to buy an old church, restore it and open an antique shop called Barrow’s Antiques. Mary got into the house restoration business and they began buying one house a year. Under the name Victoria’s Restorations, she restored 14 homes in the Gainesville area including the Howard House-Kelley Lodge, which won a Florida Trust award.

Barrow’s medical practice was growing, as was his involvement in historical preservation — and his collections. He had started collecting antique postcards that dealt with Florida, especially Gainesville.

His collection eventually contained over 20,000 unique postcards of Florida.

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PROFILE >> MARK BARROW

Scenes of early Gainesville are captured in these precious photographs from E. H. Bone taken between 1920-1960.

He also collected rare bottles, hand-colored images from “Harper’s Weekly,” 1,200 books on Florida as well as miscellaneous documents, maps, journals and photographs. Soon, patients and friends and other collectors were donating to his collections.

Although his collection of Florida postcards was big, there were much bigger collections. These

collections were not strictly Florida but did include rare Florida cards that he did not have. Barrow said that Robert Hughes had 60,000 postcards, Doug Hendrickson had 40,000 and Irv Sterling had over 1,000 as well as an extensive bottle collection.

Barrow would approach them and ask to purchase ones he did not have or convince them to contribute

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to an archive he was setting up with the Historical Society. If they declined, he would try to photograph them to create a database of Florida postcards.

For historical collectors, it is often more about preserving than possessing the objects. And sometimes it is just luck that helps preservation.

“One day, I was driving in an older section of town when I noticed a large number of boxes by the curb for trash pick-up and saw they contained thousands of photographs,” Barrow said.

Stopping to investigate, Barrow found that the new owners were cleaning out the home of professional photographer E. H. Bone who had been taking pictures in Gainesville from the 1920s to the 1960s. The photographs were a life’s worth of work, creating a unique historical record of the town and its people. The owners allowed Barrow to take the boxes. Without his intervention, this unique historical record would have been lost forever in a landfill.

But all his collections created another problem — storage. The collections were beginning to take over his house and office.

He was involved with several preservation and historical groups that all felt that a space for a museum was necessary. For the next decade Barrow would work tirelessly with other collectors, historians and city and state officials to make the dream a reality. He would convince other collectors to donate their collections, seek funding and grants, as well as donations from wealthy citizens.

Although many people contributed to the effort, Barrow was the driving force.

Finally in 1990, the old American Legion building was purchased and the Matheson Historical Museum was established.

“I helped found the museum so I would have a place to store all my collections,” Barrow said jokingly, but it was his love of history and dedication to preserving the past that made the museum a reality.

All of his collections, papers and books have been donated to the Matheson Historical Center. Perhaps the greatest donation, though, is Barrow himself, who can be found most days at the museum organizing artifacts and sharing his knowledge with anyone interested in learning about the past.

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inesville a G n i l e v a r T y a w l Histor y of Rai

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PHOTOGRAPHY: MATHESON HISTORY MUSEUM COLLECTION

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M

any argue that the single event that most influenced the development of Alachua County was David Levy Yulee’s plan to route his Fernandina - Cedar Key rail line through Gainesville rather than Newnansville, 12 miles farther north. In 1854, when construction of the rail bed began, Newnansville was the county seat and the population of Gainesville was fewer than 3,000. By today’s standards construction was slow: During the first year of work, which began in Fernandina, the new line stretched only 17 miles. By 1860, however, the right-ofway reached Cedar Key, although not all the track had been laid. The onset of the Civil War disrupted construction as Confederate soldiers ripped up miles of track to impede the advance of Union troops, an effort which did not prevent two skirmishes from taking place in Gainesville before the cessation of hostilities in 1865.

The growth of America’s railroads was meteoric. The first rail line in the United States (1825), located on the West bank of the Hudson River in Hoboken, New Jersey, ran but a few miles. It featured innovations such as tracks made of iron rather than wood, and cars pulled by a steam engine rather than by horses.

Crude though it was, the apparatus intrigued a 39-year-old entrepreneur named Cornelius Vanderbilt. During his first ride on the contraption it broke an axle and crashed, puncturing his lung and breaking several bones, but the experience did not deter him from investing heavily in this new transportation industry, a gamble that paid handsomely.

Spurred by speculative money from Vanderbilt, Harriman, Flagler, Plant and others, total rail mileage in the United States increased to 190,000 by 1900. The Golden Spike, celebrating the rail connection between the East and West coasts, was driven in May of 1869.

Following the Civil War, local railroad construction began again and at an accelerated

pace. By 1867 both passengers and freight moved between Fernandina Beach and Cedar Key, through Gainesville, thereby avoiding a time-consuming sea voyage around the Florida peninsula. Another line ran from Jacksonville to Tallahassee. By 1900 Henry Flagler had began construction of his rail route down the east coast of the state; Henry Plant built a comparable line along the west coast. Within a few years rail routes lined North Florida even extending to the southernmost parts of the state. Even within Alachua County, railroad companies and routes multiplied.

The development of railroad lines within our county and state had a great impact on the social and economic life. In 1870 a railroad trip from Gainesville to Jacksonville took 8 hours. By 1900 that time had diminished to four hours. Church groups used local lines for transportation for outings to Boulware Springs and Alachua Sink. Farmers took advantage of speedy rail transportation to ship fresh vegetables, citrus and other crops to Midwestern and Northern cities.

The railroads also permitted expansion of other industries important in the development of the area, among them lumber, Tung oil and cotton. Phosphate mines near Newberry were among the first in the state and an important part of the local economy. Just prior to the outbreak of WWI almost half of the phosphate fertilizer shipped from the United States to Europe came from mines in Alachua County.

To support the railroad traffic so important to each of these industries, Alachua and High Springs developed machine shops to build and service locomotives and cars. Other towns, such as Callahan, Starke and Waldo, grew as stops along the rail lines.

The railroads that shipped goods north also brought tourists and new residents south. By 1880, Gainesville boasted several hotels, among them the Varnum, Arlington and the White House. Some of them were subsequently lost in the great fire that swept through downtown MARCH/APRIL 2016

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Gainesville in the 1880s.

Hoping to tap into the growing Florida tourist industry, W. McKee Kelley, a St. Petersburg real estate developer, began construction of the multistory downtown Dixie Hotel in 1926. His timing was bad and construction stopped with the collapse of the Florida land boom. Later the project was revived and completed and became not the Dixie Hotel as originally planned, but the Seagle Building.

Also in 1926, Gainesville resident W.R. Thomas undertook a similar project but with more success. He added a wing to his private home and turned it into an upscale

tourist hotel. The building, which still bears his name, was rescued from demolition in the 1970s and now serves as a city office.

Paradoxically, the development of the railroad that stimulated the development of Gainesville and the small towns that surround it caused the demise or the involution of others. By 1880, for example, Newnansville had all but disappeared when its last business and post office moved to the town of Alachua. Only its cemetery remains.

Similarly, Cedar Key and Fernandina, once thriving seaports, shrank in size and importance as railroads rather than ships transported people and commercial goods.

Ironically, the dominance of rail transportation lasted only a little more than a century. Air terminals supplanted railroad depots and automobiles replaced passenger trains as construction of the interstate highway system began in 1956 during the presidency of Dwight D. Eisenhower.

The last train went through downtown Gainesville in 1948. Now, remnants remain of the once dominant rail system — the depot that houses the downtown campus of Santa Fe College, the depot-turned-museum in Archer, and the rail-to-trail GainesvilleHawthorne State Trail.

PRESS ON PUBLISHING >> UNIVERISTY PRESS OF FLORIDA

A KEEPER OF KNOWLEDGE

University Press of Florida W R I T T E N B Y R AY C A R SO N

Since its early days, the identity and growth of Gainesville has been intertwined with UF. The academic world and quest for knowledge has always been part of the unique character of Gainesville. Academic knowledge in any field is gained by research, either in person or the previous knowledge of others. This information must be archived and the facts and stories recorded for future scholars and the general public. Knowledge improves our future world and gives us an understanding of the past. For centuries, the best way to compile information has meant books.

Gainesville is also home to the oldest book publisher in Florida and one of the largest university presses in the Southeast.

The University Press of Florida was established in 1945 as the PHOTOGRAPHY: ERICKA WINTERROWD

University of Florida Press, with a commitment to publishing scholarly books about the region. Its first publication was “Florida Under Five Flags� by noted historian Rembert Patrick, which is still in publication today. In its early days, most of its book titles focused on the history, archaeology and people of Florida and were written by scholars in the higher education system. As the University of Florida press began to build a reputation as a successful publisher and scholarly powerhouse, other universities in Florida began to establish presses of their own. To avoid duplication among campuses, the Florida Board of Regents established the University Presses of Florida in 1973.

This allowed each of the nine universities in Florida to establish their own press with independent editorial and budget controls and bring all the campuses into the publishing system.

By the 1990s it became apparent there was a need to bring the consortium of presses under one central authority to oversee publications, avoid duplication and unify the goals of the various MARCH/APRIL 2016

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presses. All were combined into a single press literature and hobbies. Although the focus and renamed the University Press of Florida, is mainly towards Florida, the press has located in Gainesville. The press was now expanded its scope to encompass a wider under a single editorial board, a single imprint region, including the southeastern United and a budget under the responsibility of a States, Caribbean and Latin America. For general submissions, the editorial staff looks single director. Additional state universities at writing style, presentation and usefulwere added over time to a present total of 11. ness as well as a broader, diverse audience.

The University Press of Florida continued to build its reputation as a scholarly publisher General interests books are published in printed form and eBooks. and is now in the top third of members of The Press’s success and proper manthe American University Presses. The Press also began to expand subject matter beyond agement can be seen it its revenue sources.

Florida and create a non-academic catalog of Although associated with the state university general interests books. Today, the University system, only 11 percent of its funding comes Press of Florida has published over 3,100 from state sources. The rest comes from the sale of books and rights permission along titles and sold over 3 million books. with various grants. One of the reasons for The editorial board is comprised of accredited faculty from each of the univer- the company’s success is staying current with sities, covering a variety of disciplines. This the technology changes. The press now edits all manuscripts and design board reviews submissions layouts digitally. The files are and determines whether then sent to separate publishthe book is compatible with ing facilities for printing. The the mission and goals of the press has had seven directors press. There are two sets of in its 70-year history and only prerequisites depending on two since the final merger in whether the book is academic the 1990s. The present direcor of general interests. tor is Meredith Morris-Babb Academic publications who has been in the position are reviewed for their consince 2005. Although the press tribution to the field of study, has diversified its subject mataccuracy, concurrency and Meredith Morris-Babb ter, it still has a goal of focusing relevance. Only about 20 peron Florida. Morris-Babb feels cent of the academic books that there is an importance to celebrating the are unsolicited submissions from authors. uniqueness of Florida.

Eighty percent are scholars, museums “Florida is a transient state with a shifting or researchers that are invited by the ediand expanding population,” she said in a torial staff to provide a manuscript on their recent interview. “At the Press we want to area of expertise. Although there is still a focus on Florida, the subject matters for help people find a home through an understanding of our history and culture.” academic books has broadened to cover Besides the director, the University Press global areas and general instruction in a discipline. One of the best selling books is has a staff of 33. Despite the small size of “Classic Ballet Techniques,” which was pub- the staff, they publish 90 new titles a year.

The Press has a commitment to provide a lished in 1989. Since the audience for academic link between knowledge and its many applibooks is mainly higher education sources cations. They feel they are a collaborative such as libraries and scholars researching a network of writers, manufactures, academics, particular field, the majority of these books are now published as print on demand elec- bookstores, libraries and consumers that serve to ensure the chain of knowledge tronically, either as an eBook or a PDF, which can be stored in libraries. Books with a wider remains vital, transformative and beneficial.

From sowing the new seeds of scholarship appeal are also published as a print version.

General Interests books cover a wide to preserving important voices for the past, the University Press of Florida helps keep range of subjects including history, politics, social issues, archaeology, arts, religion, the flame of knowledge alive.

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ANTHROPOLOGY >> FLORIDIAN NATIVE AMERICANS

POW WOW

Original Floridians Timucua, Calusa Indians, Part of Florida’s Diverse Past, Leave Researchers Wondering W RIT TE N BY MICH A E L S TON E

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PHOTOGRAPHY: MICHAEL STONE

The Florida of Museum of Natural History’s South Florida People & Environments exhibit takes visitors on a journey back to the times of the Calusa Indians, sometimes referred to as the “shell Indians” because of their shell mounds (pictured).

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ANTHROPOLOGY >> FLORIDIAN NATIVE AMERICANS

n Florida, the likely choice for most familiar Native American tribe is perhaps the Seminoles: They represent Florida State University as its mascot, textbooks teach of the Seminole Wars between the tribe and the expansionist U.S., and a few thousand remain on six reservations in the state, some even maintaining ancestral ways of life.

Seminole history is relatively short, beginning in the 1700s with the Creek tribe’s migrations to Florida from other Southern lands to avoid clashes with the Europeans and other Native Americans. But long before, two other tribes dominated great tracts of the Florida landscape: the Calusa in Southwest Florida and the Timucua to the north and into South Georgia.

The word Timucua doesn’t have a known pronunciation but could be said tee-moo-kwa, according to the Florida Public Archaeology Network. It could originate from the Timucuans’ word for enemy, “thimogona.”

The Timucua reached a population high of maybe 772,000 — considered the extreme end of the estimate — across roughly 19,000 square miles. They had no overarching chief or organization, bonded

instead by a root language that partitioned into dialects among smaller clusters.

“There are separate little chiefdoms — and at times, some of them are rivals, others are kind of allies,” said Keith Ashley, research coordinator for the University of North Florida’s Archaeology Laboratory and a teacher in the college’s sociology and anthropology department. “It’s a dynamic landscape in which the alliances are probably shifting over time.”

Aggression between groups emerged if someone from one was somehow harmed or killed. The two wouldn’t fight on a large scale, preferring instead to meet in series of “guerilla-warfare skirmishes,” Ashley said.

“When they avenge [someone], then the other group feels they have to avenge it back,” he said. “So it becomes these kind of vicious cycles of revenge raiding.”

Ashley described an account that underscores the Timucua’s approach to fighting. The French allied with one of the Timucua groups and attacked another. Once the battle left one person dead, the French wanted to keep going, but the Timucua wanted to retreat.

For food, the Timucua relied mainly on hunting and, toward the coast, fishing. They were relatively

A 16th century engraving likely based on an original work by French artist Jacques le Moyne de Morgues, whose depictions offer many details into the ways of Native American life, portrays Althore, son of Timucuan king Saturiwa, showing a monument to French explorer René de Laudonnière, who landed in Florida in 1564 and established Fort Caroline, near the area that became Jacksonville.

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ANTHROPOLOGY >> FLORIDIAN NATIVE AMERICANS

in that they stayed in a fixed territory and advanced into complex social and political structures with mainly bony fish and shellfish for food.

They formed their society “without a base of agriculture, and in the world of anthropology, that’s a pretty big deal,” said Karen Walker, collections manager for South Florida archaeology and ethnography at the University of Florida’s Florida Museum of Natural History.

Walker pointed out that while permanent residency wasn’t rare among Native American tribes, all others were able to do so with agriculture.

“They were out there planting corn,” she said, “and so through the winter, they had stores of corn and other plants.

But the Calusa had no agriculture to speak of. That’s what sets them apart.

They did it with just fishing.”

Today, in-the-field remnants of the Timucua include burial mounds in North Florida, like in the Gainesville and Jacksonville areas, but it’s typically not possible to tell whether these are Timucuan or from other indigenous peoples, Ashley said.

“They’re definitely native-made, but some of them may be much earlier in time,” he said. “Just by finding it doesn’t mean that it’s Timucua.”

The subset specific to the region around Gainesville, the Potano, likely had their primary village in either northern Marion County or southern Alachua County when it was visited by Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto in 1539. Two discovered sites — the White Ranch site in Marion County and the Richardson site on the county border — have been proposed as the location of the village and a later Spanish mission.

And in 2000, 101 wooden canoes, dated at 500 to 5,000 years old, were spotted in mud at Newnans Lake amid low water levels — though Ashley said it’s not verifiable that these, especially the ones closer to the older end of the range, are from the Timucua.

For the Calusa, the most visible landscape feature remaining is their mounds, like those on Mound Key near Fort Myers, which rise 30-plus feet above the water. Items in the mounds include fish bones, pottery and shells.

Shells were a prominent feature of the Calusa because they provided not just food but also tools and jewelry.

Walker also noted the impressiveness of their canal systems:

“The Calusa had no agriculture to speak of. That’s what sets them apart. They did it with just fishing.”

They formed their society “without a base of agriculture, and in the world of anthropology, that’s a pretty big deal.” late to agriculture, turning to corn for the first time in the 1400s.

“So it’s really kind of late in pre-Columbian times,” Ashley said.

Native Americans are often noted for their use of all parts of an animal, and the Timucua aren’t an exception, according to the Children’s Museum at St. Augustine. Any meat that couldn’t be finished would be preserved; bones were used as tools, including needles, knives and fishhooks; and skin was used as clothing.

The Calusa (kah-loos-ah, meaning “fierce people”) could have numbered up to 50,000 individuals, and they lived along Florida’s western half from the Charlotte Harbor area to the southeastern edge of the Florida peninsula. They were an oddity 40 |

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PHOTOGRAPHY: MICHAEL STONE

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ANTHROPOLOGY >> FLORIDIAN NATIVE AMERICANS

unknown, presenting researchers with one of the many questions that continue today.

Another on the Timucua, Ashley said, is: Where are more of the Timucuan villages? This can be challenging because the sites likely aren’t elevated and could be just part of the ground in a forest or pasture.

“We have reports in possible areas where they may have been based on European accounts, but not external marking spots,” he said, also noting that their houses, made of palm fronds and other natural items, were decomposable.

This, then, leads to another question: What did their villages look like?

One 1560s depiction by French artist Jacques le Moyne de Morgues shows a Timucuan village surrounded by a towering, circular wooden wall. But, Ashley pointed out, archaeologists haven’t found such a wall, no other accounts of one exist, and the surviving de Morgues work is, in fact, a recreation from the 1590s.

“We wonder if [the recreating artist] embellishes them and that’s really not a clear, straightforward depiction of a Timucuan village,” Ashley said. “It looks like a South American village; it looks like one from Virginia.”

For the Calusa, a primary interest for further study is how they managed their food supply, the root of their more stable society, Walker said.

“In order to be a complex people, you had to figure out some way of having a food surplus and a storable food surplus because, even down [in South Florida], you have times when things aren’t so great for one reason or another,” she said.

“And so you want to have some stored food, and so the most obvious candidate for that would be mullet because mullet schools in these huge, massive numbers — thousands of mullet. You can net them in one fall [season] or you can trap them, and then what do you do with them?”

People today smoke them, “so did the Calusa do that and how can we answer that question?” Walker asked.

Whatever the method, Walker reemphasized the magnitude of the Calusa’s settled existence sans agriculture.

• Art “What happens is you have people who • Antiques have time to be artists,” she said, “you have • Fine Furniture people who can be directed to dig a new canal • Civil War Memorabilia instead of always out there hunting for food.”

• Ceramics Those wishing to learn more about the • Hand Made Soaps Calusa can visit the Florida Museum of • Beeswax Candles Natural History on the University of Florida • Hemp Products campus. The exhibit that features the Calusa, 14874 Main St, Alachua, FL 32615 South Florida People & Environments, includes the palm hut of a Calusa leader southerncharmemporium.com with six life-size Calusa performing a ceremony.

On Pine Island near Mound Key, she said, the Calusa engineered a canal that cut all the way across from west to east possibly for a canoe shortcut.

A question that’s now being explored, Walker said, is whether such a canal could have also served as a giant fish trap, allowing the fish to swim in, be quarantined and provide fresh (live) food for an extended period. An obvious hole, though, emerges in the theory, she added.

“One might ask, ‘Well, why would they do that if they could just go right out there in the bay and fish all the time?’” Walker said. “And that’s a very valid question for South Florida because … south of Tampa, it’s basically subtropical, and in the winter time, the fish don’t go away.”

The Calusa’s water prowess gave them access to an additional source of goods: shipwrecks from the growing European influx.

“Sometimes, they would take coins, for example, melt them down somehow and reshape them into their own objects,” Walker said.

While tangible remains of the Timucua and Calusa serve as reminders of Florida’s pre-colonial past, a separate key component is missing: direct descendants. Diseases brought over by the Europeans, conflict-based alliances with them from other Native American tribes, and slavery decimated the Timucua and the Calusa.

The last members of both are believed to have ended up in Cuba during the 18th century, but their final fates are largely

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COLUMN

CRYSTAL HENRY’S

Naked Salsa SURROGATE SAGA: OUR SECOND RODEO

CRYSTAL HENRY 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. ces03k@gmail.com

THE SECOND EMBRYO TRANSFER WENT GREAT, AND I WAS IN THE TWO WEEK WAITING WINDOW.

class, splitting embryos equals twins.

Our next beta a few days later came back strong, and I couldn’t have been happier for Baby Mama and Baby Daddy.

Good strong numbers didn’t mean we were out of the woods, but they were certainly more promising than the measly numbers ormally I’d wait until day four or five after we started out with last time. the transfer to start testing at home, but this was a little Again I was a little worried about multiples, but I took it different. They’d given me a shot to trigger ovulation, as a good sign and I got my hopes up for them. They were still and the hormone in that shot is the very one that signals a guarded, as could be expected. But I emotionally go big or go positive in the home pregnancy tests. home. And I was going big with excitement for them.

So in the name of science — well OK just because I have a Things went well over the next few weeks, and we scheduled legitimate addiction — I actually started testing the day after our first ultrasound around the six-week mark. This one was transfer. What I was looking for was a line that got lighter and a biggie. The last ultrasound was the one they found out their then darkened on day five or so after transfer. little one didn’t make it. I wanted this one to go well.

So although I got a positive test right out of the gate, I knew We waited with anticipation as the wand that it meant nothing for a few days. Day three after slowly brought that grainy black and white screen transfer was noticeably lighter, and on day four I into focus. The last pregnancy at this point squinted and tried to talk myself off the ledge They were allowed us to see, but not hear, that sweet when it basically looked the same. still guarded, as could little heartbeat. However this little embie However by day five that little puppy be expected. But I came out guns blazing, and those parents was certainly looking darker to the naked emotionally go big or go were able to hear the sweetest sound that eye. I posted a picture on the surrogate home. And I was going ever was; they heard the clippity clop of their Facebook page to get some unbiased but big with excitement baby’s heartbeat. And much to my delight, very professional experienced opinions, and there was only one heartbeat to be heard. the general consensus was that it was indeed for them.

I think we all left feeling relieved, but again darkening. we had some milestones to hit before we could all Throughout this waiting period I had to avoid really breathe.

Baby Mama like the plague. They didn’t want any home We scheduled another ultrasound with our reproductive pregnancy test news until after we had our labs drawn, and I endocrinologist for a week later to check on the little nugget. didn’t trust myself not to spill the beans. I think everyone was Meanwhile, I was feeling so sick and tired I knew something had sort of holding their breath anyway because of the miscarriage. to be going right. And sure enough, on our repeat ultrasound It was hard to get any hopes up at this point, but honestly hope that little peanut was just thundering away with the best little is all we had. heartbeat I could have asked for.

The two weeks crawled by, but finally our blood test came We did it. We made it one step farther in our journey. The RE around. I knew my tests were darkening, but high beta numbers gave us a med protocol for a few more weeks and released me to sure would make me feel better. And the labs did not disappoint. the care of my midwife. After all the heartache and anticipation My beta came in at a level high enough to indicate twins. I was we finally had a viable little baby. Our next hurdle was to make elated and also terrified. The little embie had been prescreened it out of the dreaded first trimester, but I had hope. I truly felt for genetic defects, and part of that screening means they go the strength of this little fighter, and I was very hopeful and at in and snatch a cell. This process increases the chances of the peace that everything was going to be OK. embryo splitting, and if you remember anything from science

N

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WE USED TO BE 1ST

NOW WE’RE

EVEN BETTER 1st Credit Union of Gainesville is now Alliance Credit Union.

Have you ever looked at your living room and thought, “A fresh coat of paint sure would brighten things up.”

When you’re done, it’s still your living room. It’s still your house. It just feels more welcoming. Essentially, that’s what we’ve done. The people you know at 1st Credit Union, from the tellers to the president, are still the same dedicated folks who will go out of their way to help you. We just have a new name and a different look. We also have a renewed commitment to working even harder, to serving Gainesville better than ever and to making more possible for you.

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PHOTO ESSAY >> THEN & NOW

PAST TENSE

Then & Now P H O T O E S S AY B Y PA M M A R L I N

Some of these photographs presented quite a challenge. The University Auditorium, for example, has had extensive additions in the front and on both sides, as has the Ben Hill Griffin Stadium/Florida Field since it was first built in 1930.

Want to see more? The “UF, Then & Now” photo project can be found online at www.dmarlin.com/uf-then-now.

ABOUT THE ARTIST PAM MARLIN, A UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA EMPLOYEE WITH A DEEP INTEREST IN HISTORY, CREATED THIS FASCINATING SERIES OF PHOTO ILLUSTRATIONS, BLENDING OLD WITH NEW, THE PAST WITH THE PRESENT.

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PEABODY HALL (LEFT) THEN: Peabody Hall in the 1920s. The Peabody Foundation contributed $40,000 toward the construction of this building to house the Teacher’s College. It was constructed in 1913. It remained the home of the College of Education for many years and accommodated a psychology lab, the presses of the Florida Alligator and the library collection. Later the College of Architecture and the Departments of History, Political Science, Economics and Sociology used Peabody Hall for faculty offices and classes.

NOW: The building was renovated and converted to administrative and student services use in 1990.

SMATHERS LIBRARY (ABOVE) THEN: Smathers Library, formerly Library East, pictured with a white structure. According to UF Historian Carl Van Ness, the building was not quite finished in 1927; a south wing was added 4 to 5 years later.

NOW: The library is located near Criser Hall. There were additions to the Smathers in the 1950s and the library now contains special collections.

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PHOTO ESSAY >> THEN & NOW

BEN HILL GRIFFIN STADIUM AT FLORIDA FIELD (ABOVE) THEN: A young boy sells soda at a Gator football game in 1960.

NOW: A newer hedge, a larger stadium, and those attending games dress considerably different.

FLORIDA FIELD (RIGHT) THEN: Dr. Richard Bowles, professor of music at UF for 27 years, directs the band on Florida Field in 1962.

NOW: A much larger press box. Bowles died in December of 2009 at the age of 91.

UF PARKING VIOLATION (BELOW) THEN: A UF Police Officer writes a parking ticket in the 1950s.

NOW: Nothing new today. Parking tickets are still a common occurrence.

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PHOTO ESSAY >> THEN & NOW

UF ENTRANCE AT 13TH STREET (ABOVE) THEN: This 1950s photo of UF student is probably a photo shoot for the undergraduate catalog.

NOW: Same corner, but the UF Entrance Information sign is no longer there.

UF ENTRANCE AT THE CORNER OF 13TH STREET AND UNIVERSITY AVENUE (RIGHT) THEN: A student (Tillotson) plays his guitar for four coeds in the 1950s.

NOW: This prominent intersection still functions as the gateway to UF. The lettering that spells out “University of Florida” was changed slightly at some point.

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Don’t Hide Your Head in the Sand, Sunshine— Taxtime is here, ready or not!

The good news is that taxes don’t have to be scary, regardless of whether they’re your personal taxes or your corporate ones. And with a few smart ProAc ve moves now, 2016’s taxes will be so much easier you’ll just y through them (even if you’re a ightless sort of bird).

ProActive is more than just our name— its our way of life. You should never feel like you’re s cking your neck out when paying your civic obliga on— let us show you how being ProAc ve can take the risk out of taxes and make tax me a joy.

If you've been pu ng your 2015 taxes o un l now, call us— we can help. If you’ve submi ed your 2015 taxes and are already dreading next year’s, call us— we can do more than help. And if you’re a big ol’ ostrich, great news— most large birds are exempt from federal taxes altogether!

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MARCH/APRIL 2016

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PHOTO ESSAY >> THEN & NOW 52 |

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Parents want the best care for their kid.

We’ll second that.

REITZ UNION (ABOVE) THEN: Students pose in front of the Reitz Union 1967-1969. The Reitz Union was built in 1967 and named for Dr. J. Wayne Reitz, President of the University from 1955-1967.

Well Visits • School/Sports Physicals Vision/Hearing Screens • Immunizations ADD/ADHD Evaluations

NOW: There have been many renovations inside, but outside the Union still looks the same, with a more defined seating area where once was a rocky hillside.

BEN HILL GRIFFIN STADIUM AT FLORIDA FIELD (LEFT) THEN: John Tigert and Harold Hume sit in a horse drawn carriage on Florida Field 1943. Tigert, before becoming UF’s president, was a former head football coach at the University of Kentucky.

He was the driving force behind construction of Florida Field in 1930 and actually chose the location of the field. There was no state funding for the new stadium, so Tigert and a few friends went out and personally raised the funds, setting up a method to solicit and manage them within the framework of University Athletic Association, Inc. The original stadium cost $118,000.

NOW: The stadium has gone through extensive renovations over the last 60 years.

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PHOTO ESSAY >> THEN & NOW

SEAGLE BUILDING THEN: Young children stand in line outside the entrance to the Florida State Museum in the 1940s. The Florida State Museum (now the Florida Museum of Natural History) got its start in 1891 when Frank Pickel, a professor of natural science at Florida Agriculture College in Lake City, purchased research collections of minerals, fossils and human anatomy models as aids in teaching biology and agricultural sciences. The initial collections grew steadily with donations from other professors. By the early 1930s the museum had acquired nearly half a million specimens and in 1939 opened to the public in the Seagle Building located in downtown Gainesville where they remained for more than 30 years.

NOW: The Seagle Building, now a residential and commercial property, went through a major renovation in 1983. Much of the building’s exterior, like the two openings seen in the photo, remain unchanged.

BEN HILL GRIFFIN STADIUM AT FLORIDA FIELD THEN: The Gator Band photographed at the north end zone Florida Field (year unknown) before upper decks were added. The north entrance had a hedge, iron gates and a brick wall.

NOW: Much has changed but the band plays on.

UNIVERSITY AUDITORIUM THEN: A view of the University Auditorium’s north entrance in the 1920s. The building was built in the early 1920s.

NOW: The front entrance seen at the top of the photo was added on in the 1970s.

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PROSPEROUS

Family P

lanting a small tree with hopes of one day seeing it bear ffr rui uit in iinvolves nvolv volv vo lvves ess a leap of faith. There e fruit arre so a so many many an a ny variables in the are eq qu ua attiion on – drought, d equation bugs, disease, sso oilil conditions; co on nd diittiiion on o n and even if all those soil f workk out perfectly, there is always the possibility of you selling your house and moving years before that first harvest is realized.

When you think about all the negatives, you may just decide to forego the whole tree planting/fruit growing project altogether…

If you do forego the project, though, you KNOW how it will turn out. You will have a ZERO chance of picking fruit off a tree in your yard, a tree you personally planted and nurtured, and watched grow from a small sapling. If you forego the project and don’t plant the tree, you will miss out on the chance of experiencing the very pleasant satisfaction of watching a long term project become successful.

Of course, we’re using the tree and fruit as an analogy for saving and prospering. The time is “now”, every day, to start a routine savings habit.

For your babies and toddlers, no amount is too small – or too large – to start saving for their future.

Open Future Endeavors accounts for them today, and watch

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the balances grow with the same satisfaction you receive from watching your children grow; or watching a tree you planted mature and bear fruit.

Are you in your 20’s? Start routinely saving money, now! The power of routine savings is only realized when the project is applied over a long period of time – the longer the better! Just like with the fruit tree, if you never make the initial effort to “plant” that first deposit, then “nurture” your savings by adding to them regularly, you will never see the “fruit” of your commitment.

Are you past your 20’s, maybe in your 30’s or 40’s? Start routinely saving money, now! Every deposit helps the balance grow, no matter how big or small. It is never too late to save for the future!

This is not about SunState Federal Credit Union, it’s about you. We are here to help you save for your future, but we can’t do it for you. Please, make the commitment and start saving today. If you need help or have questions about accounts or are looking for a place to maintain insured savings accounts, we are here and ready to help; just give us a click, a call, or a friendly visit.

SUNSTATE FCU IS FEDERALLY INSURED BY NCUA.

Traditions START AT SUNSTATE

“The greatest gifts you can give your children are the roots of responsibility and the wings of independence.”

“There are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give our children. One of these is roots, the other, wings.”

– Denis Waitley

– Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

“It takes as much energy to wish as it does to plan.”

– Eleanor Roosevelt

“The secret to getting ahead is getting started.”

– Mark Twain

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www.sunstatefcu.org MARCH/APRIL 2016

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AREA HISTORY >> FORGOTTEN INDUSTRIES

GONE ARE THE DAYS OF THE TUNG BLOSSOM QUEEN

Forgotten Industries W R I T T E N B Y P E G G Y M A C D O N A L D | P H O T O G R A P H Y C O U R T E S Y O F T H E M AT H E S O N H I S T O R Y M U S E U M C O L L E C T I O N

In Gainesville’s early days the downtown area resembled the set of a Hollywood Western, complete with dirt roads, horse-drawn wagons and saloons.

As the city grew, local farmers and later the University of Florida experimented with a variety of crops to improve their livelihoods and jumpstart the economy. Here are but a few of these all-but-forgotten industries.

CITRUS In the 1880s, when Gainesville’s population had barely reached 2,000, citrus was an important staple crop in Alachua County.

Northerners purchased plots of land in the area with the goal of establishing orange groves and living the Florida dream.

James Douglas Matheson tried to capitalize upon the citrus boom by planting an orange grove around the 1867 Matheson 58 |

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House east of Sweetwater Branch. An advertisement for the firm Matheson and McMillan offered assistance with the improvement and management of orange groves, Ben Pickard writes in “A Partnership with the Past” (Alachua Press, 2004). The Matheson groves withered after a series of freezes in 1894 and 1895 killed most commercial citrus production in North Florida.

In December 1894 the temperature in Alachua County dipped to 14 degrees. A similar freeze in February 1895 lasted for three days, Francis William Zettler states in “The Biohistory of Alachua County, Florida” (Pineapple Press, 2015).

“Once prosperous towns mostly in eastern Alachua County, such as Island Grove, Melrose, Micanopy, Rochelle, and Windsor,

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began to decline in tandem with the demise of citrus production,” Zettler writes.

Growers in other parts of Alachua County transitioned to products such as turpentine, phosphate, Easter lilies and winter vegetables. Some residents continued to grow solitary orange trees on their property, but gone were the days when steamboats transported citrus across Alachua Lake at Paynes Prairie.

TURPENTINE From the mid 1800s to the early 1900s virtually every North Florida community participated in turpentining, especially after the Great Freeze took its toll on the region’s citrus industry.

According to a Depression-era report by the National Forest System, over half of the world’s supply of gum naval stores, which were used to make turpentine and rosin, were once located in North Florida.

Turpentine was in high demand for the production of linoleum, paints, varnishes, shoe polish, roofing and other products. Rosin was used to make paper, soap, pharmaceuticals and matches. To capture the resinous gum needed to make turpentine and rosin, slash and longleaf pines were wounded or chipped and a cup or gutter was attached to collect the valuable gum. Pine trees released this sticky substance to heal the cuts inflicted on the trees and to prevent insect attack.

Laborers collected the gum and took it to a nearby turpentine

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still for processing. In many cases, the African American and white laborers who worked in the turpentine industry had become trapped in a corrupt debt peonage system after being convicted of petty crimes such as loitering and vagrancy. In this sense, laborers in the turpentine industry suffered from the same harsh treatment that was inflicted upon the pine trees, which became susceptible to disease and breakage after the vital sap was drained from their insides.

After being “worked out” this way for naval stores, pine trees were sent to the lumber mill and were seldom replanted, leading to deforestation. These poor management practices contributed to the establishment of Florida’s first national parks. In 1908 President

AREA HISTORY >> FORGOTTEN INDUSTRIES

The turpentine industry exploited workers and the environment equally.

Laborers suffered harsh treatment under a debt peonage system. Pine forests were poorly managed; trees were tapped out for gum, then cut down for timber and seldom replanted.

Theodore Roosevelt established the Ocala National Forest, proclaiming it as the first national forest east of the Mississippi River.

The demise of old-growth pines has also contributed to the scarcity of “heart pine,” which is now harvested primarily from the remains of trees cut down in the 19th and 20th centuries. In “The Biohistory of Alachua County, Florida” Zettler writes that Alachua County was once “blessed with seemingly endless acres old growth pines, especially long leaf pine.” Today only solitary trees remain. The largest longleaf pine on record in Florida today is located between Gainesville and Archer, Zettler writes. It has a height of 80 feet, is 9 feet in circumference, and has a 50-foot crown spread.

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AREA HISTORY >> FORGOTTEN INDUSTRIES

TUNG OIL The tung oil tree (Aleurites fordii) was once considered a miracle crop for Alachua County. This deciduous tree is native to China, has heart-shaped leaves and is named tung after the ancient Chinese word for heart. Its petals are light pink or white tinged with red and yellow, and the tung fruit (often referred to as a nut) can be pressed to produce an oil that is used in waterproof varnishes, paints and a variety of other products.

Despite its beauty, the leaves and seeds of the tung oil tree are poisonous. Within 30 minutes of eating a single tung nut a person can experience symptoms including vomiting, diarrhea, respiratory distress and death.

According to the 1934-35 Gainesville City Directory, the U.S. government started to distribute tung oil trees beginning in 1906 to experiment stations from North Carolina to California.

After 20 years of research, including plantings at the Florida Agricultural Experiment Station test grounds at the University of Florida, it was determined that the best conditions for the growth of the tung oil tree existed in North Central Florida.

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The first experimental tung oil trees were planted in Gainesville in 1912. In the 1920s the tung oil nut was described as one of the most promising prospective new products for Florida agriculture. Approximately 300,000 tung oil trees were cultivated in that decade. In 1928 L. P. Moore of the Alachua Tung Oil Corporation was credited with building the first mechanized tung oil compressing mill in the world. (Moore’s uncle was the founder of Benjamin Moore Paints.)

In the Dec. 27, 1925 issue of the “Gainesville Daily Sun,” a young girl’s essay on tung oil was published. Eighth grader Irene Ayers won a $5 prize for her essay, which described tung oil as a “lazy man’s crop” because the nuts fall to the ground in October and November and can be gathered over a period of several weeks without deteriorating.

By the 1930s Gainesville was at the center of America’s burgeoning tung oil industry, and shipments were made to locations around the world. An annual tung oil festival was launched. A Chinese motif was featured at the first Tung Blossom Festival Parade in 1931 and a tung oil queen and her court were chosen by

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Gainesville was once the center of the nation’s thriving tung oil industry. The 1931 Tung Blossom Festival Parade honored China, the native country of the tung oil tree.

a county-wide vote. More than 20,000 people watched over 67 floats and decorated cars make their way down University Avenue.

In the 1940s area groves produced 90 percent of the nation’s tung oil. However, just as cold temperatures devastated the citrus industry in North Florida in the 1890s, a series of freezes, major hurricanes and the rise of synthetics ultimately killed off the tung oil industry in Florida and across the Southeast by the late 1960s.

Tung orchards were largely neglected or destroyed, although some tung oil trees grow wild throughout Gainesville and Alachua County today. Two tung oil trees have been planted in the botanical garden behind the Matheson History Museum in Sweetwater Park, representing a piece of Gainesville’s history that few people remember today.

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SPANISH MOSS Towering live oaks dripping with Spanish moss have been a symbol of the South for centuries. In addition, Spanish moss has long been a cottage industry in the Sunshine State, passed down from parent to child for generations.

Spanish moss is often erroneously blamed for killing trees.

However, it is not a parasite but an epiphyte, a plant that uses another plant for physical support. A Florida native, Spanish moss is closer to the pineapple family than it is to moss or lichen. Picking moss has helped many Florida families make ends meet over the years, but it poses some unique challenges.

Moss pickers risk encountering chiggers, scorpions, snakes and even bats, according to Kristine Stewart’s 2001 Palmetto article “Gold Mine of the Air: The Spanish Moss Industry of Florida” (published by the Florida Native Plant Society).

An 1882 article in “Harper’s Weekly” described the process of curing and packing Spanish moss at a mill in Gainesville.

“At the mill the moss is first passed between two grooved iron rollers to ‘break’ it,” according to the article. “Leaving the ‘rolls,’ it is caught by two sets of iron teeth or ‘combs,’ set in rollers and revolving in opposite directions, which tear it in pieces, and finally allow it to fall upon a frame of slats, along which it is raked, and through which all sticks and other trash fall to the ground.”

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Cured, 200-pound bales of Spanish moss were shipped to New York and other northern cities, where they were used to stuff mattresses and upholstery.

Barbara Foster, who used to write local history articles for “The Gainesville Sun,” stated in a 1977 article that there were six Spanish moss factories in and around Gainesville in the 1890s.

“Hundreds of Alachua County residents gained their livelihood from the business of moss gathering,” said John F. Selle, the manager of a Gainesville based Spanish moss company named Vego Hair Co., in 1932. He reported that his company purchased approximately $100,000 worth of Spanish moss each year. The City of Gainesville later directed Selle to move his moss factory because of the public health impacts of the dust produced by the factory.

Gainesville native Archie Carr III recalls watching men with long poles collect Spanish moss from the tall live oak trees on his family’s Micanopy farm in the 1950s. After being cured, the moss was used in a variety of products. Mattresses stuffed with Spanish moss were said to be both cooler than other types of mattresses and less attractive to moths and other insects. By 1960 only two Spanish moss factories remained in Florida, one of which was located in Gainesville; in 1963 it burned to the ground.

According to Barbara Foster’s article, in the late 1960s Spanish moss experienced a dramatic decline in Florida. Experts had no clue what was causing the moss to die. Almost 90 percent of the

LIQUID GOLD:

The Rise and Fall of Florida Citrus From April to June Alachua County’s long lost citrus industry will be included in a new exhibition at the Matheson History Museum, Liquid Gold: The Rise and Fall of Florida Citrus. One of the themes to be covered in the exhibition and related programs is citrus greening, which threatens to wipe out Florida’s $11 billion citrus industry. University of Florida researchers are working feverishly to design innovative treatments for greening, ranging from gene therapy to treatment with gout medication. With luck, they will prevent Florida citrus from becoming Florida history.

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Learn. Grow. Find Success. moss died before it began to make a recovery in the mid 1970s. By the time Spanish moss began to make a comeback, however, foam rubber and plastics dominated the market.

Although Spanish moss is once again ubiquitous across the state, the industry continues on a much smaller scale. Live and silk floral arrangements often include Spanish moss. The demand for Spanish moss-stuffed furniture has dwindled, however, and moss ginneries have become a distant memory.

Gainesville is no longer the commercial tung oil producer that it once was, but the oil is still made elsewhere in America.

Few people remember that there was once a Spanish moss scare in Florida, and turpentine tools have become collectible pieces of Floridiana. Small orange groves still exist in our area, such as the trees at the Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Historic State Park. The different varieties of marmalade park staff and volunteers make are perhaps the best memory of Alachua County’s bygone citrus era, which you can still taste in a slice of sour orange pie at The Yearling.

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RECIPE SERIES >> DEVILED EGGS

WHATEVER FLOATS YOUR BOAT

Cynthia Wonders Winterrowd ’s

RECIPE WONDERS FOOD ST Y LING & PHOTOGR A PH Y BY ERICK A WINTER ROWD

WHA ?

T ’ S A N EGG BOAT

D

eviled eggs have been a staple in our family menus. Perfect for potlucks, picnics and of course after the annual egg hunt. We have always called them “Egg Boats” because why would anyone want something “Deviled” on

Perfectly Boiled Eggs 1) Place 6 – 12 eggs in a single layer in your saucepan. Cover with water at least 1-2 inches above the eggs.

Add either 1/2 teaspoon of salt or a teaspoon of vinegar to keep egg whites from running out into the water if an egg should crack while cooking. Turn stove heat to high and bring to a full rolling boil.

2) Turn off the heat and let your saucepan sit on the burner for 15 minutes. Remove eggs and put them in a bowl with icy water.

Easter? At least that’s the thinking at our house!

This is a quick and easy recipe, but to ensure fully cooked hard-boiled eggs that are easy to remove from the shell, follow the recipe below.

3) Tap the shell on a hard surface to crack egg. Then peel carefully under your faucet with cold running water.

Egg Boat Filling Note: For health safety, when using colored eggs from Easter be sure to refrigerate the eggs before and after the egg hunt.

Slice 6 boiled eggs into halves, lengthwise. Remove the yolks to a separate bowl. Use your fork to mash the yolk into a fine consistency. The following ingredients are mixed in,

and amounts can be adjusted to your taste and preference. You can double the recipe, of course.

1 rounded tablespoon mayo 1 rounded teaspoon mustard Splash of vinegar Salt & pepper Garnish with sprinkle of paprika Use your spoon to scoop filling into the hollowed out egg white. Accent the “Egg Boat” with a little sail, which can be easily made from colorful notepaper.

Just cut a triangle and attach it with tape to a toothpick. Happy Sailing!

CYNTHIA WONDERS WINTERROWD IS AN AWARD-WINNING WRITER WHO WAS RAISED IN ILLINOIS AND LIVES IN GAINESVILLE. SHE IS PROUD TO BE A “GATOR MOM” OF THREE DAUGHTERS, ALL UF GRADUATES. CYNTHIA LOVES SHARING FAMILY RECIPES THAT HAVE BEEN PASSED DOWN IN HER MOTHER’S HANDWRITTEN COOKBOOKS. recipewonders@gmail.com

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N O T E: t are Eggs tha ek we at least a sier e ea old will b ter f to peel a . cooking

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BAND B BA ND REVIEW

BRIAN “KRASH” KRUGER’S

Gate Crashing ON DECK FOR REVIEW: CLAYMONSTER, GRINCH, RADON

BRIAN KRUGER IS A WRITER, MUSICIAN AND A GRADUATE OF THE UF COLLEGE OF LAW. HE HAS PLAYED IN SOME 17 OR SO LOCAL BANDS, PLAYING MOST EVERY GAINESVILLE VENUE FRIENDLY TO ORIGINAL MUSIC (AND SOME NOT SO FRIENDLY). bkrashpad@yahoo.com

DATE: FRIDAY, JANUARY 15, 2016 VENUE: HARDBACK CAFÉ

been the recycled clothing store Flashbacks. The downstairs has a small outdoor seating area and a compact stage for bands inside. Upstairs is the bar with a few tables and a small balcony overlooking the street. reetings, live music aficionados! And yes, you On my arrival Claymonster was on. That’s the stage name read that venue name correctly. This show was at the for Clay T. Smith, a solo acoustic act. He lives in Orlando now Hardback Café. but is a former Gainesville resident from the “old” Hardback Now, if you are relatively new to Gainesville (and Gainesville days. Smith was playing an acoustic 12-string Yamaha strung is no exception to the rule that college towns tend to be tranwith six strings (I have an older model of the same guitar; they sient), or have no knowledge of the “Gainesville music scene,” are almost criminally underrated). The top of the guitar was and in particular Gainesville’s place in punk rock/underground/ painted with the legend “THIS MACHINE KILLS WHISKEY,” alternative music history, the name of the venue may not mean an homage to Woody Guthrie’s guitar, which he had painted anything to you. I’m here to fix that. with the slogan “THIS MACHINE KILLS FASCISTS.” As punk rock took hold in Gainesville during the ‘80s, the Solo acoustic acts tend to be all about the lyrics and scene never had a single unifying venue. Instead, shows Claymonster is no exception, with one memorable were very much a “DIY” (do-it-yourself) affair, often line noting that it was a good thing he was too put on as house parties, in “alternative” dance The new poor to have a drug problem, because otherclubs that did not have band-ready PA systems, Hardback Café wise he probably would. He also mentioned a or by renting out venues like the American opened, in the space recent birthday, which caused the audience Legion Hall. that for a long time to spontaneously sing “Happy Birthday” That changed in 1989 when the Hardback had been the recycled to him, and he welcomed everyone to the (so named because a part of the space had been clothing store “Middle Aged Man Fest” that was the night’s a bookstore previous to its rebirth as a rock Flashbacks. entertainment. club, and an obvious pun on “Hard Rock Café”) The latter was a reference to the fact that was opened by Alan Bushnell. Like New York’s the rest of the bill was also comprised of bands that CBGB more than a decade previously, the original had actually played at the original Hardback. The middle concept of the club was simply to be open to what was new, slot was the trio Grinch, reunited after some 23 years. Rather not specifically punk rock. But bands that later became synthan being a punk band that the Hardback was more known for, onymous with the Gainesville punk rock scene/sound, even to Grinch were a metal band, with the basic guitar/bass/drums the mainstream, like Less Than Jake and Hot Water Music, cut setup. Tonight the bassist was playing a Les Paul styled ESP their musical teeth at the Hardback, which lasted until 1999, Ltd., and the guitarist a plexiglass doublecut with an aluminum when the building was sold. neck, if I’m not mistaken a King Buzzo model from the rather In the meantime, Bushnell had gone to law school at the generically named brand Electrical Guitar Company.

University of Florida, and other clubs attempted to fill the The trio format keeps Grinch from doing a lot of the extended Hardback’s void. The one that probably came closest was the lead work that some metal bands are known for, resulting in recently shuttered 1982. In September 2015 Bushnell received a slightly punky approach to their old school Metallica meets permission from the Hardback’s final owners, Matt Sweeting Sabbath style. The selling point here is the lead vocals, provided and Drew DeMaio, to use the Hardback name, and in October uncharacteristically by the drummer, which were reminiscent began looking at buildings. of classic metal vocalists like Bruce Dickinson of Iron Maiden — In mid-December the new Hardback Café opened, in the once he was able to get enough monitor to hear himself, at least. space at 211 West University Avenue that for a long time had

G

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The band was in good humor, with lots of self-deprecation during their well-received set, and closing with their rocked up version of Blondie’s “Call Me.” Closing was the much-beloved Radon, a leading band in the ‘90s “pastacore” family of punk bands that primarily found themselves on local record company No Idea’s roster.

(A competing record label, LTJ’s Fueled By Ramen, also referenced this poor musician’s staple food.) Unlike Grinch and the majority of local bands from the ‘90s, Radon never really went away. Although the band has officially broken up at one point or another, they came back in slightly different form as Radon222 a few years later, disappearing again, then becoming known for regrouping and playing sporadic, yet regularly occurring “reunion” shows to the point that “Radon’s last show” became something of a good-natured inside joke on the local scene.

Radon is a four-piece, with a guitarist/ vocalist visiting from far off (if I heard correctly) Idaho. Gearhead that I am, seeing historical photos of Radon with the guitarist playing a beat up Fender Mustang, I was struck by how much nicer the guitars are now: a Gibson SG and a beautiful Les Paul Standard, with the bassist on Fender’s seldom-seen Reverse Jaguar. They opened with the Misfits’ “Some Kinda Hate” with its whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh refrain, and then dove into their own catalog of anthemic tunes, many of which, perhaps not coincidentally, also feature ridiculously catchy nonverbal syllables occasionally substituting for lyrics.

Local legend Rob MacGregor came up to play harmonica on a song whose title references subject matter that probably can’t be mentioned in a family-friendly magazine, and much fun was had by all.

Now, go see some bands.

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PROFILE >> SOPHY MAE MITCHELL

THE FIRST FEMALE MEMBER OF THE FIGHTIN’ GATOR MARCHING BAND

A Place in the Sun STORY A N D PHOTOGR A PH Y BY GA BR IELLE CA LISE

On the day of a University of Florida Homecoming football game, everywhere Sophy Mae Mitchell goes, people come up to talk to her.

Moms and their daughters are her biggest fans, especially those who have played in band themselves. They ask for photographs. They call her an inspiration, a rock star.

Mitchell, an 83-year-old bell lyre player with a warm, broad smile, doesn’t act like a rock star.

But as the first female member of the Fightin’ Gators Marching Band, there is definitely something special about her.

At 17 years of age, Sophy Mae Mitchell arrived at UF. In 1949, college tuition was $50 a semester and there were no girls in the marching band.

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and reigned as the head drummer while she was a student at Sebring High School. Half of the band was female then, she said.

“Where I grew up in Sebring, band was a way of life,” she said.

She went to Col. Harold Bachman, the UF band director, right away and asked for a place in the band.

“He said, ‘You learn to play the bell lyre and we’ll talk about it,’” Mitchell said.

Mitchell had never played the bell lyre before, but she practiced every day until she learned each song. When she had learned the instrument, Bachman wanted to give her a spot, but they had already filled her place with a male bell lyre player.

Mitchell was allowed to sit with the band and play her instrument in the stands as a civilian. But she didn’t have a uniform — until Bachman called her back into his office later in the semester with a surprise.

While there was still no room for Mitchell on the team, she could wear a uniform and run around the field with a banner that said “University of Florida Fightin’ Gator Band.” Mitchell took the opportunity. After some of the boys graduated, she took her place as the first female marching band player.

A freshman from Lake Worth enrolled the next year and became the second girl in the band, and the following year that girl’s sister also joined. By Mitchell’s fourth year of college, a fourth female bell lyre player had been added to the band.

Mitchell said that if anyone had a problem with her being a girl in the band, she never heard about it.

“The boys in the band didn’t mind at all that we were in the band,” she said. “We were all friends” Mitchell connected to other musicians and realized they were special.

“Band people are sort of different,” she said. “They love doing what they do.”

Everyone was there out of choice, Mitchell said. There was no music college at UF, so each member of the band was studying something different. They gave their time to the band purely out of joy.

“People play for nothing,” she said.

“People play because they just love playing.”

Mitchell has fond memories of being a member of Tau Beta Sigma, a national band sorority. Mitchell was the first president of UF’s chapter of TB∑.

Since the group was new, it mostly just helped the band fraternities hold events.

The girls also served hot coffee and donuts to the band at early morning practices.

Mitchell also enjoyed traveling with the band. It was too expensive to send the full band to each away game, but once a year, the whole Fightin’ Gator Marching Band got to travel to an out-of-state game.

During the summer after freshman year, the band took a 20-hour train ride to a national convention in NYC and played at Madison Square Garden.

“It was a grand trip,” she said.

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PROFILE >> SOPHY MAE MITCHELL

A

fter graduating from UF, Mitchell hoped to become a florist but didn’t have enough money to open up her own shop right away. She took a job with the Welcome Wagon. It didn’t pay very well, but the job allowed her to see the working world for the first time.

After three years she decided that it was time for a change.

She submitted her letter of resignation, bought a Vagabond trailer and drove to New Orleans so that she could experience Mardi Gras.

Mitchell had always wanted to work at a hotel resort for a summer but had never gone while she was in college because she felt obligated to see her parents.

“I was their only daughter and they already were going to lose me to my career,” she said.

After the Welcome Wagon, however, she had time to pursue her dream. Mitchell started to work at Lake Placid Hotel and Resort in New York, serving meals three times a day plus high tea in the afternoon.

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Mitchell fell in love with the hospitality industry, and after finishing up the summer at Lake Placid she enrolled at Florida State University.

Before the schools became co-educational, UF had been reserved for boys and FSU was for girls, Mitchell said. She recalled being just one of a few girls in her courses at UF, which had only been co-educational for two years before she arrived.

When she went to FSU, Mitchell once again found herself surprised to be the only female in her classes. After about a year taking the hospitality courses, she realized that women weren’t well received in the hotel industry. Nevertheless, she got her master’s degree in hotel and restaurant administration.

“It was a door opener having a master’s degree, but I was still a woman,” she said.

Mitchell’s education and passion for traveling still allowed her to have a career that she loved. She managed dining facilities around the country, from Alabama to Louisiana to Texas to Missouri. Mitchell took a few years to teach at FSU, and then

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PROFILE >> SOPHY MAE MITCHELL

Sophy Mae Mitchell holds a photograph from her second year of college at UF. In 1950, Mitchell was just one of two women in the Fightin’ Gators Marching Band.

worked for over 18 years in New York City before retiring.

“It was an exciting career,” she said. “I was where I belonged.”

Mitchell came back to her hometown of Sebring after retirement. She now runs an animal adoption group, Adopt Me! Dog Rescue, out of her house and has four rescue dogs of her own.

She has also rescued people; a homeless man and his son have lived with her and helped her take care of the animals for the past four years.

For the past 20 years, Mitchell has also played orchestra bells in the community band. And every year, she goes back to

UF to play with the alumni band during the homecoming game.

Mitchell joined the alumni band as soon as it started in 1973. She has come to every single game each year, except for in 1999 when she was overseas with the military for work.

This past year she came back again, but the arthritis in her knee made it hard for her to keep up with the pace of the band. While the alumni band came onto the field, Mitchell had to focus on marching and couldn’t start playing her bell lyre until the group stopped moving.

Mitchell will be back this year, but she’s decided that she won’t march. Unless her arthritis gets better, she plans to wait on the sideline and join the band on the field after it has marched into position.

No matter what she has to do, Mitchell will keep coming to the games as long as she can.

“All my life I’ve said it was my place in the sun,” she said, “that it was where I was meant to be.”

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Notable Female Firsts in Gainesville Lassie Moore Goodbread was the first woman to enroll at UF. She enrolled in the College of Agriculture in 1925.

Dr. Jean Bennett was the first female graduate from UF’s College of Medicine in 1960. She had a successful career as a physician while raising two children.

Sophy Mae Mitchell was first woman to join the Fightin’ Gator Marching Band. She was also the founding president of the UF chapter of Tau Beta Sigma.

Byllye Avery, a health care advocate, launched the National Black Women’s Health Project in Gainesville in 1983. The organization is devoted to promoting and maintaining the emotional and physical welfare of black women and their families.

Jenny Brown co-founded the Gainesville Iguana, a semi-monthly progressive newsletter and calendar, in 1986.

Sadie Darnell became the first female sheriff in Alachua County in November 2006.

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SLOCUM LIVES LOCAL CONNECTIONS >> JOSHUA SLOCUM

Around the World Alone Gainesville’s Link to the Greatest Sailor of All Time W RIT TE N BY RICK SA PP

N

early 117 years ago, Joshua Slocum became the first person to sail alone around the world. He traveled 46,000 miles in a wooden ship that he rebuilt by hand, a derelict and abandoned 40-foot sloop named Spray. The epic journey between April 24, 1895 and June 27, 1898 initially took Slocum across the Atlantic Ocean twice — from America to Gibraltar and back to South America — then through the perilous Strait of Magellan and across the Pacific and Indian Oceans. On the way, he visited Australia and South Africa before once again crossing the Atlantic.

The era of Slocum’s voyage was an era of wood and iron, of maps with gaping holes labeled “unknown,” and intricate, tedious navigation with hand-held sextants.

Slocum had no access to radar or electronic depth finders, no GPS-anointed charts, no miracle fibers such as Dacron for sails, no aluminum for spars and no Fiberglass for hulls. He navigated by the sun, the stars and the currents with only a $1 tin clock for a guide. When his rugged, but clumsy oyster sloop sprang a leak it was up to him to repair it, because usually he was hundreds if not thousands of miles from help. He sailed through storms that would cause a modern captain to change course, defended MARCH/APRIL 2016

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himself from marauding Indians and, as a single-hander, was continually beset by the exhaustion that only a long-distance ultra-marathoner might understand and willingly endure. He withstood endless fogs, gripping loneliness and daily fear.

Joshua Slocum was a New England man with a birth certificate stamped Nova Scotia, Canada. But at 14-yearsof-age he ran away from home, signed onboard a sailing ship as an ordinary seaman and changed the spelling of his last name from “Slocomb” to Slocum. For his astonishing aroundthe-world venture, he sailed from Fairhaven, Massachusetts where he had rebuilt Spray in a cow pasture beside the sea.

And so it comes as a surprise that Joshua Slocum — formerly of Nova Scotia and Massachusetts, but Citizen of the World — has roots in Gainesville, one of Florida’s entirely land-locked cities.

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In fact, Slocum’s great-grandson, Steve, has been a quiet fixture in Gatorville since 1982. Recently retired, his journey has taken him through the customer service departments of several auto dealerships, most recently Main Street’s Gainesville Nissan. For a dozen or so years, he worked in customer service and the former museum at Bear Archery.

Although he does not lay claim to the fame and fortune of Tom Petty or the lyric musical stylings of Sister Hazel, you may encounter Steve on Gainesville’s robust music circuit. Steve perhaps thinks of himself as a musical re-interpreter, strumming a six-string guitar and gently rocking to the popular ballads and classic rock that bar- and restaurant-goers enjoy to disguise the background luff of swinging doors, shouted orders and crashing crockery.

The Original Since 1991 OPPOSITE: Aboard his rebuilt oyster sloop named Spray, Joshua Slocum is hauled up the Erie Canal to attend the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York in 1901. Following his roundthe-world adventure and the publication of his book “Sailing Alone Around the World” in 1900, Slocum became an international celebrity.

ACTION

INSET: Joshua Slocum photographed in 1899. The necessity to hold steady for the cameras of the day, plus the antique clothing and beard make the old man seem formidable - as indeed he was.

Although his family name is richly embroidered in sailing history, Steve has no interest in tillers or sailcloth. Ask him why and he only shrugs and smiles.

“Mom gave me a copy of the book that my great-grandfather wrote,” Steve said, “‘Sailing Alone Around the World (1900),’ but it just didn’t interest me that much.”

The old man’s book did however interest Steve’s twin daughters, Justine and Crystal (who now spells that name Cryztle). While dad taught them to drive and shoot the bow and arrow and fought to keep them focused on school in Gainesville, the twins read Sailing Alone under the covers at night by flashlight. Pint-size romantics — the 33-year-old blondes must stand on tiptoe to reach 5 feet in height — the girls dreamed not of Gator football players or even freedom from a father who insisted that they study.

They dreamed about escaping to the sea, the Southern Cross constellation twinkling in the Heavens beyond their swaying masthead fly and beating across the trades on a broad reach in the footsteps of Columbus and Cook and, of course, grandpa Slocum himself.

It may not have been inevitable, that Justine and Cryztle became sailors, for neither of their parents were interested.

As with all things noteworthy and peculiar in life, learning luff and leech, tack and clew required a certain footloose, live-for-today spirit. And so following graduation — the girls might consider it their escape — from Gainesville high schools in 2001, they split for the coast, the very action that one would expect of Joshua Slocum’s descendants. It wasn’t that Gainesville was too provincial, too lacking of opportunities or of young people their age, but like turtle hatchlings with a built-in homing instinct, Gainesville was simply too far from the mysteries, pleasures and terrors of Big Water.

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Cryztle Slocum (above) graduated from high school in Gainesville and soon made her way to the sea. Cryztle now makes her home aboard a 28-foot Morgan docked in Madeira Beach.

Justine Slocum (left) is gradually rebuilding her 26-foot Pearson in New Smyrna Beach.

Nicknamed “Skipper,” she plans for refitting to be complete in time for an April 24th launch.

Life on the water often requires accommodation, inventiveness and vision … especially when one is young and scrambling to follow a dream. Consequently, when Justine needed a new tiller, she fashioned it from a scrap wheelbarrow handle.

T

oday, Joshua’s great-great-granddaughters live on sailboats. One on the East Coast of Florida, one on the West. In the manner of twin sisters who are emotionally bonded, they finish each other’s sentences and find, at times, that they are thinking exactly alike.

And of course, although they see each other (and their dad) frequently, they are not shy to note that the distance between Justine’s berth in New Smyrna Beach and Cryztle’s berth in Madeira Beach is just the right distance because they are, after all, sisters … and twins.

“We sisters have been fighting since the womb,” Justine said, “but we love each other. Eventually we want to sail together.”

While Steve has a taciturn streak that runs almost physically deep, perhaps influencing his soft selection of music, there is little that is not boisterous and outgoing about the twins.

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“I’m sorry I can’t hear you over the sound of me being so awesome,” Cryztle writes on Facebook.com.

The word “irrepressible” perhaps best describes their joy at a life lived without the constraints of a suit or a steady 8-to-5 job, even though the girls struggle to wrest a living from the sea, a commercial environment dominated by coarse deck hands, stingy businessmen and no-nonsense captains who are usually twice their size.

“Well, they love me here,” Justine said with a giggle when she described her current work aboard the Pastime Princess, a deep sea charter and party boat docked at New Smyrna’s Fishin’ Cove Marina, next to the Dolphin View restaurant where cooks will prepare and serve fresh fish. On Princess, Justine cooks and cleans, baits hooks and races around the deck to take photographs of guests with their fish. And while it seems that she is at the PHOTOGRAPHY: RICK SAPP

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As a crew member on board the Pastime Princess charter boat out of Fishin’ Cove Marina in New Smyrna Beach, Justine Slocum cooks and cleans, baits hooks, whacks fish and races around the deck to take photographs of guests with their fish. Although it seems that she is at the beck and call of every passenger and deck hand, the pint-size dynamo plans to accumulate enough hours of experience on the 100-foot, 98-ton vessel that she can stand for examination as a charter boat captain.

Strumming a six-string guitar and singing classic rock, Joshua Slocum’s greatgrandson, Steve, is a quiet fixture on the Gainesville music scene.

beck and call of every passenger and deck hand, the pint-size dynamo has a plan — to accumulate enough hours of experience on the 100-foot, 98-ton vessel that she can stand for examination as a charter boat captain.

Justine neatly ducks any question of being a “gofer” aboard the Princess and focuses on her own goals and expectations.

“Look, I can paddle a kayak or ride my bike to where I work,” she said. “I love it and I love my dock.

And,” she adds breathlessly, “they love me here!”

On her off days, Justine, who is called “Skipper” by her friends and the fishing crew, cleans expensive yachts, works in the marina retail store and represents commercial fishing tackle companies.

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Whatever it takes to keep her on the water, she said, and sister Cryztle is similarly seized with the love of salt air.

Although the girls grew up reading Sailing Alone, it was actually a former boyfriend who introduced Justine to sailing on the IntraCoastal Waterway. In true Slocum tradition, he eventually gave her the boat which she named Spray. The 1979 Pearson was not particularly seaworthy and Justine has spent four years saving money and rebuilding the 26-foot masthead sloop as a live-aboard. Projects involve patching the fiberglass deck before repainting, and rewiring the standing rigging. It’s all in a plan of work for a skipper who has had to improvise and economize, substituting for example a wheelbarrow handle for a rotten tiller and remanufacturing a rudder from scrap marine-grade plywood that she polyurethaned many times, before taking it under water and hanging it on the pintles herself.

“I’ve jury-rigged the sails with board shorts and all kinds of stuff,” she said, and even though — or perhaps because — she is not a classic, well-heeled yacht owner, Justine’s pride in her effort is evident in her voice.

Across the state in the more placid waters of the Gulf of Mexico, Cryztle has tied-off her older, but larger 28-foot Morgan named US Slocums to a

berth in the Municipal Marina.

“We pretty much grew up as Tomboys,” the free-spirited Cryztle said, “and for the most part still are today. We’re not lost. We’re on an adventure.”

Obviously, the girls spend more on flipflops and sandals than they do on high heels

“Look, I can paddle a kayak or ride my bike to where I work. I love it and I love my dock. And, they love me here!”

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Life aboard a sailboat means that one must be compact in possessions, thoughtful in action and perhaps expansive in spirit, looking not to the closest bulkhead but to the horizon. The Slocum girls, who still rave about the Gators and shooting their Bear bows when they are not chattering about music and sunscreen, beach sand and plans for sailing, are perfect examples of this dictum.

“There’s absolutely nothing I don’t like about living on a sailboat,” said Justine, who has maneuvered her boat for years without a motor except for the small outboard on her dingy. “Nothing.”

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n November 14, 1909 Joshua Slocum set sail on the Spray for the West Indies. He expressed an interest in exploring the Orinoco, Rio Negro and Amazon Rivers, but the doughty Canadian-New Englander, who sneered at learning to swim, simply disappeared. Whether he foundered in a storm, was run over at night by a merchant steamer or was crushed by a whale, no one knows. In 1924 he was declared legally dead.

To commemorate his epic round-theworld adventure, great-great-granddaughters Justine and Cryztle look to April 24, 2016 to re-launch Justine’s rebuilt ship Spray and, together, sail around Florida.

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HISTORY >> ST. AUGUSTINE, FLORIDA

FIRST COAST

History to Remember How St. Augustine Conquered the West W RIT TE N BY A PRIL FIT ZG ER A LD S P E C I A L P H OTO G R A P H I C A C C O M PA N I M E N T B Y PA M M A R L I N C O N T R A S T I N G P R E S E N T- D AY S T. A U G U S T I N E L A N D M A R K S W I T H H I S TO R I C P H OTO G R A P H S

T

he gunďŹ re and war cries slowly died to silence. Only the shuffling of cattle, the occasional cry of an infant, or the soft words of prayer could be heard in the stillness. The British siege had finally come to an end with naval help from Havana, yet no one dared open the fort’s gate.

As they waited, a new smell filtered into the battlement. The townsfolk shifted restlessly; panic moved through the crowd as the realization of the Brits final form of destruction raged about them: Fire. The kind of fire that razed cities to the ground.

Rebuilding the entire colony would be no small task, but rebuild they would. For more than two centuries, 42 years before the English landed in Jamestown and 55 years before the Pilgrims arrived on Plymouth Rock, the city of St. Augustine had already conquered

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the wilderness, and survived attempted invasion and colonization by pirates and the British.

Juan Ponce de Leon is credited with discovering Florida in 1513 while on a search for Bimini islands in the Bahamas. Claiming the new land for the Spanish Crown, the territory reached north and west of most of the known North American continent, excluding New Spain (Mexico and the Southwest).

In an attempt to solidify its hold established by Juan Ponce De Leon, Spain launched six settlement expeditions to Florida but all failed. The French managed to succeed in establishing a fort and colony near the St. Johns River (Jacksonville), but this posed a threat to Spanish fleets traveling the Bahamas Channel (Gulf Stream) with treasure from Central and South America.

The French invasion on Spanish soil was discovered, and in reaction, King Philip II ordered admiral Don Pedro

St. Augustine city gates, built in 1808.

1865

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1905 1937

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Menéndez de Avilés, to eradicate the French threat to Spain’s trade territories.

On September 8, 1565, Menéndez landed on the shore of a new world and named it Presidio of San Agustin. Though Menéndez helped found the first city, it is recognized as the “first European settlement” — The Timucuan Indians were the first to inhabit the area.

Carrying out his king’s orders, Menéndez rid the St. John’s River of the French and effectively consolidated Spain’s hold on the northeast coast of Florida. The newly formed San Agustin was now clear to serve as the main military defense for Spain’s primary trade route, the Empire’s northern territories, and as the base for Catholic missionary settlements for the southeast.

The fort continued to suffer attacks over the century as Spain received more pressure from the British. As English colonies

Fifty-four St George Street was originally the Don Juan Paredes house built between 1803-1813, then became Dodge’s Old Curiosity Shop photographed in 1905 and 2013.

Ahead of its time in 1738, Spain established the first legally sanctioned community of free slaves, Gracia Real de Santa Teresa de Mose. developed in the Carolinas and Georgia, tensions increased, and Spain was forced to rebuild the city’s defenses nine times. In 1586, privateers under Sir Francis Drake looted and set fire to the fort and homes of the locals. After another significant blow from a pirate attack in 1668 left the city in ruins once again, the Queen Regent Mariana decreed to have a masonry fort built for better defense of the Empire’s interests. In 1672, construction began for what would be called the Castillo de San Marcos.

Completed late in the century, the citizens of St. Augustine were soon made to put the new fort to test.

Invasion by the British in 1702 forced the more than 1,200 townspeople of St. Augustine to take shelter in the Castillo.

Under the command of Governor James Moore of Charles Town, Carolina, British forces lay siege on the fort for nearly two months. Unable to penetrate the coquina of the fort’s walls, the Brits were finally defeated with the arrival of a relief fleet from Havana. As a final blow, the British torched the city before saying their final farewell.

Though the fort had proven worthy, it and the city still had room for improvement. Interior rooms were extended into the MARCH/APRIL 2016

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1894

1888 courtyard to make for greater depth and the supply rooms were made bombproof with vaulted ceilings. The addition of the vaulted ceilings provided a more solid foundation for heavier garrison guns to be placed around the perimeter of the gun deck. The walls around the fort also had to be modified and raised from 26 feet to 33 feet. As for the city, walls were built around its perimeter to better protect the homes and property of its citizens.

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Resentment of the Spanish by English plantation and slave owners ran deep. The Spanish offered sanctuary to escaped slaves who made their way to St. Augustine, which effectively made the city the first Underground Railroad. Ahead of its time in 1738, Spain established the first legally sanctioned community of free slaves, Gracia Real de Santa Teresa de Mose (Fort Mose).

The new English Colony of Georgia led by General James Edward Oglethorpe soon set its sights on St. Augustine. After

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1908

Present day image captured after locating G.S. Beverly Plumbing on St. George street in an old directory which led to this location, notice the balcony is the same.

successful campaigns against Fort San Diego, Fort Picolotta and Fort Mose, Oglethorpe created a blockade and positioned cannons in Anastasia Island to bombard the city. The plan: to hold steady fire on the city and force the Governor of Florida, Manuel de Montiano, to surrender the site to the British.

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defeat several British vessels, allowing them to fetch supplies from an awaiting fleet. With the proven strength of St. Augustine’s people, British morale was at an all-time low. The Spanish returned from their supply run with no resistance and the blockade dismantled.

As a provision of the Treaty of Paris, which ended the Seven Years War, Britain finally gained possession of St. Augustine

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and all of Florida by returning Havana to Spain. Now in possession of all of the land, the British felt no need to maintain the city, making only minor changes to the fort, such as renaming it Fort St. Marks. However, as the whisperings of rebellion in the Thirteen Colonies in the north started to spread, the fort was prepared for a new purpose.

As the American Revolution started to gain speed, St. Augustine was thrust into the limelight. Renovations to the fort began in 1775. The gates and well were repaired as housing was increased for regimental headquarters, defenses were improved, and the fort served briefly as a prison.

Spain even entered the war with hopes of regaining Florida, but the effort proved unnecessary as it gained the city back in the treaty settlement afterward.

Under Spanish control, the fort was granted its original name once again and Florida was markedly different. Border issues had heavily increased because of runaway slaves who entered Florida to gain sanctuary with the Seminole Indians.

The criminal population had also increased.

Spain, however, continued to maintain its beloved territory until pressure from the U.S. government forced it to relinquish Florida.

The U.S. renamed the fort to Fort Marion, and though no major structural changes were made, the storerooms were converted to prison cells, which held Seminole Indians throughout the American Territorial Period.

The moat was repurposed as a water battery and the glacis hill (the sloped embankment) around the fort was improved.

The Confederates did gain St. Augustine for a brief period, but with an experience similar to that of Spain, the Union gained back the fort with little effort. The Union took the city without firing a single shot as the Confederate forces had abandoned the site and the local authorities surrendered willingly.

Late in the 19th century, the fort served again as a prison during the Spanish American War in 1898. Almost 200 court-martialed soldiers from the U.S. Army were taken prisoner. Soon after, it was decided that the fort had served its purpose and was officially retired in 1900. It was then made into a national monument for the public to enjoy.

386.344.3696 386-344-0670 171 SW 250th St. Newberry, FL

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COLUMN

ALBERT ISAAC’S

Different Note BLAST FROM THE PAST

ALBERT ISAAC IS AN AWARD-WINNING WRITER AND EDITOR AND THE AUTHOR OF SCIENCE FICTION NOVELS AND PERSONAL COLUMNS. HE LIVES IN HIGH SPRINGS WITH HIS FAMILY AND A BUNCH OF CRITTERS. editor@towerpublications.com

NOTE: For our history and travel issue I went through my archives and picked a personal favorite from 2008.

IT IS THE RIVER I REMEMBER MOST, AS I SIT ON THE PORCH SWING OF THE OLD HOUSE.

T

he Watauga’s steady rush, seemingly unending, brings familiar comfort. I will sleep well tonight.

We are staying in a 150-year-old farmhouse my grandparents bought 70 some years ago, just outside of Boone, N.C. It is a place I have visited my entire life, a place with babbling brooks and giant rocks, mountain views and rushing rivers. The Big Rock beside the Big House — named by my grandparents — is the site for celebrations spanning four generations of the Isaac family. In the summer we would put a watermelon in the stream to chill. The next day we would picnic on the Big Rock with my grandparents and cousins.

For a boy from the flatlands of Miami, this is a magical place.

The house is exactly how I remembered, although it has been greater than 20 years since I have stayed here.

Since starting a family of my own, we have spent most of our vacations in condominiums, with all the extras: air conditioning, televisions, stereos, Jacuzzis, telephones, Internet. There is none of that here. I don’t miss it.

You could only reach the rope by jumping off a high rock and grabbing it mid-flight.

I’ve spent a good deal of my time with my youngest boy, who turned 7 years old on this trip. We explored the streams and the river, and I taught him how to skip stones, just as I had taught my older children, just as my father had taught me. This evening, my wife and oldest boy have fallen asleep early. My youngest has been reading to me, and now he, too, is asleep, leaving me alone with my thoughts on this old porch.

I am reminded of simpler times, when an evening was spent playing cards with the family after a delicious home-cooked meal. When summers were spent tubing down the river and 96 |

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catching crawdads in the stream.

Inside the house are old photographs taken by my grandfather. One picture of the area reveals a rolling, rocky, barren land with a couple of sheds and an old farm home. Many of the trees are gone, harvested by the lumberyard at Shull’s Mill just across the river — now Hound’s Ears Resort. I used to wish I could go back in time before the golf course, but on this trip I have learned that in those days there were over 1,000 people working and living down there. The area was so prosperous it vied for the county seat with Boone.

And before the lumber mill, well, I can only imagine the hardship endured by early pioneer families.

A couple of centuries can bring about some change. Nature reclaims that which is rightfully hers.

But even now, with the roar of the highway above and the river below, I appreciate the beauty of this place. There are now so many trees I can barely see the golf course. The mountain that we had hiked as kids is rugged and over grown, the trail all but obscured. But I hiked it with my boys just like my mom and dad had hiked it with us.

I’m spending this vacation reliving the simple pleasures of my youth with my own children. We explore the streams and river. We skip stones. My youngest caught crawdads, and a crawdad caught him. Luckily, they were small. The family laughed riotously. So did I, even as I was prying apart the tiny pinchers that clung to his finger.

We visited the old swimming hole, where my father and his siblings would bathe during those summer vacations before they had indoor plumbing.

My cousins told stories of our shared family history, pieces of the puzzle I never knew or had forgotten. Tweetsie Railroad had once passed right through here, just across the river, on its way to Boone. It was given the name Tweetsie by the locals because of its shrill whistle.

In August 1940 it rained for five days. The flood destroyed Shull’s Mill and took out the railroad tracks. That was the end of the train service to Boone, but Tweetsie still runs as a popular attraction in Blowing Rock.

My cousin had tied a rope to a tree over the old swimming hole. For years, it dangled high above the pool of dark, cold water.

You could only reach the rope by jumping off a high rock and grabbing it mid-flight.

We had heard the swimming hole was bottomless. But my cousin knew better.

He had jumped in and felt with his feet an old train rail resting on the bottom, a forgotten remnant of a bygone era, submerged in the murk.

It is August as I write these words, 68 years since the flood. It’s cool out here on the porch. The crickets are chirping. The river is roaring. It is peaceful. I sit here remembering all who have passed: my grandparents, uncles, aunts — my father, my young brother.

So many now gone. I may not see them, but I can feel them.

They have handed down to me more than I can comprehend. And now I hope to do the same for my own children by bringing them to this magical place.

All those summers and winters and great times, rushing by, here and gone, like the current of the Watauga.

Gone but not forgotten.

But the river is still here — and so are the memories.

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DECEMBER 2015 and JANUARY 2016 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”

DECEMBER WINNER – 1,140 VOTES

JANUARY WINNER – 1,376 VOTES

Project Makeover

Carson Springs Wildlife

The December Charity of the Month Project Makeover, a local nonprofit organization known. Completely run

by University of Florida students, Project Makeover has been helping local elementary schools since 2008 by painting interactive murals, landscaping, fulfilling a Dream Project requested by the school, and participating in a variety of other activities to help better the facility. This year’s Project Makeover will take place at Rawlings Elementary from February 19 to 21. Their goal is to bring the University of Florida campus and the Alachua County community together to change the face of public education.

Julie McBee will receive $300 for nominating them. The winner of the $500 random drawing is Carson Springs, and the $100 random voter winner is Susan Pickford.

Congratulations Carson Springs Wildlife Conservation Foundation, the January Charity of the Month $1,000 winner. The Foundation is primarily a conservation and educational facility that rescues exotic animals in need. It is a member of the Zoological Association of America and the Feline Conservation Federation, providing educational opportunities and activities for a wide variety of people, including school groups, college and vet students, 4H groups, and continuing education for veterinarians. All donations go directly to animal care, education and conservation of wild endangered species.

The Foundation also has a rehabilitation license for native wildlife and strict protocols for safety, optimal animal care and its enclosures exceed the minimum standard.

COMMUNITY PARTNERS >> CHARITY OF THE MONTH

CH A RIT Y OF THE MONTH WINNER S

Prizes provided by a partnership between Sunstate Federal Credit Union and Tower Publications, Inc.

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SPECIAL RESTAURANT ADVERTISING SECTION. CALL

352-372-5468

FOR RATES AND INFORMATION.

Brown’s Country Buffet 14423 NW US Hwy 441, Alachua, FL 32616 Monday-Friday 7:00am - 8:00pm Saturday 7:00am - 2:00pm Sunday 8:00am - 3:00pm

386-462-3000 brownscountrybuffet.net Casual — Country-style cooking at its finest, just like Grandma’s house! A buffet style restaurant, Brown’s Country Buffet is open seven days a week! Foods like fried chicken, grilled pork chops, real mashed potatoes, steamed cabbage, banana pudding and coconut pie, just to name a few, are served in a laid-back, relaxing environment. We offer AYCE fried shrimp on Friday nights from 4-8 along with whole catfish & ribs. In addition to their buffet, Brown’s also offers a full menu to choose from. Serving lunch and dinner daily and a breakfast buffet Friday-Sunday until 10:30am, you’re sure to leave satisfied, no matter when you go. So, when you’re in the mood for some good home cooking, Grandma’s style, visit Brown’s Country Buffet.

Copper Monkey West 14209 W Newberry Road, Jonesville, FL 32669 Across from the Steeplechase Publix Sunday-Thursday 11:00am - 11:00pm Friday-Saturday 11:00am - 12:00am

352-363-6338 mycoppermonkey.com Restaurant & Pub — Now serving Breakfast on Saturdays & Sundays 8am - 10:45am. We are 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.

Krab King 25405 W Newberry Rd. Newberry Fl 32669 Monday - Check • Thursday 11:00am – 8:00pm Friday - Saturday 11:00am – 10:00pm • Sunday Closed

352-682-2139 SEAFOOD — If you’re looking for the best Crab legs in town, then look no further. Newberry’s Backyard Krab King, in its new location, located in the heart of Newberry, is ready to satisfy your hunger. Home of the famous Garlic Butter, Krab King features the freshest and tastiest Snow Crab, Blue Crab, Garlic Oysters, Fish and Shrimp available.

This “Take-Out-Only” restaurant has meals starting at $8.50 and most meals or platters come with eggs, sausage, potatoes and corn as side dishes. Larger trays and platters are available and seasoned perfectly. Come by, meet Andrew and see why Paige Beck from TV20 called our crab “The best quality crab legs in North Central Florida.”

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Napolatanos 606 NW 75th Street Gainesville, FL Tuesday - Thursday & Sunday 4:00pm-10:00pm Friday 4:00pm-1:00am • Saturday 4:00pm-11:00pm

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 for half price appetizers. Burgers & Brew Night on Wednesday and live music inside. Thursday is Pub night with Better than England’s Fish & Chips $7. Outside dining with live music, on the patio, on Sunday evenings. GRAB & GO family dinners feeds 4-6 adults, starting at $25.95. Choose from Ziti, Lasagna, Chicken Alfredo, Chicken Marsala and more!

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. Dave serves New York size Pastrami and Corned Beef sandwiches, Cheesecake from New York, 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.

Newberry’s Backyard BBQ 25405 West Newberry Road, Newberry Monday-Wednesday 11:00am – 9:00pm Thursday 11:00am – 9:00pm Friday and Saturday 11:00am – 11:00pm Sunday 10:30am – 3:00pm

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.

Let us cater your Holiday Event! Big or small we cater all gatherings.

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SPECIAL RESTAURANT ADVERTISING SECTION. CALL

352-372-5468

FOR RATES AND INFORMATION.

Flying Biscuit Café 4150 NW 16th Blvd., Gainesville, FL 32605 Located in the Fresh Market Center Monday-Friday 7:00am – 3:00pm • Saturday-Sunday 7:00am – 4:00pm

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.

Tony & Al’s Deli 14960 Main Street, Alachua, Florida 32616 OPEN 7 DAYS Monday-Thursday 11:00am – 9:00pm Friday-Saturday 11:00am – 10:00pm Sunday 11:00am – 8:00pm

386-518-5552 Italian — Locally owned and operated, Tony & Al’s Deli provides the finest quality Italian entrees in a family friendly atmosphere. Whether it’s their delicious appetizers, pasta classics, specialty pizzas, salads, sandwiches, wraps, burgers or prime rib, Tony & Al use only their freshest ingredients. One of their favorites is tender, juicy prime rib served with garlic mashed potatoes. Their sauces, dressings and specialty desserts including cannolis and tiramisu are all handcrafted. They serve daily lunch and dinner specials. Tony and Al offer a full bar with happy hour from 5pm-7pm including $1.00 off all drafts, wine and well drinks.

Adam’s Rib Co. 2109 NW 13th Street, Gainesville, Florida 32609 1515 SW 13th Street Gainesville, Florida 32608 Monday-Saturday 7:00am – 9:00pm Closed Sunday

352-373-8882 NW 352-727-4005 SW AdamsRibCo.com BBQ — Celebrating our 10 year Anniversary. Looking for the best BBQ in Gainesville?

Then look no further than Adam’s Rib Co. Adam’s is North Florida’s Premier Barbecue restaurant, serving North Florida’s finest bbq spare ribs, pulled pork, beef brisket, 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 our scrumptious banana pudding and 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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Crafty Bastards 4860 NW 39th Ave. ( Magnolia Park, next to Starbucks ) Open 11am to midnight everyday.

352-872-5970 www.thecraftybastards.com Restaurant - Pub — Crafty Bastards Restaurant is located in NW Magnolia Parke.

Open daily 11a-midnight. We offer great lunch specials M-F 11am-4pm, including 1/2lb grilled burgers and juicy chicken handhelds, fresh fries, salads, soups and more. Check out our Happy Hour M-F 4pm-7pm. Looking for fun in the evenings? Check out, Trivia Tuesdays, Karaoke or Working Women’s Wednesdays! Crafty Bastards is also a great place to enjoy your sports on large screen TV’s. Private Party Room for office or birthday parties available. **FREE kids meal, face painting and balloon animals for kids on Monday nights. Check our facebook page for more information. Come see why Crafty Bastards is NW Gainesville’s Best Kept Secret!

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.

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

386-454-1288 www.greatoutdoorsdining.com Award-winning Dining, Live Music and Fun! — Join in the celebration on St. Patrick’s Day, Thursday, March 17th at the Great Outdoors Restaurant in High Springs.

Chef O’Taylor’s special menu will be featured all day long: Guinness Potato and Cheddar Soup, Corned Beef and Cabbage, “Classic” Irish Breakfast, Shepherd’s Pie and Car Bomb Bread Pudding. Clayton O’Bush and Aunt O’Jackie will be performing on the patio. On tap: First Magnitude Timeout Irish Stout and Swamp Head Hoggtowne Irish Red. Make your reservations early for our famous EASTER MENU by calling (386) 454-1288. Visit us at www.greatoutdoorsdining.com for details.

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COMMU NIT Y C A LENDA R

M A RC H/A P R I L 2016

Cheer on the Gator Gymnastics team at their final home match of the 2016 season against the University of North Carolina.

Gator seniors Bianca Dancose-Giambattisto, Bridgette Caquatto, Morgan Frazier and Bridget Sloan will be honored during a post-meet ceremony.

Gator Gymnastics

Friday, March 11

TIOGA MONDAY MARKET

LADY GAMERS

Mondays 4:00pm - 7:00pm

Fridays 1:00pm

JONESVILLE - Tioga Center, 13005 W. Newberry Rd. Market features a selection of vegetables, crafts, organic food, fruits and local specialties.

HIGH SPRINGS - New Century Woman’s Club, 40 NW 1st Ave. The Lady Gamers meet for fun, friendship and food. Everyone is invited. Meet old friends and make some new ones.

DAUGHTERS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION Wednesdays 11:00am - 1:00pm

RANGER-LED WALK Saturdays 10:00am

GAINESVILLE - Wesley United Methodist Church, 826 NW 23rd Ave. Gainesville Chapter of the DAR meet on the second Wednesday of each month, October through May. gainesvilleDAR@ gmail.com.

GAINESVILLE - Devil’s Millhopper Geological State Park, 4732 Millhopper Rd. Guided walks leave from the visitor center every Saturday at 10 am sharp. Visitors who dare to join the adventure have the opportunity to learn about the history and surrounding nature.

GAINESVILLE HARMONY SHOW CHORUS

Sundays and Saturdays

Thursdays 7:00pm – 9:30pm

GAINESVILLE - Grace Presbyterian Church, 3146 NW 13th St. For all who are interested in learning and singing Women’s A Cappella Barbershop Harmony Music. Info: Beckie at 352-318-1281.

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HAILE HOMESTEAD TOUR GAINESVILLE - Historic Haile Homestead, 8500 SW Archer Rd. One of the few remaining antebellum homes in North Central Florida. For a reason lost to time, the Haile family wrote on the walls of their home - over 12,500 words in almost every room and closet. Docent-led tours will be offered. www.hailehomestead.org.

THE FLORIDA BLACK HERITAGE TRAIL Through March 18 9:30am - 3:30pm

GAINESVILLE - Matheson History Museum, 513 East University Ave. This original exhibition and related programs examine the hidden histories of sites on the Florida Black Heritage Trail in and around Alachua County, ranging from Union Academy to Rosewood. Admission is free. www. mathesonmuseum.org.

WOMEN IN JEOPARDY Through March 13

GAINESVILLE - The Hippodrome Theatre, 25 SE 2nd Pl. In this laugh-out-loud new comedy, imaginations run wild when a group of friends trade their wine glasses for spyglasses to solve a hilariously madcap mystery. Thehipp.org.

BELLWETHER BUTTERFLIES Through March 31

GAINESVILLE - Florida Museum of Natural History, 3215 Hull Road. Learn how butterflies signify the health of their surrounding ecosystem in ‘Bellwether Butterflies: Environmental Indicators.’ Daily butterfly releases are held at 2

PHOTOGRAPHY: TONY GUTIERREZ

pm with additional weekend releases at 3 pm and 4 pm, weather permitting. Admission is $10.50 or free with a valid Gator 1 ID. 352-846-2000; www.flmnh.ufl.edu.

BOOK CLUB Tuesday, March 1 1:00pm - 3:30pm

GAINESVILLE - Alachua County Library Millhopper Branch, 3145 NW 43rd St. The he Millhopper Book Club meets the first Tuesday ay of each month. You do not have to read the he book to attend the meeting. 352-334-1272.

QUILTING Thursday, March 3 9:30am - Noon

GAINESVILLE - Senior Recreation Center, 5701 01 NW 34th Blvd. Quilters of Alachua County ty Day Guild (QACDG) meets monthly the first Thursday. Guests are welcome. www.qacdg.org. rg.

PLOWING UP THE PAST Friday, March 4 10:00am

NEWBERRY - Dudley Farm Historic State Park, 18730 W. Newberry Rd. See how fields were plowed for spring plantings. Learn about different types of field plows and antique tractors.

School groups are welcome. 352-472-1142.

TIOGA WINTER FINE ART FAIR March 4 – 6 Times Vary

JONESVILLE - Tioga Town Center, West Newberry Rd. Works of artists and fine craftsmen in paintings, mixed media, photography, fiber, ceramics, jewelry, wood, sculpture, glass, metal and books. The Festival kicks off Friday night with a live concert.

RACE THE TORTOISE 5K Saturday, March 5 7:30am

HIGH SPRINGS - O’Leno State Park, 410 SE O’Leno Park Rd. This is an out-and-back certified paved racecourse with mile markers on the park’s main road. The proceeds from the race will help provide for the creatures in the Park’s Nature Center and to help expand its exhibits. Register: www.friendsofoleno.org or email friendsofoleno@windstream.net.

RUN AMUCK WITH THE DUCK Saturday, March 5 8:00am

GAINESVILLE - North Florida Regional Medical Center, 6500 W. Newberry Rd. This 7th Annual

34th Annual Original Cruz-In Car & Truck Show Saturday, March 12

12:00pm - 3:00pm

GAINESVILLE - NW 39th St., across from Springhill Publix. v Original Cruz-in. Judged show open to all cars, trucks and motorcycles. Proceeds benefit StopChildren’s Cancer. DJ, food, $500 raffle, 50/50, door prizes. Registration from 10:00am - 12 noon. www.gainesvillestreetrods.com. 352-658-1477.

5K walk/run raises funds and awareness for the Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation.

Registration begins at 8 a.m. with a shotgun start at 9 a.m. This family and pet friendly event features prizes, snacks and fun for all. Pre-register at tinyurl.com/RunAmuck16. Info: Caren Gorenberg at carengorenberg@gmail.com or 352-256-6263.

GAINESVILLE FOOD TOUR March 6, 27 & April 17 10:45am – 1:45pm

GAINESVILLE - Downtown. This historic walk food tour is about a 1.5-mile walk around downtown where you can try five or more restaurants all in one fun event. www.gainesvillefoodtour.com.

WILLIAM BARTRAM HERITAGE DAY

MEG WAITE CLAYTON

Saturday, March 5 9:00am – 4:00pm

Sunday, March 6 2:30pm

HAWTHORNE - Little Orange Creek Nature Park.

Event features William Bartram in costume giving a fascinating talk for both adults and children.

Live music, native plant sales, storytelling, booths of handmade crafts, local artists, Earthskills demonstrators and southern style food will give visitors a glimpse of what life was like in William Bartram’s time. 352-494-3790.

GAINESVILLE - Headquarters Library, Meeting Room A, 401 E. University Ave. Meg Waite Clayton is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of five novels, including the recently published “The Race for Paris” and “The Wednesday Sisters,” one of Entertainment Weekly’s 25 Essential Best Friend Novels of all time.

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ASK A SCIENTIST: GEOLOGY Sunday, March 6 1:00pm – 4:00pm

GAINESVILLE - Florida Museum of Natural History, 3215 Hull Rd. Talk one-on-one with researchers from UF’s Department of Geological Sciences.

Bring your specimens and find answers during an afternoon of discovery and learning. 352-273-2062.

Power in this maker/hacker bus visit. Many projects to see and a chance to create some really neat projects. 386-462-2592.

LITTLE JAKE & THE SOUL SEARCHERS Saturday, March 12 8:30pm - 1:00am

Sunday, March 6 7:30pm – 10:00pm

GAINESVILLE - Market Street Pub & Cabaret, 112 SW 1st Ave. Veteran blues and R&B recording artist and performer, Little Jake Mitchell plays monthly at Market Street with his Soul Searchers. $10 at the door. littlejakemitchell.com.

GAINESVILLE - Phillips Center, 3201 Hull Rd. A tour-de-force of percussion and rhythm that glorifies the vibrational power exchanged between two greats, Savion Glover and Jack DeJohnette.

Saturday, March 12 10:00am – 2:00pm

SAVION GLOVER & JACK DEJOHNETTE

CIVIL WAR ROUNDTABLE Thursday, March 10 6:00pm - 8:00pm

GAINESVILLE - Trinity United Methodist Church, 4000 NW 53rd Ave., Edu. Bldg. #232. This monthly meeting is held the second Thursday of each month, is open to the public, and will feature guest speakers every meeting. Info: 352-378-3726 or diane@proofinggrounds.com. www.cwrnf.org.

GATOR GYMNASTICS Friday, March 11 Times Vary

GAINESVILLE - O’Connell Center. Cheer on the Gator Gymnastics team at their final home match of the 2016 season against the University of North Carolina. Gator seniors Bianca Dancose-Giambattisto, Bridgette Caquatto, Morgan Frazier and Bridget Sloan will be honored during a post-meet ceremony.

SUDSY SOAPS NEWBERRY - Dudley Farm Historic State Park, 18730 West Newberry Rd. Learn all about Soap!

Children and adults alike, ages 5 and up can join in the fun! There are hands on demonstrations, crafts, old-fashioned games and even some education. Learn about history, and a farming way of life. www.friendsofdudleyfarm.org.

RUN FOR HAVEN Saturday, March 12 4:30pm

JONESVILLE - Tioga Town Center, 105 SW 128th St. 5K and 10K walk/run with a St. Patrick’s Day theme. The registration fee includes a chiptimed run and a pre-run/walk warm-up and one meal ticket for dinner and two drink tickets during the post-run party. All proceeds will benefit the unreimbursed programs and services provided by Haven Hospice to local patients and families. www.RunforHaven.org.

BENEFIT GALA

Easter Egg Hunt Sun., March 13 11:00am

GAINESVILLE - Kanapaha Botanical Gardens, 4700 SW 58th Dr. 3,000 candy - and toy-filled eggs will be spread over Kanapaha’s expansive lawns for the youngsters to hunt. Bring a picnic basket for collecting the eggs. Show up promptly as children quickly find the eggs.

Admission is $7. www.kanapaha.org.

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ENVIRONMENTAL SHOWCASE

Sunday, March 13 5:00pm – 10:00pm

Saturday, March 12 9:00am to 2:00pm

GAINESVILLE - UF’s Nadine McGuire Theatre and Dance Pavilion, 687 McCarty Dr. UF’s Friends of Music and Friends of Theatre + Dance present Splendor: Enchantment at Sea a benefit gala.

The event features dinner, a concert featuring the UF Jazz Band and one-of-a-kind student performances, a silent auction and an after party with dancing and live music by Jacaré Brazil and Friends. Ticket packages range from $40-$150 per person. Info: www.arts.ufl.edu/splendor or call 352-846-1218.

FT. WHITE - Ichetucknee Springs State Park, 12087 SW U.S. Highway 27. Guided tours of the Education Center, as well as a variety of informational booths at the main picnic area, sponsored by local schools, community partners, and conservation organization. There will be special games, activities and giveaways featuring how we can better conserve our valuable water resources.

WIZZBANGZ MAKER BUS Saturday, March 12 1:00pm

ALACHUA - Branch Library, 14913 NW 140th St. Stop by to see some real S.T.E.A.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Mathematics)

GAWN LUNCHEON Wednesday, March 16 11:30am – 1:00pm

GAINESVILLE - Sweetwater Branch Inn, 625 E University Ave. The Gainesville Area Women’s

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GUITAR QUARTET CONCERT GUIT Saturd March 19 Saturday, 8:30pm – 10:00pm

GAINESVILLE - Hippodrome State Theatre, 25 GAINE SE 2nd 2n Place. The Alachua Guitar Quartet provides provid a unique interpretation of Brazilian music tthrough its adaptations and performances of diverse dive musical genres. www.thehipp.org.

CLA CLASSY & SASSY BUR BURLESQUE IN THE ROUND Saturd March 19 Saturday, 8:00pm - 1:00am

GAINESVILLE - Market Street Pub & Cabaret, GAINE 112 SW 1st Ave. An intimate burlesque & variety show fe featuring a rotating cast of local and visiting performers.

Live jazz with Swing Theory begins perfor after th the show at 10:00pm. This show is 18+. For reservations: sallybdash.com. reserva

SPRING GARDEN FESTIVAL SPR March 19 – 20 Times Vary

NHRA Gatornationals March 17 – 20 GAINESVILLE - Gainesville Raceway, 11211 N. CR 225. The Amalie Oil NHRA Gatornationals has a long and storied history as the East Coast opener for the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series. Long considered one of the fastest tracks on the NHRA circuit, it was from this legendary launch point that drivers clocked the first 260-, 270- and 300-mph Top Fuel runs. www.facebook. com/NHRAGatornationals.

Network luncheon – third Wednesday each month. Attend for great networking and a hot lunch. Register : GAWN.org.

MEET THE ARTIST Friday, March 18 6:00pm – 8:00pm

FT. WHITE - Rum 138, 2070 SW County Rd 138.

Reception with refreshments featuring Josh Milliken, an Alachua-based nature photographer who will feature his landscape and river photography of the North Florida area. His work will be on display March 14th - May 4th at the Rum 138 Gallery.

KIWANIS PANCAKE DAY Saturday, March 19 7:30am - 11:00am

GAINESVILLE - Gainesville High School Cafeteria, 1990 NW 13th St. Enjoy pancakes, sausage, orange juice and coffee. $5.00 (Children under 6 are free).

100 percent of the profits will benefit children.

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FAMILY DAY AT DUDLEY FARM Saturday, March 19 9:00am - 2:00pm

HAGUE - UF Dairy Farm, 13515 CR 237. This free event will take place rain or shine. and is educational and fun for children and adults alike.

Watch cows being milked, tour barn facilities, pet calves, make butter. www.facebook.com/ FamilyDayattheDairyFarm.

FLORIDA SPRINGS FESTIVAL March 19 – 20 Times Vary

OCALA - Silver Springs State Park, 5656 E. Silver Springs Blvd. The festival promotes preservation of the springs through awareness and stewardship, featuring environmental speakers, educational displays, ranger programs, guided tours, food, entertainment, a student art show, silent auction and more.

352-236-7148.

GAINESVILLE - Kanapaha Botanical Gardens, 4700 SW 58th Dr. The Festival features 175 booths offering plants, landscape displays, garden accessories, arts and crafts, educational exhibits and, of course, food. Also featured are children’s activities area, live entertainment and live auctions. www.kanapaha.org.

MUSIC IN THE PARK SERIES Sunday, March 20 2:00pm – 4:00pm

HIGH SPRINGS - James Paul Park, 200 N. Main St. Performances featuring local musicians/ talent.

BYO blankets, lawn chairs and refreshments.

The music series happens every third Sunday of the month behind City Hall.

HISTORIC FARM TOUR Saturday, March 26 10:00am – 11:00am

NEWBERRY - Dudley Farm Historic State Park, 18730 W. Newberry Rd. Follow a park staff or docent in period clothing as they talk about the homestead consisting of 18 restored buildings, farm animals, gardens and local history. www. friendsofdudleyfarm.org.

MARCH FOR BABIES Saturday, April 2 8:00am

GAINESVILLE - Westwood Middle School, 3215 NW 15th Ave. March of Dimes’ largest annual fundraising event. Last year, more than 4,000 people attended the event. Sign up at marchforbabies.org/event/alachua and start a team with

CARMINA BURANA MARCH 18 @ 7:30 PM • MARCH 19 @ 2 PM

Tickets available at the Curtis M. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts Call 352-392-2787

W

ith a rousing clash of cymbals, Carmina Burana begins an odyssey from Adam and Eve to Armageddon.

The Artists of Dance Alive National Ballet, University of Florida Symphony Orchestra, UF Concert Choir, Gainesville Master Chorale and Guest artists Jennifer Klauder, Matt Morgan and Anthony Offerle bring this magnificent production to a fever pitch and end the 50th Anniversary Season with a bang!

GOLDEN GALA MARCH 19 @ 7:30 PM

Touchdown Terrace at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium Tickets: 352-371-2986

J

oin DANB in celebrating a spectacular 50 years! Golden Gala features fine dining by Blue Water Bay, dancing to the sounds of Gosia and Ali, gaming tables, live and silent auction and the fabulous DANCING WITH THE STARS featuring your favorite local celebrities.

FOR INFORMATION: DALIVE@BELLSOUTH.NET, DANCEALIVE.ORG OR 352-371-2986

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BURLESQUE FOR BATS Friday, April 8 10:00pm - 12:00am

GAINESVILLE - Market Street Pub & Cabaret, 112 SW 1st Ave. Breakaway Burlesque Presents: A bat themed burlesque benefit for the Lubee Bat Conservancy. This show is 18+.

THE ELEPHANT MAN April 8 - May 1 5:00pm – 7:00pm

Spring Arts Festival April 2 - 3

9:00am – 5:00pm

GAINESVILLE - Downtown Gainesville, NE 1st St. and The Thomas Center. 47th Annual Santa Fe College Springs Arts Festival includes 220 of the country’s finest artists exhibiting their colorful creations against a background of elegant homes. Local singers, dancers and musicians, food, children’s art area and jazz performed by musicians who have toured the world. www.sfcollegefoundation.com/spring-arts/index.

co-workers, family and friends. Registration will be at 7:00 a.m. and the kick off will be at 8:00 a.m.

For info, visit marchofdimes.org or nacersano.org.

PLANT EXPO Saturday, April 2 8:00am – Noon

NEWBERRY - Persimmon Farm, 17010 W. Newberry Rd. Newberry Garden Club’s annual fundraiser to support community projects and scholarship funds. Flowers of all kinds, bulbs, shrubs, trees andË fruit & vegetable plants.

352-472-3928.

PLANT AND GARDEN SALE Saturday, April 2 9:00am – 4:00pm

“Peoples’ Choice” Award. Live music, model train exhibits, children’s activities, environmental exhibits, interactive water education displays and native plant sales. This event is designed to teach the importance of Florida’s springs. Info: email FriendsofOleno@windstream.net.

MISCHIEVOUS MADAMS 3RD ANNIVERSARY Saturday April 2 10:00pm - 12:00am

GAINESVILLE - Market Street Pub & Cabaret, 112 SW 1st Ave. Celebrate 3 years of Mischievous Madams Burlesque! This show is 18+. mischievousmadams.com.

WEDDING EXPO

MCINTOSH - Van Ness Park/Civic Center (Avenue G and 7th Street). The Seedlings Garden Club of McIntosh’s 11th Annual Garden Show and Plant Sale offers activities including plants, crafts and antique sale, local entertainment, food and drawings and prizes. A play park for the children. Free parking and admission.

Sunday, April 3 2:00pm – 5:00pm

GAINESVILLE - 1350 NW 75th St. The Gainesville Garden Club is hosting a Wedding Expo at the Garden Center. Tickets are $7.50 online or $10.00 at the door. Info: ggcl.og.

BOOK CLUB O’LENO OLE’ CHILI COOK-OFF Saturday, April 2 9:00am – 3:00pm

HIGH SPRINGS - O’Leno State Park, 410 SE O’Leno Park Rd. Bring your favorite chili recipe and compete with the best. Purchase a sample kit at 1 pm and vote for the winner for the

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Tuesday, April 5 1:00pm - 3:30pm

GAINESVILLE - Alachua County Library Millhopper Branch, 3145 NW 43rd St. The Millhopper Book Club meets the first Tuesday of each month. You do not have to read the book to attend the meeting. 352-334-1272.

GAINESVILLE - The Hippodrome Theatre, 25 SE 2nd Pl. The Elephant Man is based on the real life of Joseph Merrick, a 19th century British man on the traveling freak show circus, who was later rescued by a caring doctor and went on to become the darling of Victorian high-society.

This production celebrates the 35th anniversary of the Hippodrome’s first production on their current mainstage.

ALLIGATOR LAKE SPRING FESTIVAL Saturday, April 9 8:00am – 3:00pm

LAKE CITY - Alligator Lake Park. Free community festival celebrating nature. Bird walks led by experts begin at 8 am. Walking workshops highlight butterflies, native plants and flowers. Free children activities and food and drinks will be available. fourriversaudubon.org.

386-466-2193.

INDIA FEST & HEALTH FAIR Saturday, April 9 9:00am – 5:00pm

GAINESVILLE - Santa Fe College Gymnasium, Building V, 3000 NW 83rd St. Volunteer-run screening and information session for cancer, arthritis, asthma and more. Physicians offer complete blood test screening, which usually costs more than $300, for a low price of $55.00. India Fest showcases the diverse culture and traditions of India via musicËand dance performances. Purchase Indian jewelry, art-décor, traditional attire and Indian cuisine. www.icec-florida.org.

PARTAKE OF THE PAST April 9 - 10 9:00am – 3:00pm

NEWBERRY - Dudley Farm Historic State Park, 18730 W. Newberry Rd. Dudley Farm and the Girl Scouts of Gateway Council will be working together to recreate a day in an 1880s farm.

Enjoy period children’s games, hands-on crafts, working in the gardens, making dinner in a full working kitchen and more.

At the Rembert Farm in Alachua, FL Saturday, April 2, 2016 5:30 p.m. unreimbursed patient care, programs and services provided by Haven Hospice

Hosted by the Rembert Family

.

For tickets, auction or sponsorship opportunities, contact Stephanie Brod at 352-271-4665 or smbrod@havenhospice.org.

For more information, visit vivameanslife.com.

Thank You, Sponsors!

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SPRING BOOK SALE April 16 - 20 Times Vary

GAINESVILLE - Friends of the Library Bookhouse, 430 N. Main St. Book sale to benefit Alachua County Library System and Literacy programs. Browse thousands of books, artwork, comics, manga, software, CDs, DVDs, videos, records and more. Cash or check only. Visit folacld.org or call 352-375-1676.

SPRING FESTIVAL Sunday, April 17 Times Vary

Hogtown Craft Beer Festival Saturday, April 16

1:00pm – 5:00pm

JONESVILLE - Tioga Town Center, 105 SW 128th St. Rain or shine, sample beers from various local, regional and national breweries. Local restaurants and caterers will have food & cuisine available for purchase. Many of these entrees will have a delicious beer sample to pair with it.

There is no charge for designated drivers. www.hogtownbeerfest.com.

ALACHUA - Downtown. Alachua residents, visitors, vendors and friendly shopkeepers come together for a leisurely afternoon. Music and food. Kids enjoy lots of free activities and everyone has an old fashioned relaxing Sunday afternoon. www.alachuabuisness.com.

MUSIC IN THE PARK SERIES Sunday, April 17 2:00pm – 4:00pm

HIGH SPRINGS - James Paul Park, 200 N. Main St. Performances featuring local musicians/talent.

BYO blankets, lawn chairs and refreshments.

The music series happens every third Sunday of the month behind City Hall.

RIVER FEST CELEBRATION OF THE ARTS April 9 - 10 Times Vary

CEDAR KEY - Historic 2nd St. This juried event attracts 24,000 visitors annually and offers over $18,000 in prize money and purchase awards.

The town’s beachfront City Park will be filled with music, children’s activities and food sold by local non-profit organizations.

BUTTERFLY PLANT SALE April 15 - 17 10:00am – 5:00pm

GAINESVILLE - Florida Museum entrance, 3215 Hull Rd. The Museum’s Earth Day celebration features a large plant sale with more than 150 species of difficult-to-find and pollinator-friendly plants. Learn how to attract butterflies, bees, birds and more to your home and which plants are proven winners. Proceeds benefit the Museum’s Butterfly Rainforest and Museum events. 352-846-2000.

WALK MS GAINESVILLE Saturday, April 16 8:00am – 1:00pm

GAINESVILLE - Kanapaha Veterans Memorial Park, 7340 SW 41st Pl. This walk begins at 9

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a.m. and benefits the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Enjoy festivities, food, music, contests and games with the purpose of creating awareness about multiple sclerosis. To register, visit www.walkms.org or call the National MS Society North Florida Chapter at 904-332-6810.

CLASSY & SASSY BURLESQUE IN THE ROUND Saturday, April 16 8:00pm - 1:00am

GAINESVILLE - Market Street Pub & Cabaret, 112 SW 1st Ave. An intimate burlesque & variety show featuring a rotating cast of local and visiting performers. Live jazz with Swing Theory begins after the show at 10:00pm. This show is 18+. For reservations: sallybdash.com.

ROSE SHOW Saturday, April 16 1:00pm – 4:00pm

GAINESVILLE - Celebration United Methodist Church, 9501 SW Archer Rd. The Gainesville Rose Society presents its 43rd show. Hundreds of specimen roses, many arrangements, and learn how easy it is to grow beautiful roses.

Potted roses for sale. Free admission. gainesvillerosesociety.com.

Sunday, April 17 1:30pm

FORT WHITE - Rum 138, 2070 SW County Road 138. Now in its sixth year, this fundraiser will include the song-writing contest, music performances by In The Moment and Terraplane Rhythm & Blues, a silent auction Kid’s Corner, 50/50 raffle, music jam session, grilled burgers and dogs, desserts, beer and drinks. Proceeds go to educational and advocacy activities of Our Santa Fe River, all designed to protect the aquifer, springs and waters in this area.

GAWN LUNCHEON Wednesday, April 20 11:30am – 1:00pm

GAINESVILLE - Sweetwater Branch Inn, 625 E. University Ave. The Gainesville Area Women’s Network luncheon meets third Wednesday each month. Attend for great networking and a hot lunch. Register: GAWN.org.

FULL MOON FESTIVAL April 22 – 24 Times Vary

ELLISVILLE - 1024 SW Howell Rd. Farm to Family is back with music, food and camping. Tickets and schedule available online closer to the date.

Farmtofamilymusic.com.

and an d wh when en iitt doe d do does, oes, yyou’re ou’rre protected protected by by TM

for everyday spi lls & odors INCLU LifeGuard’s ™ patented DING WATERPROOF BACKING PETS! system REDUCES ODORS and stains, allowing easy more effective cleanup.

The Floor Store of Newberry …and so much more!

NEWBERRY 840 NW SR 45, NEWBERRY 1 mile north of Newberry RD on HWY 27/41

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E sscape cape from from yyour ourr dday-to-day ay to day routine overnight over erni nigg ni with th A Relaxing ov

Beach getAway!

JUST 10 MILES SOUTH OF HISTORIC ST. AUGUSTINE

6970 A1A, St. Augustine

1-800-527-8849 www .beacherslodge. com

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If it ticks... it can be fixed!

20% OFF

NAWCC CERTIFIED CLOCK MAKER SWISS TRAINED CERTIFIED

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Specialists in Repairing: • WATCHES • CLOCKS • GRANDFATHER HER CLOCKS • MARINE CHRONOMETERS ETER ER RS S

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Pioneer Days April 23 – 24 HIGH SPRINGS - Downtown. Enjoy re-enactments, a Heritage Village with multiple individual demonstrators and live music at the 40th Annual Pioneer Days Festival. Last year over 12,000 visitors attended for a couple of days of fun and activities. This year promises to be even better.

ELECTRO AERIAL SHOW Saturday, April 23 8:00pm - 12:00am

GAINESVILLE - Market Street Pub & Cabaret, 112 SW 1st Ave. Electro Aerial Show featuring aerial bartending by AscenDance acrobats to live music. $5 at the door.

SPRING FESTIVAL OF SHAMO Saturday, April 23 11:00am – 3:00pm

GAINESVILLE - Cairo Grille, 2410 NW 43rd St. Egyptians have been celebrating the spring festival of Shamo for over 4,000 years. Visit the grill when the Society for Creative Anachronism will provide ancient arts and crafts for children of all ages, and can eat like an Egyptian! Free.

352-727-7071; www.cairogrille.com.

HISTORIC FARM TOUR Saturday, April 23 10:00am – 11:00am

NEWBERRY - Dudley Farm Historic State Park.

Follow a park staff or docent in period clothing as they talk about the homestead consisting of

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18 restored buildings, farm animals, gardens and local history. www.friendsofdudleyfarm.org.

GRIMY GULCH SALOON April 23 – 24 Times Vary

HIGH SPRINGS - New Century Woman’s Club, 40 NW 1st Ave. The Club will be serving BBQ, ham & cheese and turkey sandwiches, coleslaw, beans and dessert. The Country Store will be stocked with toys, crafts, decorations, candy and preserves like the ones from yesteryear.

Saturday 10am – 5pm and Sunday 10am – 4pm.

CAIRO NIGHTS BELLY DANCE SHOWCASE Saturday, April 30 8:00pm - 10:00pm

GAINESVILLE - Market Street Pub & Cabaret, 112 SW 1st Ave. Leela & Najmah with a host of other local and visiting belly dancers. $10 at the door. bellydancewithleela.com.

SEND CALENDAR SUBMISSIONS TO: 4 4 00 N W 3 6 T H A V E ., G A I N E S V I L L E , F L 32 606 or E V E N T S @ T O W E R P U B L I C A T I O N S . C O M

Solid Waste and Resource Recovery

Just pick it

up.

It only takes a few seconds to make a big KPɈLYLUJL MVY V\Y LU]PYVUTLU[ Alachua County prides itself on having a clean and beautiful community. When you come across litter, do the right thing and pick it up. Whether you recycle or throw it away, removing just one piece of litter a week can help keep Alachua County clean. It may be a small action, but it makes H ^VYSK VM KPќLYLUJL MVY (SHJO\H *V\U[`»Z ^PSKSPML HUK LU]PYVUTLU[

(352) 371-9444 Litter.AlachuaCountyRecycles.com MARCH/APRIL 2016

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BOOK REVIEW

TERRI SCHLICHENMEYER’S

Reading Corner BEST FRIENDS FOREVER written by Kimberla Lawson Roby C.2016, GRAND CENTRAL PUBLISHING, $20,00 / $24.00 CANADA, 183 PAGES

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. HER BOOK REVIEWS ARE PUBLISHED IN MORE THAN 200 NEWSPAPERS AND 50 MAGAZINES THROUGHOUT THE U.S. AND CANADA. bookwormsez@yahoo.com

YOU WOULD DO ALMOST ANYTHING FOR YOUR BEST FRIEND.

Y

ou’d take a bullet, take her in, or take her anywhere she needed to go. You keep her kids and her confidences. And, as in the new novel, “Best Friends Forever” by Kimberla Lawson Roby, she’d do the same for you. Probably.

Celine Richardson was absolutely furious at her husband, Keith.

It was bad enough that he came home at 5 a.m., but lying about where he’d been was the last straw. It was obvious that Keith was cheating on Celine — but what Celine couldn’t figure out was why.

He claimed that she acted like she never had time for him, and Celine had to admit that she’d been awfully busy for the last few months. Building her business took a lot of her time, but didn’t they have date nights?

Sure, she’d been preoccupied now and then, but when they sent their 10-year-old daughter, Kassie, to spend the weekend with Celine’s best friend, Lauren, didn’t Celine and Keith spend alone-time together?

They did, but that wasn’t good enough for him. He was cheating on Celine with some tramp, but he wouldn’t come out and admit it.

And yet, that wasn’t the worst thing in Celine’s life.

Just a few days before Keith’s first lie, she found a lump in her breast and, after rounds of doctor visits and too many tests, her worst fears were confirmed. It was malignant, but 116 |

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Keith was full of excuses why he couldn’t accompany her to the hospital. Celine knew instantly that she could never again rely on her husband for support. Still, she wasn’t alone. With the help of her best friend and her brother — and no thanks to her no-good, absent husband — she’d be just fine.

But Keith wasn’t done, and neither was cancer. Celine’s recovery didn’t go well, and her soon-to-be-ex had a bombshell to share, one that she sensed wasn’t the whole story. And just when Celine thought she couldn’t take any more, Lauren spoke her mind…

Friendship, as you know, is never one-sided. It’s a giveand-take, and that includes “Best Friends Forever.”

From the very first scene in which a delicious scandal erupts, author Kimberla Lawson Roby gives her fans a story that’s sordid and scary but also, in an odd way, spiritually uplifting. Roby’s Celine is a strong, God-loving woman who’s totally out of patience, but I enjoyed that she’s given a lifeline as well as two surprises, one right after the other. While that ultimately leads to what I felt was an abrupt ending that left me hanging, it also gave me hope that we haven’t heard the last of these characters.

And the takeaway? I liked it, and I think you will, too: readers get a great girlfriends novel that’s easy to read, superquick to finish, and that can happily be passed around or recommended for a book group. If that sounds like a dream read for you, then get “Best Friends Forever.” It could be a book you’ll do anything for.

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION. CALL

352- 372-5468

FOR RATES AND INFORMATION.

Alachua lachua Music, Food, Rides and Fun!!

In Historic Downtown City y of Alachua 10 Miles North of Gainesville - Exit 399 on I-75

SUNDAY, April 17 th, 2016 11:00 AM - 5:00 PM Main Street in Downtown City of Alachua - Free and Open to the Public Enjoy a wonderful Sunday afternoon with the family while strolling along Historic Downtown Main Street in Alachua, lined with lovely Victorian Homes.

Savor delicious food while listening to local musicians & chatting with friends, neighbors, gracious shopkeepers and unique vendors!

We look forward to seeing you!!

Made in the USA

• Healthier nutritious fruits vegetables and herbs at home.

FESTIVAL

• Easier - Vertical gardening for your backyard, patio, balcony or rooftop.

• Smarter - Uses 10% of water and land as conventional or organic farming

Sponsored By: ALACHUA BUSINESS LEAGUE The City of Alachua, SunState Federal Credit Uni Union, nion, Gator Dominos, Alachua Printing and Waste Pro. VENDOR REGISTRATION DEADLINE:

Friday, March 25th.

JAYNE ORR

For more information: alachua.business@gmail.com m www.AlachuaBusiness.com

352-538-3235 www.Jayne.TowerGarden.com

AN OLD GAINESVILLE FAVORITE NOW IN ALACHUA!

Our Huge store is full of Chico’s, Talbots, Ann Taylor, Coldwater Creek and more top name brands at a fraction of their original cost.

MONDAY & SATURDAY 10:00 am – 5:00 pm

Grow Good Health

Main Street

Consignment Boutique

We carry everything from juniors to Women’s 5x and all the shoes, handbags and accessories to go with them. We also have ave ve formal wear and over 200 Wedding gowns.

ALACHUA BUSINESS LEAGUE

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Som meth hing fo or eve eryon ne!

Seafood • Wings • Steak Family Friendly • Kids Menu

TUESDAY - FRIDAY 10:00 am – 6:00 pm

14822 Main Street Alachua, Florida

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Receive $5 off the sub total of any meal ticket priced $20 or More. Limited to one coupon per ticket per visit. Can not be combined with other offers. Our Town Mag. Exp. 04-30-16

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DIY >> EASTER DECORATIONS

HIPPITY HOP

Cottontail Crafts!

DIY Easter Decorations S TORY A N D PHOTOG R A PHY BY ERICK A WINTER ROW D

A

s Easter hops into town, lots of bunnies and chicks will be appearing in local shops and retail stores. But before you spend the cash on store-bought goods, consider these DIY Easter crafts to make with your kiddos. It’s a great opportunity for some family bonding and in the end you’ll have some adorable decorations that will add cheerful fun to your home. What could be better than that?

*Adult supervision required for all projects. WARNING: Adults may find these crafts highly entertaining as well.

BUNNY FOO-FOO CLOTHESPINS This craft is absolutely charming and oh, so simple. Both rustic and whimsical, these bunnies will definitely hop their way into your heart!

SUPPLIES:

Clothespins White spray paint Pink Sharpie paint pen Black Sharpie White pom-poms (for bunny tail) Super Glue

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INSTRUCTIONS:

1) Place a wooden clothespin on a piece of newspaper or cardboard outside. Spray one side at a time with white spray paint. Allow each side to dry before coating the other with paint. Be cautious of any overspray, especially if it is windy.

whiskers with a black sharpie at the middle of the clothespin’s clasp. Allow time to dry.

4) Next, you will Super Glue your bunny’s white pom-pom tail on the back of the clothespin.

Allow the glue on the little cottontail to dry.

2) Let the painted clothespins dry.

3) Use the pink sharpie paint pen to draw lines in the middle of your bunny’s ears. Then dot two eyes and draw some

Now it’s time to hop around the forest with your finished bunny foo-foos. Maybe you’ll even find a cabbage patch or some carrots. Better HOP to it!

SOURCE: CLUB.CHICACIRCLE.COM

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DIY >> EASTER DECORATIONS

STRINGS ATTACHED EGG TREE These eggs are just too cool. And they are so versatile in how you can display them. On a string, in a basket, or even hidden in an Easter egg hunt ... the sky’s the limit! However, the egg tree is definitely my favorite. Who said trees are only for Christmas? By the way, this craft makes an eggcellent centerpiece for your Easter Sunday brunch!

SUPPLIES:

Balloons Fabric Stiffener (such as Stiffy, available at craft/fabric stores) Embroidery floss (in various pastel colors) Scissors Pin Tree branch Spray paint (white or pastel color of choice) Thread Glass vase Jellybeans INSTRUCTIONS:

1) Begin by blowing up the balloons. Only blow them up part way, until they are the size of an egg. Tie them shut.

2) Cut one- to two-foot lengths of embroidery floss. It is much easier to have them cut ahead of time because your hands will be getting very messy.

3) Pour some fabric stiffener into a little cup or dish. Then soak a length of floss in the cup.

Pull out the floss through your fingers, removing the excess fabric stiffener.

4) Now, wind the floss all around the egg. Continue with the other pieces of floss until the egg is as covered as you want.

Different shades look great together, or you can do the egg one solid color. Different shades of one color look good too (such as light pink and dark pink).

5) Tie a string around the knot of the balloon and hang them to dry overnight.

6) The next day, pop the balloon with a pin. It will crinkle up and shrink inside; pulling with it any excess fabric stiffener that was on the sides of the balloon. Then carefully remove the balloon through one of the openings in the floss.

7) Now you can take some thread to attach a loop at the bottom of the egg. This will be used to hang the egg as an ornament on your tree.

8) Find a small branch from a tree, and spray paint it either white or another pastel color of your liking. Allow time to dry.

9) Now it’s time to place your tree branch in some kind of vase or tall glass that will serve as the base of your tree. I like to use a clear glass vase that can be filled with colorful jellybeans, which help hold the branch in place.

10) With your tree in place, all that’s left is adding your egg ornaments.

Once that’s done, expect the Easter Bunny to arrive at any moment. Don’t wait for him though; he only hops along when you aren’t looking!

SOURCE: MARABOUS.COM

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DIY >> EASTER DECORATIONS

CHICKADEE ROLLS Nothing evokes the feeling of spring more than little baby chicks. Am I right?

Let’s bring nature indoors by making your own adorable and fuzzy chickadees.

2) Next, cut out your chickadee’s beak using construction paper. If you cut out the shape of a diamond and then fold it in half, it gives a nice beak-like appearance.

Now glue one of the folded sides onto the paper roll, just below the wiggly eyes.

SUPPLIES:

Paper roll Construction Paper (orange color) Scissors Glue Wiggly eyes Colorful feathers INSTRUCTIONS:

1) Take a colorful paper roll and glue on a pair of wiggly eyes.

3) Pick out some feathers and glue on each side of the chickadee, giving him some fuzzy wings.

Now your chick has hatched! Proceed to make a whole flock of these little babies; they will add so much fun to the rest of your Easter décor. Just make sure you feed them plenty of jellybeans, they’re new born chicks after all.

Hoppy Easter, everybunny!

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KENDRA SILER-MARSIGLIO’S

Healthy Edge HELPING YOUR KIDS RECOVER FROM SOCIAL MISTAKES

KENDRA SILER-MARSIGLIO, PH.D, HCC IS A NEUROSCIENTIST, MEDICAL WRITER, COLUMNIST AND THE DIRECTOR OF RURAL HEALTH PARTNERSHIP AT WELLFLORIDA COUNCIL BOARD OF DIRECTORS. kendra.sm@gmail.com

TRY AS WE MIGHT TO AVOID THEM, WE ALL MAKE MISTAKES.

F

or adolescents, navigating relationships can be a particularly tricky area.

Perceived mistakes and the lessons kids learn from them (right or wrong) can affect our children’s trajectories as they move through adulthood. Here’s how to help your kids learn how to process “mistakes” the healthy way.

When thinking about a key topic to write this article on, my mind took me back to my middle school days. My dad was in the Air Force and, because of the type of work he did, we moved every one to three years. It was tough socially; it was important to just try to make friends wherever you could. Sadly, making friends was hit or miss for me. However, in the 8th grade, I met a girl named Beverly who I liked to hang out with. One day, I decided to tell her that she was my best friend and that it meant so much to me that she spent time with me.

Immediately, Beverly’s face dropped. She promptly told me that we were friends, but I wasn’t her best friend. Soon after that, she quit hanging out with me. To this day, I don’t know why she reacted the way she did. Yet, I know that the lesson that I learned that day (from my tween perspective) was that people go away if you tell them how you really feel about them. I believed that I made a mistake by innocently telling a person, whom I cared about, how I felt.

My processing of that event (and some others that followed) was unhealthy. And I’m not alone in this. How many unhealthy lessons did you teach yourself? We all have our own “lessons” we taught ourselves as kids, ones we crafted with our limited analytical capabilities and experience. And many of these lessons have led to bumps in the road for us as adults.

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So, how do we make sure that our kids process “mistakes” the right way?

1. Keep the lines of communication open. Ever heard of active listening techniques? They may come in handy here. Listen intently to your child’s story and then re-state it in your own words to verify what you heard and confirm understanding. You want your kid to feel heard by you.

2. Explore the event in an open, non-judgmental way. Particularly if the situation is making you emotional, pause before you react to calm yourself. Also, do your best to empathize. Did you have a similar situation when you were a kid? Can you tell your kid about a situation where you may have felt or reacted the same way your kid did? Try to first “meet” your kid in the conversation at his or her point of view.

3. Teach kids how to shift away from “replaying” events in their minds.

One technique that you can offer is putting up the mental image of a “stop sign” when your kid catches himself or herself obsessing about the event.

4. Teach kids how to use positive self-talk instead of negative self-talk.

Negative talk like “How could I have been so stupid to…?” can reinforce feelings such as shame, fear and isolation. It actually can set a pattern in our brains that will re-emerge every time we have a situation that reminds us of the event where we made a “mistake.”

5. Help your kid make the most of the mistake in a “healthy” way. Not necessarily in the same sitting, help your children navigate other similar situations with the lessons they learn with your help. What are parents for?

With these tips, your kid can get a healthy edge socially and emotionally!

For more information on active listening, check out “Active Listening” on the U.S. Department of State website at www.state.gov/m/a/os/65759.htm.

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WHAT’S IN A NAME?

Ghosts

of Gainesville Meet the People Behind the Name of These Local Landmarks ndmarks W RIT TE N BY G A BRIE LLE C A LI S E

F

rom abandoned hotels saved at the last minute to historical buildings on the University of Florida’s campus, here are the stories behind some of Gainesville’s oldest structures — and the individuals they are named after.

Thomas Center Before the Thomas Center became a venue that hosts 300 city meetings a year and events such as weddings and banquets it was a luxurious hotel that attracted famous guests such as Helen Keller and Robert Frost.

Built in 1906 as a family home for business owner Charles Chase, former Gainesville Mayor William Reuben Thomas bought the building in 1910, and became the building’s namesake. Mayor

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Thomas worked as an an educator, businesssman, banker and nd d land developer. H Hee was a member of the he group of supporters errs that advocated for f orr UF’s campus to move mo ove to Gainesville from m La Lake ke City in 1905.

The Thomas family lived amily liv ved ed in the 21-room home for 15 me 5 yearss before capitalizing on the boom in thee 1920s and transforming Hotel rming the buildingg into to oH ottell Thomas. They recruited uited W. W A. A Edwards, Edwards the architect arch ar chittec ectt responsible for UF’s early buildings, to build an addition to the home for 94 guest rooms.

The building remained a hotel until the Thomas PHOTOGRAPHY: WESLEY HETRICK

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family fa a sold the property in 1968. It p r served as a tempose e rrary ar campus for students d en nt of today’s Santa Fe College Fe Community Co as campus was a the the current cu being beiing built. built As the college’s lease on the expiration, the building approached approa many manyy thought tho houg houg ugh ht that ht thatt the the older building would woul be demolished.

Historic Inc. Hiistor toricc Gainesville Gainesville i Inc founder Sam Gowan launched a grassroots campaign to preserve the decaying former hotel. Gowan’s work helped the building become accepted into the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. Today, the Thomas Center is a popular destination for cultural events. It also houses the city of Gainesville’s Division of Cultural affairs as well as a variety of other city departments.

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Seagle Building Eight blocks from UF’s campus, the white and green Seagle Building looms 11-stories tall. The building originated during the economic boom in the 1920s. The Seagle Building was intended to be a grand structure called Hotel Kelly, but construction halted before the hotel could be completed.

Georgia Seagle, a Jacksonville entrepreneur, decided to resume construction in the 1930s, working together with UF and the City of Gainesville. Upon completion, the building was named after her deceased brother, John F. Seagle, and used by the University.

However, as the decades went by the building lost tenants as it failed to meet the demands of modern fire codes. After the last occupant, the Florida State Museum, moved from the Seagle Building to the UF campus, the building was completely abandoned.

Eventually the Seagle Building was sold and remodeled. In 1983 it reopened with modern wiring, plumbing, additional fire escapes, a sprinkler system and more. The first six floors are commercial space and the top five host a total of 21 residential units.

PHOTOGRAPHY: WESLEY HETRICK

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Stephen C. O’Connell Center Today the O’Connell Center, or O’Dome, is known as a gathering place for screaming fans to cheer on sporting events such as basketball, volleyball and gymnastics. It also hosts craft fairs, career showcases for students, and guest speakers and musicians. The O’Dome even has an eight-lane Olympic size pool, a martial arts room, dance studio and an indoor track and field facility.

The man behind the dome’s name, Stephen O’Connell, graduated from UF in 1940 after studying business administration and law. He became the first UF alumnus to be president in 1967.

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professional al fundraisers, fundraaiseers r , enriching the Univ University’s versityy’s endowmentt fund.

However, er, O’Connell’s presidency presid iden e cy was was also also lso marked mark ma rked by racial tension. In 1971 the Black Student Union held a sit-in at the president’s office to protest the fact that only 343 black students were enrolled at the university. All 66 of the students were arrested and O’Connell refused to grant total amnesty, resulting in about one third of the black student population and many black faculty members leaving UF. Despite the controversial history behind the name, the O’Dome still remains an important landmark on the university’s campus. It is currently undergoing a $64.5 million renovation.

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J. W J Wayne ayne R Reitz eitz Union J. Wayne Reitz Union is named after UF’s fifth president, commemorating a man who made a huge impact on the university in just 12 years. During his presidency (1955-1967), Julius Wayne Reitz oversaw the construction of about 300 buildings, from the iconic Century Tower and Library West to family housing and a nuclear training reactor. Reitz received numerous awards and honorary degrees from multiple universities, including UF. Reitz first arrived at the university in 1934 as an agricultural economics professor. After a decade he left to work as an economic consultant to the United Growers and Shippers Association and then worked as an economist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. He came back to Gainesville to 130 |

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serve as UF’s provost of agriculture and was the first former UF faculty member to be appointed president.

The Reitz Union was built in 1967 and has been the center of student activities ever since, fulfilling a variety of services as diverse as those who visit it. The building houses a barber shop, bike repair shop, Wells Fargo Bank, the Career Resource Center, various restaurants, a game room and 36 hotel rooms.

Up to 50,000 square feet of the existing union was recently renovated and a new 100,000 square foot structure was erected.

Construction of the new portion began in 2013. In spring 2016, the expanded union opened to the public, featuring offices and spaces for a variety of clubs as well as lounges, dance rehearsal studios, and the return of the Orange & Brew restaurant.

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Originally the headquarters for UF’s College ollege of Education Education, on, Peabody Hall currently hosts the Registrar’s Office and ar’s Officce an nd other student facilities. The building is named after amed afte er George Peabody, a wealthy investment banker ker who wh some call the “father of modern philanthropy.” op py.” .”

The George Peabody Education Fund donated ted te d $40,000 for the construction of a teacher’s r’’s college in 1912 and the construction of thee hall was completed the following year.

The building hosted the first office of the student newspaper “The Alligator,” as well as classes for sociology, philosophy, psychology, history and political science.

The entire top floor of the building was also devoted to architecture design courses. Thee College of Education moved to Norman Hall alll in 1934. Peabody Hall was renovated in 1991 99 91 and now is home to a variety of student services. vicess.

Peabody Hall was added to the National tionall Register of Historical Places in 1979. Thee buildin building ng is adjacent to the Plaza of the Americas and blooming d a bloom ming courtyard that features a statue of Albert A. Murphree, the university’s second president.

Harn Museum Boasting 40,400 square feet of exhibition space, five gardens, and even a café, the Samuel P. Harn Museum has something for everyone. every ryon one. e.

The Harn’s collection features over 9,000 objects, from mode modern ern paintings and contemporary photographs hs to traditional traditiona ditiona nal al Asian and African art.

The museum is named in honor of Samuel Samue uell Peebles Harn. In 1983, a group of Harn’ss famfaam-ily members spanning three generations ((his his widow, three daughters, and grandchildren) n) donated a collected gift of $3 million thatt financed the museum’s construction. This was the largest private gift that the university had ever received at the time. The Harn museum opened September 22, 1990 and has offered free admission ever since.

An additional donation from the David A. Cofrin family was made in 2000, which allowed for the addition of a contemporaryy art wing and the Camellia Court Café. The hee addition, which opened in 2005, was called lled ed R the Mary Ann Harn Cofrin Pavilion in honor nor off TE SY OF Sam Harn’s daughter. The David A. Cofrin in Asian n MA RY AN NC OFRIN Art Wing was also added in 2012 and is used store sed to st tore and display the museum’s vast collection of Asian art. t With its rich history spanning almost 150 years, Gainesville is a city with many forgotten stories. These are just a few of the tales behind the people behind the places.

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PHOTOGRAPHY: GABRIELLE CALISE

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DONNA BONNELL’S

Embracing Life FIND THE MESSAGE IN THE MESS

DONNA BONNELL BECAME THE AUTHOR OF HER COLUMN, EMBRACING LIFE, MORE THAN A DECADE AGO. SHE SHARES HER PERSONAL CHALLENGES AND VICTORIES WITH THE GOAL OF INSPIRING HER READERS TO ANALYZE WHY THINGS HAPPEN IN THEIR OWN LIVES. dbnewberry@aol.com

HAVE YOU NOTICED THE FIRST FOUR LETTERS IN MESSAGE?

I

ronically, I never had, but should have. My life revolves around recognizing spiritual signs. Yet, until recently, I completely overlooked the four-letter word mess that seems silently sheltered and snuggles itself in the beginning of term message.

Perhaps this is perfect. Messes are loud. During turbulent times, I feel justified to cry and scream. When the crisis ends and the recovery phase begins, my mind quiets enough to reflect on what happened. In those peaceful moments I see the specific purpose that began with that unique mess.

For weeks I pondered which particular predicament was the most applicable to this message. Because of my over-analytical nature, I typically learn from those unfortunate events and do not duplicate mistakes. My focus then turned to that one mess I frequently repeat — getting lost. Examining why I continue to put myself in potentially dangerous circumstances became my goal.

Lack of direction and methodical thinking began at an early age. Those two traits became evident when I rode horses as a youth. Countless times I daydreamed and ended up on an unknown trail. My horse seemed to have a better directional sense than me, so I would loosen the reins and follow his lead.

He always headed home to the barn.

As a young adult in the 1970s, I worked in downtown Miami.

Having lived in a multi-cultural city, I had no fear of the problems others encountered and identified as ethnic. One normal workday the horrific historical racial riots broke out in my beloved town.

Administrators spread the word, warning that traffic was much worse than normal.

My brilliant plan was to detour and take a route parallel to the one most traveled out of the inner city. As you have probably guessed, I made a wrong turn or two and got lost. Within minutes, I was surrounded by members of the National Guard.

A police officer escorted me out of the area and sternly advised me not to return.

The most embarrassing local escapade occurred when I drove deep into the woods of the Ocala National Forest. My

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car got so stuck in sand that the tires would not spin. I had lost contact with On-Star and cell phone service. Angels (in the form of hunters with loaded guns and dressed in camouflage) miraculously saw my dilemma and came to my rescue. They dug my car out, turned it around and guided me back to the main road.

Directional dysfunction has not been limited to travel in the United States. In a remote jungle of Costa Rica, I took a walk to soak in the indescribable beauty. The animal kingdom was amazing, but the natives knew I was not normally in their neck of the woods. Monkeys communicated loudly and there was a constant eerie movement in the thick underbrush.

Suddenly a huge army of ants marched in my direction.

When I turned around to flee, there were two different paths. Of course, I did not know which one was correct. So, I picked one and prayed. Fortunately, this trail led to the water. Loving locals patiently listened. I knew some Spanish and they recognized some English. Eventually they described how I could get back to our camp by following the shoreline.

A few years ago, I self-diagnosed my challenge and decided I had a defective hippocampus. That part of our brain contains special neurons whose jobs are to create a cellular map. We are not born with an intrinsic sense of direction; it develops over time. Obviously, mine never fully matured.

After decades of distress, I was satisfied with understanding why I always got myself into these messes. However, it was not until I contemplated the meaning of find the message in the mess, that I knew I was looking at my malfunction all wrong.

There was actually a larger divine purpose.

Everyone has some sort of disability. This is one of mine.

While it is minor, it has put me in many precarious circumstances. Reflection revealed two common factors in surviving those situations — trusting God and having faith in mankind.

The message found in my lifelong mess is to embrace disabilites. Individuals enduring much larger maladies long to participate without fear or ridicule. If everyone took the time to help, we would create an environment of acceptance, compassion and hope. Assisting those with disabilities (physical or mental) should not require discussion. It is simply part of our purpose on Earth.

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TRAVEL >> SAVANNAH, GEORGIA

TIME TR AVEL

Savannah Smiles Must-See Places in Georgia’s Oldest City S TORY A N D PHOTOG R A PHY BY ERICK A WINTER ROW D

E

ach year Savannah attracts thousands of visitors to its cobblestone streets, picturesque parks and ornate antebellum architecture. Being the oldest city in the state of Georgia, rich history abounds, which is what makes this colorful and charming town a perfect travel destination.

It takes a little over three hours to travel to Savannah from Gainesville and there is so much to see that a visitor would most likely want to make this at least a weekend trip. Here are five top places that visitors should check out while touring this historic city.

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CHIPPEWA SQUARE Hull Street and Bull Street Savannah, GA. 31401 General James Edward Oglethorpe founded the city of Savannah along with the colony of Georgia in 1733. He designed Savannah as a series of neighborhoods centered around 24 squares. Today there are a total of 22 squares that continue to provide locals and visitors alike with a little greenery amid all the businesses and historic houses.

Chippewa Square is one of the most known squares. It was built well after the Revolution in approximately 1815. A monument to Oglethorpe

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TRAVEL >> SAVANNAH, GEORGIA

stands in the middle of the Square. According to discoverhistoricamericatours.com, the name Chippewa was used to honor the men who fought at the Battle of Chippewa, which was a battle in the War of 1812. This square is right in the center of the downtown historic district, and is also where the famous park bench scenes were filmed in the movie “Forrest Gump.”

The bench that Tom Hanks’ character, Forrest, sat on was a movie prop that has since been placed in the Savannah History Museum. The location of the bench for the movie is still a very popular spot for photographs, making Chippewa Square a favorite tourist landmark. According to Entertainment Weekly, this bench is one of the most valuable Hollywood collector’s items since Judy Garland’s ruby slippers from “The Wizard of Oz.”

MERCER HOUSE 429 Bull Street Monterey Square Savannah, GA. 31401 Ph. 912-236-6352 Speaking of Hollywood, another must-see landmark is the Mercer House. This lovely house was designed by New York architect John Norris, and is perhaps best known for its connection to the non-fiction work “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil,” written by John Berendt. The book was made into a film that was directed by Clint Eastwood.

The Mercer House was built for Civil War General Hugh W. Mercer, great-grandfather of songwriter and lyricist Johnny Mercer (of “Moon River” fame).

Construction began in 1860 but the outbreak of the Civil War delayed its completion and it wasn’t until 1869 that the house was finished.

In 1969, Jim Williams bought the property.

Williams was one of Savannah’s earliest and most dedicated private restorationists, and years later he was accused of shooting a man named Danny Hansford in the study of the house. The events that surround the shooting are the central plot of “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.”

After Williams’ death, his sister Dorothy Kingery took ownership of the house. It is now a museum with daily guided tours and still remains her primary residence. Throughout the house visitors can find priceless works of art from Williams’ private collection. This includes 18th and 19th century furniture, 18th century English and American portraits, drawings from the 17th century and a wide collection of Chinese export porcelain. Call or visit www.mercerhouse.com to book reservations ahead of time.

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BONAVENTURE CEMETERY 330 Bonaventure Rd. Savannah, GA. 31404 Ph. 912-651-6843 According to bonaventurehistorical.org, the cemetery’s 100 acres are historically significant as a reflection of the changing views on death in the Victorian era. The idea of dying became more romanticized and ritualized during this period, and cemeteries became lush and beautiful “cities of the dead.” Part natural cathedral and part sculptural garden, Bonaventure has captured the imaginations of poets, naturalists, writers, photographers and filmmakers for more than 150 years.

There are many well-known individuals who have been laid to rest behind the walls of this cemetery. Johnny Mercer, 140 |

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the famous American songwriter, as well as writer and poet Conrad Aiken are among the notables. However, one of the most visited gravesites is that of little Gracie Watkins who was only six years old when she died. Her father had a sculptor carve a true-to-life statue of Gracie for her grave. Many visitors leave flowers and stuffed animals at her gravesite. A wrought iron fence surrounds the magnificent sculpture of the child who never grew up. There are some who say the spirit of Gracie collects the trinkets and toys that are left for her. They always seem to mysteriously disappear.

Visitors planning to come to the cemetery in the spring and summer should bring plenty of water and sunscreen.

The temperatures can reach into the triple digits at times.

Bonaventure opens at 8am; so visiting in the morning hours can help you beat the heat.

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THE OLDE PINK HOUSE - RESTAURANT 29 Abercorn Street Savannah, GA. 31401 Ph. 800-554-1187 The Olde Pink House is one of Savannah’s most popular restaurants. It offers new southern cuisine in a sophisticated, yet casual setting. This is a great opportunity to experience Savannah’s only 18th Century Mansion while also enjoying live entertainment nightly. This restaurant is known for its classic dishes such as crispy scored flounder with apricot shallot sauce, chef’s fried chicken and macaroni and cheese, and the “BLT” salad (fried green tomatoes and sweet bacon with black pepper thyme buttermilk dressing). Definitely make reservations at least a couple weeks early. Visit opentable. com to book your spot ahead of time.

THE FORSYTH PARK FOUNTAIN Drayton Street and East Park Ave. Savannah, GA. 31401 Forsyth is the largest park in the historic district of Savannah. It covers 30 acres of land and serves as the social interaction hub, hosting many concerts and recreational sports. There is also a farmers market on Saturdays.

The large fountain is probably the most well-known feature at Forsyth Park.

It was built in 1858 and according to visithistoricsavannah.com it resembles a few other fountains found around the world, including Paris and Peru. There are many benches that surround the fountain, where visitors and Savannah residents can relax and people-watch for hours on end.

The city of Savannah dyes the water in the fountain green every year on St. Patrick’s Day. The ceremony when the water is dyed is a popular event attended by hundreds and sometimes even thousands of visitors and locals.

As you can tell, Savannah is a place of great historic importance, which makes anyone with a traveler’s heart giddy for a scenic road trip. So what are you waiting for? Hit the road, Jack!

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FOOD REVIEW

Adventures in Appetite

CONTRIBUTED

BY KEN PENG OF KEN EATS GAINESVILLE

KEN PENG HAS LIVED IN GAINESVILLE FOR THE LAST 10 YEARS OF HIS LIFE, BUT HAS BEEN EATING SINCE HE WAS BORN. IT IS HIS HOPE THAT ANYONE WHO READS THIS PAGE WILL DISCOVER A NEW SPOT TO VISIT THE NEXT TIME THEY’RE FEELING HUNGRY. keneatsgainesville.com

BEQUE HOLIC BBQ

R

emember Shila BBQ? The much-maligned Korean BBQ restaurant that I found was a complete copy of a California restaurant without their permission? You know, the one with the ridiculous dining time limits, unsanitary practices, and the ones known for using non-food grade foam brushes to put oil on their hot grills? Well, they’re gone. And in its location, the former Stonewood Tavern building, is now Beque Holic (pronounced B Q holic). Same concept. Different owner. Admittedly, Shila left a bad taste in my mouth so it took some time before I decided to brave the new restaurant.

Well, I’m glad I finally went.

Frankly, despite not changing very much aesthetically, the food quality and practices here are lightyears beyond its predecessor.

Gone are also the weird quirks that made Shila laughable, and in its place are some new ones I’ll get to in a moment. But Steve Shin, the same guy who opened Garlic & Ginger and the Korean Market on 34th Street, sold both those businesses and now owns this restaurant. He knows a thing or two about Korean food, and right away you can tell the food is much better quality. The service is much improved as well, with attentive waiters patrolling each aisle.

As with Shila, Korean BBQs are a carnivore’s dream that unapologetically leaves vegetarians in the cold with an endless stream of cook-it-yourself meats. You’ve got pork belly, thinly sliced beef brisket (recommended), teriyaki chicken, bulgogi, chicken wings, short ribs, kalbi, beef tongue, squid and shrimp.

All of which come with a significant amount of unlimited side dishes like kimchi, cold potato salad (basically mashed potatoes), Korean pancakes (omelet-like), ridiculously good wasabi pickled radish, a salad, egg custard, fried dumplings, rice and miso soup. Feel like a glutton yet?

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Unlike Shila, there is no stated time limit for the tables, though they make it clear there is a hefty surcharge if excessive meats are left uncooked. The hot circular grill in the middle of the table makes for a fun interactive experience with a date or with family and friends. The meats are well seasoned and come with a house-made chili sauce and sesame oil for dipping, as well. And yes, the meats now come separated and I’m happy to report there’s no more sketchy brushes used to oil the grills.

But you know how I said there were quirks? If there’s one gripe I have with the restaurant, it’s the menu. It’s unnecessary and just begging for trouble. Patrons can order a la carte, choosing their meat of choice for $15.95 to $39.95 that comes with all the side dishes listed above. Or they can order all-you-can-eat for $23.95 to $33.95 depending on the variety of meats you want, with the lowest option having five varieties to 11 varieties for the most expensive. Or you can order combos that come with set amounts of meats for a fixed price ranging from $49.95 to $149.95 meant to be shared with two to six people. Confused yet?

There’s more. If someone at the table chooses all-you-can-eat, everyone else at the table has to choose that as well. That means you can’t choose to order only Teriyaki chicken while your fat brother chooses the $33.95 endless stream of meats. Oh, and you can’t choose the $23.95 option either with five meat varieties if someone else wants the $33.95 option. But one has to wonder, for the price of some of the a la carte meat options, why wouldn’t anyone choose the all-you-can-eat option instead? The most expensive all-you-can-eat option is $6 cheaper than the most expensive a la carte option. More importantly, why even give the option for so many varieties when the choice of one person at the table locks everyone else in?

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The drink menu is equally confusing, with no explanation as to what a “BQ YoSoSexy” or a “BQisGreat” actually is. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say those were AOL Messenger names circa 2002. To be fair, I did voice these concerns with the owner after my meal and was told a simplified menu was coming soon.

He seems to be aware and agree on the confusion and vagueness of the current menu.

I’m also compelled to tell you all about Beque Holic’s bizarre, yet awesome birthday promotion I’ve ever seen. With official ID proof, you can have the $33.95 all-youcan-eat (11 meat varieties) option for free the two days before your birthday, the big

day itself, and the two days afterwards as well. That’s five free meals if your birthday is coming up. It’s the “Gangnam Style” of birthday promotions, and much like the song …I strangely…dig it?

At first glance, the menu seems pricey.

But it’s really not bad pricing considering the improved quality of meats, the experience, and the unlimited amounts of basically everything on your table. For those of us with a big appetite, it’s actually well worth it. Menu quirks aside, if you can go with a group of agreeable people, it’s worth the trip.

Not recommended for vegetarians, small appetites, or huge groups.

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www.bednbiscuit.net MARCH/APRIL 2016

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