http://www.visitourtowns.com/issues/gnv/OurTown-Summer2010

YOUR RESOURCE GUIDE FOR THE GREATER GAINESVILLE COMMUNITY

Summer 2010

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ENJOY THE SUMMER IN GAINESVILLE

BEAT THE HEAT at Area Parks, Lakes and Natural Springs

GAINESVILLE AREA ROWING GROUP A Great Low-impact Workout with Built-in Socializing

CONSERVATION Are Water Shortages on the Horizon?

RAILS TO TRAILS Repurposing Old Railroads

Physicians, nurses and all staff in the ER at North Florida Regional Medical Center have focused on delivering quality care as quickly as possible. Their work has translated into ER wait times well below the national average and the shortest in Gainesville.

Text ER to 23000 or log on for average wait times.

Dr. Gary Gillette, Medical Director of the Emergency Department at North Florida Regional Medical Center, and Stephanie Sodi, RN.

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2 | Summer 2010

A E

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You Have a Choice for your child’s education.

Alachua Learning Center Elementary and Middle School located just North of the town of Alachua on State Road 235, serves students from all parts of Alachua and neighboring counties.

Charter Schools are part of the Florida Alternative System of Public School Choice and charge no tuition.

While having the benefits of a “small-school” environment the Alachua Learning Center provides a challenging and fulfilling academic, cultural and physical educational program for students from kindergarten through eighth grade.

The Alachua Learning Center has consistently been rated an “A” school by the State of Florida.

Our varied physical education curriculum includes on-campus rock climbing and subscribes to the “President’s Fitness Program”.

The Alachua Learning Center offers inspiring classes on a variety of subjects: Science, Social Studies, Language Arts, Math, P.E. Sports, Rock Climbing, Drama, Music, Clay Sculpting, Computer Graphics, individual Student Book Publishing (writing, design, illustrating), Drawing, Painting, Crafts, Community Service Display Projects, and exciting Field Trips.

Alachua Learning Center 386-418-2080

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Telephone modem uses household electrical power to operate with a backup battery power if electricity is interrupted. Telephone service, including access to e911 service, will not be available during an extended power outage or if modem is moved or inoperable. Telephone service provided by Cox Florida Telcom, L.P. Digital receiver rental and paid subscription to limited basic required for digital broadcast signals. Cox Limited Basic plus a digital receiver and Digital Gateway subscription required for premium channels, pay per view, and On Demand programming. All programming and rates subject to change and may not be available in all areas. Cox cannot guarantee uninterrupted or error-free Internet service. Actual speeds vary. Other restrictions may apply. ©2010 Cox Communications, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Summer 2010 | 9

SUMMER 2010 • VOL. 01 ISSUE 02 >> WATERSPORT

Masters’ Rowing A Day with the Gainesville Area Rowing Group

BY DENISE TRUNK KRIGBAUM

S

This was not the beginning of a casual spin around the

in age from 22 to 90, say they enjoy the sport because it is a low-

walked in step from the boathouse down a floating dock toward the nearly calm waters of

lake, rather it was the start of a 90-minute workout that would test the rowers’ stamina, strength

impact, great workout with built-in socializing. Plus, it is out in nature.

Gainesville Area Rowing, which

Newnans Lake.

A pair of eagles watched from a perch high in a cypress as, in

haded by the boat they held aloft, four women

and determination during a series of drills. Coach Brian Motyer shadowed the shell from a

started in 1998 as the Eastside High School crew team, has expanded to include middle school students

one smooth motion, the women lowered the sculling boat into the water, slid oars into riggings,

motor-powered launch, shouting directions, position corrections and motivation at the rowers. At times

and an adult masters group. GAR’s masters group is made up of men and women, 22 years old or older,

tightened them.

The late afternoon sun warmed the air as the rowers carefully balanced and boarded the narrow, roughly 45-foot-long vessel, called a shell. With four rowers moving together within its thin casing, the shell moved off and then glided across the water’s surface, not unlike a water bug.

he used a bullhorn to be heard over engine noise and distance.

The four-person shell (called a quad), the rowers and the coach are part of the Gainesville Area Rowing masters group. The non-profit club trains members to row for fun and sport, and welcomes new members to join during its quarterly learnto-row events. Members, who range

who have either a competitive edge or an urge to stay fit. Many of the masters’ 36 members have both. The club itself has picked up speed in the past three years, building both its recreational and competitive membership.

Motyer said the sport is accessible to many people with continued on next page many

ALL PHOTOS BY TJM STUDIOS PHOTOGRAPHY

sadfIcatis volupitatio. Piscias sinctatur, utem et faciant hicatum lam que nulpa dendiss eratios rendam aut eicieni musamus reriorendae sa vendionecat incta aligend igenem iumet quis es ulluptas am in consequam, quodigentiis ende nonsequ idelis rem laute pro to berspie nistrum as autem quis delici aut lia doluptae resto ium dolupti orporatur rem. Nis aut et ut ea

www.VisitOurTowns.com

42 | Summer 2010

>> MUSIC

Summer 2010 | 43

By Denise Trunk Krigbaum

Masters’ Rowing What began as the Eastside High School crew team has expanded to include middle school students and an adult masters group. The group now consists of men and women who have either a competitive edge or an urge to stay fit — or both.

The Righteous Kind

A New Kind of Old Rock

BY ALBERT ISAAC

C

PHOTO BY ALBERT ISAAC

43

huck “Charles Ray” Martin, arms stretched wide, guitar hanging from its strap, white shirt wet with sweat, had just finished a set with his band, The Righteous Kind. Speaking in sentences punctuated by 1960s lingo, he thanked the howling audience at Brophy’s Irish Pub. The patrons had gathered to experience the rock ‘n’ roll band that has been entertaining Gainesville audiences for the past three years.

With front man Martin on guitar, Tom Miller on bass, Larry Thompson on drums and Bruce Brashear -- who boasts of having the largest organ in Gainesville (he plays a Hammond B-3) -- on keys, these musicians can frequently be found playing their original brand of ‘60s music in a variety of Gainesville venues. All are seasoned musicians who take their music seriously, but have a lot of fun in the process. From their ‘60s apparel to their old school

PHOTO BY ALBERT ISAAC

The Righteous Kind: Bruce Brashear, Tom Miller, Chuck Martin and Larry Thompson.

equipment, this quartet stays true to their particular style of psychedelic rock ‘n’ roll.

The band rehearses in the studio of the home Martin shares with his wife and muse, Amy. On this particular evening, a bottle of Kentucky bourbon sat upon a pool

table in the adjoining room, to be sampled during the practice. Beside it, a bottle of champagne was on ice, for after the rehearsal. It was the eve of Amy’s birthday and a celebration was in order.

In a practice room crammed with continued on next page

Chuck “Charles Ray” Martin performing with The Righteous Kind last November on the Bo Diddley Community Plaza

www.VisitOurTowns.com

stage. For many years, Martin - as The Colonel - was the front man in the local rockabilly band dblWIDE.

Summer 2010 | 79

78

By Albert Isaac

A New Kind of Old Rock Front man Charles Martin leads this rockin’ quartet that has been entertaining audiences in Gainesville for the past several years. The band describes its music as ranging from “classic to psychedelic to alternative to garage to pop rock with some Sly-influenced R&B too.”

>> RESOURCES

Water, Water Everywhere?

Are Shortages on the Horizon?

88 | Summer 2010

10 | Summer 2010

BY KEVIN ALLEN

W

ater is a big part of any summer. But this season, Gainesville and Alachua County residents may be talking about it more than usual.

Water officials say Alachua County is on track to officially join the list of areas that have to plan for future water shortages.

That is prompting two efforts at promoting conservation -- one by the county,

the other by the St. Johns River Water

now over the next 20 years.”

The growth concerns are complicated by the drought-created low levels of some of the water sources -- in particular, the Floridan aquifer, the underground water reservoir that lies beneath the surface of most of the state. Even now, more than six years after the worst of the drought ended, the state says groundwater levels in the aquifer remain below average.

“We’ve always been under the view that we’re water rich [in north Florida]. But if you look at the aquifer, it’s a thin veneer,” warned Suwannee River WMD Director David Still.

For area environmentalists, such as Brack Barker, that is not much of a news flash. They have pointed to warning signs such as nearby White Springs, which has dried up, for some time. And to them, the

Management District (WMD). What comes out of that work could determine how you

districts’ tendency to approve water use permits has not helped.

get your water, and how much you pay for it, for the next several years.

“Some of us believe that we wouldn’t need [the designation] if the water districts

“Water shortage” and “Alachua County” are two phrases that do not usually go

practiced water conservation,” Barker said.

For the water districts and utilities,

together. From the time when the city of Gainesville promised free water to draw the

conservation is becoming a matter of economics.

University of Florida to town, area residents have been able to sit back and watch with some detachment as Miami, Tampa and Orlando struggled with their water issues.

This could be the year that starts to change. For the first time, there is the likelihood that the St. Johns and Suwannee River WMDs, as part of their periodic updates of supply estimates, could declare Alachua County a “Priority Water Resource Caution Area.” That means planners do not think there is enough water to support the expected growth over the next couple of decades. The new designation could force area utilities, like Gainesville Regional Utilities (GRU), to pump less water from underground and put more emphasis on conserving.

“It’s a big yellow light coming on,” said Hal Wilkening, the director of Resource Management for the St. Johns River WMD. “We’re looking at demands on the order of like 50 percent more than what we’re using

Or, as Tatiana Borisova, an assistant professor in water economics and policy at the University of Florida, put it, “It’s cheaper than developing new supplies.”

Most water experts say it is just a matter of time before the region has to start looking at expensive alternatives for water supplies, like desalination and reclaiming wastewater, and the most politically charged option -- pumping water out of area lakes and rivers. They hope conservation will put off that day.

But even with conservation, the days of easily accessible, inexpensive water are numbered.

“When you look at our future supply needs, water, in general, is going to become more expensive,” said Tony Cunningham, a senior environmental engineer with GRU. He called conservation the “least-cost alternative.”

Alachua County Environmental Protection continued on page 91

Most water experts say it is just a matter of time before the region has to start looking at expensive alternatives for water supplies

www.VisitOurTowns.com

Summer 2010 | 89

88

By Kevin Allen

Water, Water Everywhere?

Florida has long been recognized as a water-rich state. However, Alachua County is on track to officially join the list of areas that have to plan for future water shortages.

PHOTO BY TJM STUDIOS PHOTOGRAPHY

CONTENTS

PHOTO BY TJM STUDIOS PHOTOGRAPHY

ON THE COVER

>> FEATURES 22

Lake Wauburg The University of Florida’s Natural Treasure

Members of the Gainesville Area Rowing Master’s Group pose in a 60-foot scull on Newnans Lake. Masters are 22 years of age or greater. During the shoot a heavy crosswind caused the boat to drift.

BY MOLLY LARMIE

28

Running Free Gainesville Dog Parks are Pooch Paradises

BY DEBBIE M. DELOACH

32

Gainesville Area Parks & More

From bottom to top (stern to bow): Amanda Soukup, Jen Figueroa, Alina Zare, Gary Gookin, Taylor Glenn, Kelly Bergdoll, Julie Henderson, Evan Donoghue, Penny Edwards.

A Cool Summertime Retreat

BY CHRIS WILSON

50

Telling Her Story Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Historic State Park Speaks Volumes

BY SARAH A. HENDERSON

54

Artists in the Making Summer Family Events at the Harn

BY KATE HELLER

60

Citizens Co-op Local Food for Local People

BY CHRIS WILSON

72

Boulware Springs Gainesville’s Gem of Water and History

BY DEBBIE M. DELOACH

96

Prairie Creek Preserve Wilderness Five Miles from Downtown

BY DENISE TRUNK KRIGBAUM

COLUMNISTS 36 Albert Isaac DIFFERENT NOTE 94 Crystal Henry NAKED SALSA 68 Brian “Krash” Kruger GATE CRASHING 115 Molly Larmie ADVENTURES IN APPETITE

INFORMATION 66 Puzzle Page 120 Community Calendar 149 Advertiser Index

The articles printed in Our Town Magazine™ do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Tower Publications, Inc. or their editorial staff. Our Town Magazine endeavors to accept reliable advertising; however, we can not be held responsible by the public for advertising claims. Our Town Magazine reserves the right to refuse or discontinue any advertisement. All rights reserved. © 2010 Tower Publications, Inc.

www.VisitOurTowns.com

Summer 2010 | 11

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

PUBLISHER Charlie Delatorre charlie@towerpublications.com EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Albert Isaac editor@towerpublications.com fax: 1-800-967-7382 OFFICE MANAGER Bonita Delatorre bonita@towerpublications.com ART DIRECTOR Hank McAfee hank@towerpublications.com SENIOR DESIGNER Tom Reno tom@towerpublications.com

>> FEATURES 102 Fun, Family and Fellowship Camp Crystal Lake

BY TATIANA QUIROGA

112

LaChua Trail A Short Walk That is Long on Natural Wonders

BY DEBBIE M. DELOACH

126 The Gainesville Ten Multiple Perspectives, Singular Passion

BY TATIANA QUIROGA

132 Rails to Trails Abandoned Railroads Foster Alternate Transportation

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Kevin Allen Larry Behnke Jessica Chapman Debbie M. DeLoach Nicole Lynn Greiner Kate Heller Sarah A. Henderson Crystal Henry Denise Trunk Krigbaum Brian “Krash” Kruger Mary Kypreos Molly Larmie Chris Wilson Tatiana Quiroga INTERNS Annabelle Brooks Molly Larmie

BY MOLLY LARMIE

138 A Day Trip to Cedar Key

BY LARRY BEHNKE

142 An Equine Sanctuary Mill Creek Horse Retirement Farm

BY NICOLE LYNN GREINER

ADVERTISING SALES Jenni Bennett 352-416-0210 jenni@towerpublications.com Amanda Chatt 352-416-0196 amanda@towerpublications.com Pam Slaven 352-416-0213 pam@towerpublications.com Helen Stalnaker 352-416-0209 helen@towerpublications.com

BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT 38 41 65 75 106 119

PAID ADVERTISING FEATURES

Sun State Federal Credit Union Take Away Gourmet at Dine by Design Bennett’s TrueValue Flying Biscuit Dr. William Storoe Buck Stove

12 | Summer 2010

Kayla Stump 352-416-0212 kayla@towerpublications.com Annie Waite 352-416-0204 annie@towerpublications.com

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

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Summer 2010 | 13

MESSAGE >> FROM THE EDITOR

Summertime brings to mind bike hikes and vacations, picnics and celebrations, camping and swimming, and creative ways to beat the heat.

So far this summer, my family and I have already checked most of these things off this list, and once I get our green pool clean again we can begin to swim. It has no cover, so fall wreaks havoc, dumping a gazillion leaves into the water even as I work vacuuming, skimming or otherwise fishing them out with the net. But I shall be victorious.

We recently camped out — in our yard. And yes, it definitely counts as camping; we were in the woods, we had a campfire, we roasted marshmallows and we slept in a tent. We saw lightning bugs flying high in the treetops. And we heard things rustling about, sounding large and menacing. I understand armadillos can make a lot of racket in the dead of night, and so that’s what we told our 8-year-old son.

Although our son had no problem snoozing soundly through

14 | Summer 2010

the night, it was a restless night for my wife and me, as we are unaccustomed to sleeping on the ground. It didn’t help that earlier in the evening I had slipped on a piece of firewood. I fell hard on brick and logs and who-knows-what else (it was dark and I had foolishly neglected to turn on my light).

After assessing my injuries, I went directly to the house for some medicine: an adult beverage that I nursed for the duration of our evening. My wife made and maintained her first campfire.

Camping was a great adventure, although next time we will use our air mattress (and my flashlight).

Speaking of camping, in this edition of Our Town, Tatiana Quiroga tells us what she learned about Camp Crystal. Generations of children have enjoyed camping at the lake, including two of my kids and my wife — as a child and as a chaperone for our daughter.

Because Florida has long been considered a water-rich state, we have come to take water for granted.

But now the days of bountiful drinking water may be coming to an end. How long can our fragile water

resources stand up to pollution and population growth? Kevin Allen provides us with information about the challenges that loom on the horizon if we don’t change our ways.

On a lighter note, our writers have ventured out to all kinds of local places to bring you stories ranging from dog parks to a food co-op; from rowing clubs to photographers; from rails-to-trails to summer family days at the museum.

And recently, I had the opportunity to sit in on a rehearsal of the Righteous Kind, a local rock ‘n’ roll band that has been entertaining Gainesville audiences for the past three years.

Gainesville offers a rich variety of things to do and places to see, but if you are looking to get away, a 30-minute drive will take you to Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Historic State Park, in Cross Creek. Sarah Henderson tells us about the place the author lived for 25 years and wrote her Pulitzer prize-winning novel “The Yearling.”

I hope you enjoy reading this edition of Our Town Magazine.

I certainly have. s

CALENDAR >> SPOTLIGHT

THIS SUMMER THERE IS MELROSE BAY PASS, A 3’X4’ PAINTING BY ELEANOR BLAIR

ONLY ONE CHOICE

Art Walk On the last Friday of each month, local galleries in downtown Gainesville open their doors for the public to stroll in, peruse art, sample refreshments and visit with artists.

PHOTO BY BASIL CHILDERS

RIOULT Thurs. 5/20 The company will perform several signature works including Prelude to Night, a work created by Mr. Rioult after his wife, Joyce, was diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer.

Taste of Home Sun. 6/13 Sample cuisine from some of North Florida’s finest restaurants. Fundraiser benefits the Child Advocacy Center, Children’s Home Society, and other select charities.

OUR COMPLETE UPCOMING AREA EVENT LISTINGS CAN BE FOUND ON PAGE 120.

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STAFF >> CONTRIBUTORS Denise Trunk Krigbaum

Tatiana Quiroga

is a freelance writer, adjunct professor at UF, wife and a mom. She has lived in Gainesville for eons and has managed to turn over a few stones while here. She has found many hidden gems.

More remain to be discovered.

is a freelance writer and UF journalism junior. She is from Orlando and enjoys reading, traveling and spending time with friends. tatianajq@gmail.com

dtrunk@ufl.edu

Molly Larmie

Nicole Greiner

is a freelance writer and second-year student in UF’s College of Journalism and Communications.

is a freelance writer and sophomore at UF’s College of Journalism. She loves hanging out with friends, watching football and reading. She hopes to work for the National Football League one day.

mlarmie@ufl.edu

journ1453@ufl.edu

Brian “Krash” Kruger

Crystal Henry

is 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).

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.

bkrashpad@yahoo.com

ces03k@gmail.com

Sarah Henderson

Chris Wilson

is a student in UF’s College of Journalism and Communications. She enjoys reading, watching movies and spending time outdoors in her spare time.

has been a professional editor and writer for community publications in Gainesville and Tampa for more than 10 years.

He also has a passion for history and sports. Chris and his family live in Newberry.

sahenderson88@gmail.com

cwilson5000@msn.com

Kevin Allen

Kate Heller

is a veteran radio reporter/ editor who taught broadcast journalism at the University of Florida for more than 15 years.

Originally from Texas, he’s been right at home with the climate and culture in Florida.

is a freelance writer and student in UF’s College of Journalism. She enjoys reading, watching and playing sports and driving in her Jeep Wrangler with the top down.

Kcheller@comcast.net

kmareporter@aol.com

18 | Summer 2010

Larry Behnke

Debbie M. DeLoach, Ph.D.

is an artist, writer, photographer and a graduate of the University of Michigan in cinematography and painting. He has used solar electricity since 1984 and lives in a dome home.

is a freelance writer and garden consultant living in Gainesville. She also enjoys volunteering as an Alachua County Master Gardener and as a member of the Florida Native Plant Society.

larry@towerpublications.com

drdebbied@gmail.com

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>> OUTDOOR

Lake Wauburg

The University of Florida’s Natural Treasure

BY MOLLY LARMIE hen most University of Florida students clock in at their part-time jobs at frozen yogurt counters or burrito bars, Sami Kattan jumps into his friend’s car and heads to a different kind of employment. They drive 8 miles south of campus along Highway 441 through the flat expanse of Paynes Prairie State Preserve. The bustle of campus grows silent and the bustle of nature tunes

W

22 | Summer 2010

up. Kattan manages the climbing wall on the shore of Lake Wauburg, the University of Florida’s own natural escape. Kattan, an avid climber himself, signs in students, equips them for the ascent and then belays, or assists, them up the wall.

In 1918, more than ninety years before Kattan landed a college student’s dream job, the University YMCA bought 20 acres of land and water at Lake

PHOTOS BY MOLLY LARMIE

ABOVE: UF students suntan in front of the swimming area on the north shore of Lake Wauburg.

RIGHT: Robert Knipple, who was visiting his girlfriend at UF, paddles a canoe across Lake Wauburg. UF students, faculty and staff with a Gator 1 ID can bring up to four guests per visit to the lake.

Wauburg in Micanopy. From campus, the journey south to the lake took half the day —longer, if travelers bogged down in the curvy sand and mud road.

When the YMCA disbanded, the lake property was deeded to the university. “Camp Wauburg” would now operate under the student union, which took over in 1936, said Bill James, Lake Wauburg director.

The official transfer of the property to the University of Florida occurred in 1938. A court order attached to the transfer designated the property for use by UF students and staff only. The order forbade the sale or transfer of the property continued on page 25

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In 1962, UF Student Government received Lake Wauburg South, a 65-acre lot on the south shore, which the Athletic Association had purchased from a private citizen in 1958, according to the UF Department of Recreational Sports Web site.

As maintenance costs mounted, the student union requested financial support from the university administration. They were denied.

The union closed Lake Wauburg in the fall of 1970 because of lack of funds, which led to deterioration of the facilities, James said.

Four years later, the property reopened under the Department of Intramural Athletics and Recreation, known today as the UF Department of Recreational Sports, with funding from a reserve fee allocation and other contributions from the university and outside donors.

Since reopening, the north park has never again closed its shores, sustained by Student Government funding and aid from the UF College of Health and Human Performance, James said.

Student Government funding of $225,000, collected through special request funds, enabled development at Lake Wauburg South in 1982, according to the Recreational Sports Web site. The funding covered the construction of two pavilions, a restroom and waterfront decks and docks. Lake Wauburg South has been in continuous use by the students, faculty and staff of the university since 1985.

From 1998 to 2000, the lake property underwent large-scale renovations. The most dramatic: an overhaul of Wauburg’s Cypress Lodge, which was refurbished with a full-service kitchen, an enlarged recreation room and modern lighting. Central heating and air conditioning were installed, along with new

septic and water systems.

After almost a century of university management, Lake Wauburg appears much as it did at the beginning of the 20th century: One mile by one half-mile of rippling green, fed by spring water and runoff from the surrounding area, teaming with aquatic and avian life.

PHOTO BY MOLLY LARMIE

UF students Marlies Van De Linde (left) and Megan Larmie paddle across the lake. Visitors can rent canoes, paddleboats, kayaks and rowboats at Lake Wauburg.

Truly, James said, the most radical change may have taken place in the early 1970s, when Dr. Charles S. Williams, Assistant Dean of the College of Health and Human Performance at the time, altered the original spelling of “Wauberg” to “Wauburg” to include the German word “burg,” which means town or community.

“We’ve been here a long, long time,” James said.

“We’ve made some improvements, but for the most part, we try to keep things as natural as possible.” continued on next page To do so, the Wauburg

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PHOTO BY MOLLY LARMIE

Students relax aboard a sailboat in the middle of the lake.

Students with a sail card, obtained by completing a swim test, can check out a Sunfish, Laser, Hobie Cat or Pekoe sailboat.

administration abides by state preservation laws and keeps away from the lake shoreline. The State of Florida, UF and the ten private residents who live at Wauburg collectively banned gas-powered motors from the lake, James said. Electric motors are permitted, but the small size of the lake deters most boats except for the 2009 Malibu V Ride that hauls the UF Wakeboard and Ski Club at afternoon practice.

Instead, James said, the administration prefers to use what is already available. On the north shore, a gently sloped bank overlooks the waterfront, providing about 20 acres ideal for picnics, lawn games and sunbathing. A lifeguard monitors the small, rectangular swimming area that extends from a large wooden dock to a floating platform.

Adjacent to the swimming area, visitors launch rented sailboats, canoes, paddleboats, rowboats and kayaks. Their hulls glide quietly through tan reeds near to the shoreline, sending up thin clouds of water bugs and startling alligators.

Beneath the boats, catfish, bass, speckled perch and shellcracker fish mull about the greenish gloom. Widewinged eagles, ospreys, cormorants, herons and egrets stalk the fish from high altitude.

Lake Wauburg’s 65-acre south shore lot provides flat ground for soccer and baseball fields and an 18-hole disc golf course that spans more than 3,800 feet, according to the Web site. At 55 feet in height, the

26 | Summer 2010

south shore climbing wall presents an impressive challenge. Nineteen different routes to the top accommodate the skill level of both novice and experienced climbers.

The wall is geared for individual use and training, but the south shore’s Alpine Tower, a wooden, four-sided structure with foot and handholds, is designed for team development, James said. By instructing and encouraging other members up the tower, student groups learn to trust one another, he said.

Most activities at the lake are designed to promote teamwork. Every fall, Lake Wauburg hosts the Adventure Race. Two-member teams grind out a 3-mile trail run, a 6-mile trail ride on mountain bikes, a 2-mile canoe paddle and an optional ascension up the climbing wall.

Several special tasks included in the contest put the “adventure” in Adventure Race, James said. Mental challenges, such as changing positions in a canoe without tipping, or finding clues around the lake, even the playing field for less athletic competitors. Prizes are awarded in the male, female and co-ed team divisions.

About 65,000 people visit the lake each year.

Sun-kissed weekends in April and May can attract 1,000-1,500 visitors per day.

“That’s the best time of year,” James said. “The weather is perfect, and the bugs are minimal.”

Most people pass the day picnicking and paddling their boats around the lake. James said the average visitor spends about four hours at Wauburg: either picnicking or grilling, paddling on the lake, or playing “tailgating games” such as horseshoes and bocce ball.

“Students appreciate having a good time and not having to pay a lot of money,” he said.

Thanks to Student Government funding from tuition fees, a day at Lake Wauburg is free to all UF students, faculty and staff with a valid Gator 1 ID. Up to four visitors can enter the park under one ID, which allows for guests who are not affiliated with UF. But the poor economy has complicated funding. As prices keep going up, it has become more difficult to purchase necessities, like equipment, with the same budget, James said.

“Everybody [at the university] can do better, but we do fine,” he said.

For adventure-loving Sami Kattan, “doing fine” means getting paid to spend time outdoors.

“Everyone I work with is really laid back, and I have nature and trees all around me,” he said.

“It’s just a nice atmosphere.” s For more information: 352-466-4112 or www.recsports.ufl.edu/lakewauburg.aspx.

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>> OFF-LEASH

1

Running Free

Gainesville Dog parks are Pooch Paradises

BY DEBBIE M. DELOACH e is running full tilt, ears flapping in the wind, tongue dangling out of the corner of his mouth and a pack of buddies by his side. Life does not get any better. This and other such activities abound at Gainesville’s off-leash dog parks.

Skip Williams, a dog park patron for two years, owns two yellow labs, Lily and Bogie.

“They love it out here,” Williams

H

28 | Summer 2010

said. “The can run off the energy so much easier here than anyplace else.”

Luckily, Gainesville has five offleash dog parks where dog owners can watch their furry friends run free and socialize to their hearts’ desire.

Responsible dog owners should not bring pets that will cause or pick fights or dogs with high levels of aggression.

Paul Pursell takes his shepherd mix, Almeda, to an off-leash park at

least once a week.

“I don’t have a fenced yard, and it’s a great way to socialize him,” Pursell said of his one-year-old companion.

All area dog parks have both sunny and shady areas and are securely fenced and double-gated to prevent escapes. They all provide a fresh water source, plastic bags and garbage cans. Dog owners should be vigilant and continually observe their pets. Additionally,

2

PHOTOS BY DEBBIE M. DELOACH

1

3

4

1. Fannie the Australian cattle dog carries a coveted stick

they should use the plastic bags and garbage cans to pick up after their four-legged darlings.

The parks also provide benches although patrons may wish to bring their own chairs in case the benches are full. Restrooms are located outside the off-leash areas.

Some dog owners take time to socialize with their own kind while others concentrate on playing with their dogs. A favorite activity is fetch. While many balls and other toys are left behind for pooches to use, most folks prefer to bring their own toys.

Suzanne Bohner recently used an off-leash dog park to observe how a dog she was considering adopting interacted with other dogs. She also had her own puppy out that day, a Pembroke Welsh Corgi named Abbybelle. Bohner lives in a townhouse, and she takes Abbybelle to dog parks often.

The City of Gainesville Department of Parks, Recreation

and Cultural Affairs hosts free off-leash areas in four city parks.

Further information about these parks is available through the City of Gainesville Nature Operations at 352-334-5067.

Forest Park, located at 4501 S.W. 20th Ave., contains loose sandy areas as well as grassy areas with picnic tables. It also has access to Hogtown Creek, which is just outside the fenced dog area. However, dog owners should not take their pets to the creek because it contains alligators.

The Northeast Park off-leash area is the smallest of the three but currently has a clean cover of wood mulch. It is located at 400 N.E. 16th Ave. The dog area in Squirrel Ridge Park is grassy with large trees along two sides. It is located at 1603 S.W. Williston Road.

According to their Web site, the City of Gainesville will open a new off-leash continued on next page

www.VisitOurTowns.com

she has just retrieved from the pond. Soon the black lab will have it. Frequent changes of toy ownership are common at Dog Wood Park.

2. Heading home after a romp at Squirrel Ridge dog park.

The picturesque path from the off-leash area to the parking lot can be muddy so keep towels in the car.

3. Meet and greet, canine style.

Almeda, shepherd mix, stands by while his cohorts greet a newly arrived puppy. Tails up means interest and is non-threatening.

The puppy knows his place as he strikes a submissive pose on his back.

4. Dottie Driyer works Fannie on the agility course at Dog Wood Park. Agility training and competition is a strenuous workout for both dog and owner.

Summer 2010 | 29

Gainesville has five off-leash dog parks where dog owners can watch their furry friends run free and socialize to their hearts’ desire. dog area in late April. It will be located at Possum Creek Park, 4009 N.W. 53rd Ave. Other improvements to the park include a skate park and fresh paving, signs and landscaping.

Sales taxes collected through the Wild Places Public Spaces initiative have funded these improvements.

This new off-leash area is convenient to dog owners who live in the far northwest area of Gainesville.

Dog Wood Park, located at 5505 S.W. Archer Road, was the country’s first private country club for dogs.

People may buy club memberships and have dawn-to-dusk, year-round access to the park. Non-members may pay per visit and per dog but visiting times are restricted to specific hours through the week. This park has rules concerning children, intact male dogs, dog health and vaccinations, so call ahead to plan your visit.

Rachel Thornton, co-owner of Dog Wood Park, said, “The biggest thing we did was we cleaned up the entire park, all 15 acres. We repainted the entire building, and we started the process to repave the entire driveway.”

While their dogs are playing, many people prefer to relax on one of the benches, swings, hammocks or perhaps at the gazebo. There is fresh water for drinking as well as for swimming. Two large manmade ponds with gently sloping sides provide water dogs a bit of aquatic heaven.

The park also has an agility course, a sandpit and separately

fenced areas. These separate fenced rooms provide smaller dogs a respite away from larger dogs, areas for dogs that need to stay dry, and a private spot for parties. For an extra charge, visitors and members may use a warm-water bath facility to bathe their dogs before loading them up for the trip home.

Dottie Driyer is co-owner of an Australian cattle dog blue heeler named Fannie. The pond and agility course really sold her on this park.

“There’s new ownership here, and I think they’ve done a pretty good job of cleaning the place up and keeping it mowed and updating the equipment,” Driyer said. “So, we’re happy to be here.”

Earl Dojan and his dog, Alex, are “here only five months out of the year. At our home in Connecticut, he’s got five acres of land to run in.

Here it’s a different situation. We found this park to be the best one that we could find in the area, and he comes every day. So, I’m very pleased with it.” s

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PHOTOS BY CHRIS WILSON

TOP: Pat BerrymanDages shoots hoops at Westside Park to stay in shape. Westside also features a children’s playground, tennis courts, a pool, ball fi elds, picnic areas and plenty of space to wander.

ABOVE: Madeline Berryman-Dages enjoys “skooting” the half pipe at Westside Park. She is careful to don all the necessary safety equipment.

32 | Summer 2010

>> PARKS & RECREATION

Gainesville Area Parks A Cool Summertime Retreat and More

BY CHRIS WILSON he city of Gainesville has many recreational opportunities for the citizens of Alachua County. Both young and old have a chance to enjoy a cool dip in the pool, a hike through nature or to participate in any of the available sports activities at local parks.

City of Gainesville Director of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs Steve Phillips said the city has spent a great deal of time upgrading local parks just in time for the summer.

“The funding we’re getting from the Wild Spaces, Public Places [surtax] is giving us an opportunity to do a lot of renovations and add some improvements to our parks,” he said.

However, Phillips explained that the summer of 2011 will be even better for Gainesville area parks.

“There are a number of renovations that we were not able to get done right away,” he said. “We didn’t want to disrupt the plans of any of the summer camps, so we decided to hold off on some projects until the summer is over.”

Among those improvements that will not be seen until 2011 are the opening of the senior recreational center at Northeast Park, a new rubberized eight-lane track, new basketball courts and a new restroom facility at Cone Park, and boardwalk renovations at Ring Park. Smoky Bear Park, which is a former state park

T

PHOTO COURTESY OF DEPARTMENT OF PARKS, RECREATION AND CULTURAL AFFAIRS

located on Northeast 14th Street, will be owned by the City of Gainesville by the end of this summer. Phillips said there will be a number of new park features added to that park when the city acquires it.

Pools Whether it is a workout or just a soak on a hot day, the City of Gainesville’s public pools offer a great way to cool off. The city operates three public pools. For a fee, city and non-city residents can enjoy the pools on a daily admission paid at the pool or on a seasonal pool pass, which can be purchased at the administrative offices. There are family and continued on next page

PHOTOS COURTESY OF DEPARTMENT OF PARKS, RECREATION AND CULTURAL AFFAIRS

Children enjoy playing on the splash pad (top right) and high diving (bottom), at the H. Spurgeon Cherry “Westside” Pool.

(Right middle) children prepare to race each other across the Dwight H. Hunter (Northeast) pool.

www.VisitOurTowns.com

Summer 2010 | 33

individual passes available.

The H. Spurgeon Cherry Westside Pool and the Dwight H. Hunter Northeast Pool went through a number of upgrades during the winter months. The Westside Pool got a new aqua slide and a new filtration system. Northeast Pool, meanwhile, has gotten a geothermal unit that will keep the water cool in summer and heat it up in the winter.

“The heating and cooling system at Northeast Pool is really what we’re most excited about,” Phillips said.

“That pool usually opens after April, when the weather gets warm, and it typically closes around October. This new system will allow us to keep the pool open year round. It’s exciting because this is our largest pool.”

The Northeast Pool is part of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Multipurpose Center located on Northeast 14th Street in Gainesville. The 50-meter pool features eight lap lanes, one- and three-meter diving boards and an aqua slide.

The pool at the Westside Recreation Center can be accessed through the entrance on Northwest 31st Drive. The 50-meter pool features short course lap lanes, one- and three-meter diving boards and diving towers and an aqua slide. Phillips said the new aqua slide will simply be a new structure, not a newly designed slide.

“All of the fittings were in place, so we’re just installing an updated structure,” he said.

The Andrew R. Mickle Pool is part of the T.B. McPherson Recreation Center on Southeast 15th Street.

It is the smallest of the three public pools, at 25 yards in length. It features lap lanes and one- and threemeter diving boards.

In addition, all of the pools have picnic areas, which make it easy for families to spend an entire day poolside. All of the pools also feature disabled access ramps and professionally trained lifeguards and staff.

Possum Creek Park Updated A park that might look like it is brand new this summer is Possum Creek Park, located at 4009 N.W. 53rd Ave. just east of Northwest 43rd Street. Until now,

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Possum Creek has just had a few fields and playground equipment.

At the end of April, the park reopened with a new dog park, new playground equipment, newly paved trails and a skate park.

“There was a lot of improvement done there to make it a more active park,” Phillips said. “Now, beginning and advanced skaters, dog owners and families can all enjoy that park.”

Skate Parks When the skate park at Possum Creek opens, it will be the largest of the three city-operated skate parks.

The other two are located at Westside Park and at Northeast Park, behind Citizens Field.

“This one is a multi-purpose skate park, for beginners and advanced skaters alike,” Phillips said. “It’s the largest skate park that the city runs. It will have a number of street skating features.”

Among the “street” features is a staircase with handrails. Phillips said there will also be a large bowl, floating half pipes, an escalating quarter pipe and a number of other features.

Summer Camps The City of Gainesville Parks and Recreation Department will again be offering a number of summer camps. There will be nature, sports, nutrition and other weekly themes offered throughout the summer.

Summer camp, which is daily from 6:30 a.m. - 6:30 p.m., will begin on Monday, June 21, at the Eastside Recreation Center (2841 E. University Ave.), Northeast Community Center (1701 N.E. Eighth Ave.), Porters Community Center (512 S.W. Sixth Ave.), Martin Luther King Jr. Multipurpose Center (1028 N.E. 14th St.) and the Albert “Ray” Massey Westside Recreation Center (1001 N.W. 34th St.). Camp is open to boys and girls ages 6-13 and rates vary depending on where the camp is held and whether the participant lives inside or outside of city limits. s For more information, visit www.cityofgainesville.org or call 352-334-5067.

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Summer 2010 | 35

COLUMN >> ALBERT ISAAC

Different Note I can’t help it. It’s true.

Even my wife admits it. am a tick magnet (not to be confused with a chick magnet, she is quick to point out).

And now that summer is upon us, I can’t step outside of the house without being besieged by the blood-sucking ticks that populate our woods. I swear, they are invisible — at least in the beginning. But by the following day, they are not only visible, they are well-fed.

Even after the quickest venture into the front yard (which is not wooded) I can come into the house, scrub myself down with sandpaper and lo and behold I will still find those nasty vermin latched onto my leg, waist, or unmentionables. They attach with a death grip — death to the ticks when I pull them off and they leave their mouthparts in me.

I’ve heard you can burn them off with a match. But let’s not forget the simple yet noteworthy fact that a generous portion of the varmint is embedded in my flesh. How do you burn the tick and not the host? Like they tell doctors, “First, do no harm.”

I yank them off with my fingers. Or my wife’s fingers. Or tweezers. Or needle-nose pliers. Whatever tool I have at my disposal.

But this is not entirely about ticks. This is about the remarkable variety of life that inhabits our world, and my yard, most of which goes undetected by the human eyeball.

Case in point: I’ve lived in Florida my entire life, but the other night I witnessed something I’d never ever seen or even heard of before.

It happened on Easter Eve. Late in the night, I was outside surveying my yard with my flashlight, making sure the Easter Bunny had done her job. Yes, the Easter Bunny is female — how else would she lay those eggs?

She is also invisible.

It was dark. I was wearing pajamas and flip-flops. On my head I wore my new Christmas present: a flashlight strapped to my forehead. Very sexy look, I know.

I

36 | Summer 2010

As I surveyed the grounds, I noticed a glittering sparkle of dew on a blade of grass. And another. And another. It reminded me of some remarkable close-up photographs of bugs covered with dewdrops that I had recently seen on the Internet. I thought it would be nice to take some pictures. I then remembered that the photographer who captured those wonderful images had to get up at 5 a.m. I immediately scratched that notion.

Back to my yard surveillance.

As I moved about, I heard strange rustling sounds around me. I never did figure out what that was, but it was unnerving. Another invisible thing, creeping about.

Could have been the bunny.

Then, I noticed the same greenish glitter, moving up the stem of a weed. I moved in for closer inspection and discovered the glow originated from the multi-faceted eyes of a moth, bright as a sparkling green diamond.

If the eyes of a moth glittered like a diamond, what was I seeing out in the yard as I traipsed about in my flip-flops?

I trained my headlight into the yard and again saw the glittering, bright sparkles. Lots of them. They seemed to bob up and down as I walked closer. As I approached for a closer look I saw them for what they truly were.

Spiders. Hundreds of them, maybe more, their eyes glowing back at me like glittering gemstones. Some were small. Some were not small. Regardless of size, I could see them from clear across the yard, staring back at me.

How is it that I have lived my entire life in Florida and had never before seen such a thing? I’ve spent time outdoors. Lots of time. But, then again, I’ve never worn a flashlight on my head.

Later, I told my oldest son about this experience. Of course, this phenomenon was nothing new to him.

“Oh yeah, I’ve seen those before,” he said.

“At Camp Crystal.”

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buddy of mine. He had never seen such a thing before either. That in itself is not so strange, but after a while we were joined by a couple of friends. We talked about all kinds of things, but then, out of the blue, this woman starts talking about being at Camp Crystal with her kids, years ago. She described how they would tell the children to go out with flashlights and look for the gems glittering in the night.

Yes, the spiders. There’s some crazy synchronicity there, I say. What are the chances that this same crazy topic would come up right after my discovery?

If only there was some way for me to detect those ticks so easily, before they dig in. But no, they are stealthy. You can’t hardly feel them. You can snatch them from your arm and they will vanish, moving about on your fingertip, always out of view, like a lizard scampering to the opposite side of a tree as soon as you look for it. You’ll find the annoying arachnid later, fat and sassy, attached to your underarm.

Oh, and don’t even get me started on demodicids.

Although we can’t see them, these little mites are literally right in front of our eyes. They take up residence in our eyelashes, a veritable colony of mites living in the hair follicles.

I think I was better off not knowing about those.

Cursed Discovery Channel!

I don’t know about you, but I’m starting to itch. s

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42 | Summer 2010

>> WATERSPORT

Masters’ Rowing A Day with the Gainesville Area Rowing Group

BY DENISE TRUNK KRIGBAUM haded by the boat they held aloft, four women walked in step from the boathouse down a floating dock toward the nearly calm waters of Newnans Lake.

A pair of eagles watched from a perch high in a cypress as, in one smooth motion, the women lowered the sculling boat into the water, slid oars into riggings, tightened them.

The late afternoon sun warmed the air as the rowers carefully balanced and boarded the narrow, roughly 45-foot-long vessel, called a shell. With four rowers moving together within its thin casing, the shell moved off and then glided across the water’s surface, not unlike a water bug.

S

This was not the beginning of a casual spin around the lake, rather it was the start of a 90-minute workout that would test the rowers’ stamina, strength and determination during a series of drills. Coach Brian Motyer shadowed the shell from a motor-powered launch, shouting directions, position corrections and motivation at the rowers. At times he used a bullhorn to be heard over engine noise and distance.

The four-person shell (called a quad), the rowers and the coach are part of the Gainesville Area Rowing masters group. The non-profit club trains members to row for fun and sport, and welcomes new members to join during its quarterly learnto-row events. Members, who range

in age from 22 to 90, say they enjoy the sport because it is a lowimpact, great workout with built-in socializing. Plus, it is out in nature.

Gainesville Area Rowing, which started in 1998 as the Eastside High School crew team, has expanded to include middle school students and an adult masters group. GAR’s masters group is made up of men and women, 22 years old or older, who have either a competitive edge or an urge to stay fit. Many of the masters’ 36 members have both. The club itself has picked up speed in the past three years, building both its recreational and competitive membership.

Motyer said the sport is accessible to many people with continued on next page many

ALL PHOTOS BY TJM STUDIOS PHOTOGRAPHY

Members of the Gainesville Area Rowing, brandishing 12 1/2 foot oars, stand on the rowing dock on Newnans Lake.

The oars are made of carbon fi ber and weigh 3 to 4 pounds. Pictured here: (left to right): Taylor Glenn, Stacy Dreher, Gary Gookin, Clayton Cox, Amanda Soukup, John Herbert, Jen Figueroa, Alina Zare, Carla Sallese-Bice.

www.VisitOurTowns.com

Summer 2010 | 43

types of strengths.

“To row well takes a certain amount of physical gumption, determination, stick-with-it-ness,” Motyer said. “It is not necessary to be a ‘born athlete.’ Very few people are naturals at rowing. It helps if you have balance, but you don’t have to have great hand-eye coordination like some sports.”

As the quad scull on Lake Newnan made its way around the lake, it was stamina the four rowers required.

“What is that squeaking sound?”

Motyer called to the crew. “Is that a rigger or is that someone’s hip?”

At the next break, one woman reached down and tightened the casing holding her oar.

Motyer, who has rowed for 33

44 | Summer 2010

years, said he still has things to improve on his technique. As in golf, the quest for the perfect stroke is sought like the Holy Grail, with a dedication bordering on obsession.

“If you have an obsessive personality, rowing is totally your sport,” Motyers said. “You will never, never achieve perfection at it.”

Synchronicity of movement brings smooth flight. But synchronicity takes practice and skill to maintain, Motyer said.

“Getting in synch, in unison, makes rowing feel incredibly easy,” Motyer said. “You get two strokes together and it feels amazing; then it takes months to get two strokes together again.”

The deceptively effortless rowing stroke contains more

elements than meets the eye. In sculling, the motion is circular.

From the starting position, hands reach forward, bent legs push back, the seat slides, the arms bend, the knees bend, the seat slides forward, then arms reach forward to start the cycle again. As for position, the head is fixed, eyes forward. Shoulders remain upright.

The rower is perched on the sliding seat. The feet are only part of the rower’s body that remain fixed and not in motion. They stay strapped into shoes that are attached to the boat rigging.

“The action is leg driven,” Motyers said. “And though it is low-impact, rowing burns a ton of calories, so you can just eat whatever you want.

I like to think I burn more calories

before 7 a.m. than the average person burns in a day.”

While the technique is complex, newcomers to the sport can get the basic skills in one week. It takes one month to be proficient and about six months to become race proficient, Motyer said. Of course, that timeline assumes practice.

GAR holds recreational and competitive practices nearly every day. During inclement weather, the club has indoor ergometers [rowing machines] and weights to build strength and stamina.

The chance to join GAR is during the ninth annual National Learn to Row Day, June 5. The event is free to participants but requires registration. Last year an overflow list of 60 people registered for GAR’s

48 open slots for the June event.

In addition to the jargon required at learn-to-row events, GAR teaches two styles of rowing: scull and sweep rowing. In sculling, rowers face the rear of the boat and

across the front of the body, then back away toward the side. On the National Learn to Row Day in June, participants will row sweep boats.

There are three types of sculls, a single, a double and a quad. Sweep

“If you have an obsessive personality, rowing is totally your sport,” Motyers said. “You will never, never achieve perfection at it.” use two oars in a very balanced, in-line motion to propel the boat.

In sweep rowing, rowers also face the rear of the boat. They use one oar and pull it from one side,

www.VisitOurTowns.com

boats consist of pairs, four- and eight-person boats. Rowing the scull requires more finesse, while the sweep more strength. continued on page 47

Summer 2010 | 45

COMMON BOAT (SHELL) TERMS • Bow: Front of the boat.

• Eight: A shell for 8 rowers,

• Slide: The tracks or shaped

• Stern: Back of the boat.

each holding a single

rails that allow the seat to

• Port: Left side of the

oar. Includes a cox.

move during the stroke

boat when looking

• Gunwale: (pronounced

from stern to bow.

“gunnel”) The top edge

• Starboard: Right side of

of the side of the boat.

the boat when looking

• Oar Lock: A loose clamp

from stern to bow.

• Shell: Another word for the rowing boat.

• Sweep: A boat in which each rower has one oar.

• Scull: A boat in which each rower has two oars.

• Single: A scull for one rower (a sculler).

• Double: A sculling shell

• Rudder: A palm-sized movable fin behind the skeg used for finely steering a shell.

• Head Race: Generally a Fall

outward at the rigger’s

regatta, typically rowing

end that holds the oar

upriver over a winding course

and lets the oar pivot.

covering several miles. Races

• Rigger: The tubular extensions extending from the gunwale to the oarlock.

• Fin or Skeg: A small keel

are timed start to finish, rather than 1:1 parallel racing.

• Sprint Race: Generally a Spring regatta. Typically 1000

fixed under the stern of the

meters for Masters rowers,

hull to help it glide straight.

1500 meters for Juniors and

• Foot Stretcher: The shoe or

2000 meters for Collegiate

for two rowers, each

sandal assembly into which

and Olympic races. As many

holding two oars.

strap your feet in a shell.

as eight shells may line up

• Pair: A sweep with two rowers, each having one oar.

• Four: A shell for 4 rowers, each holding a single oar. Includes a cox.

• Quad: A sculling shell for 4 rowers, each holding two oars. No cox.

46

• Oar: Sweep oars are

in parallel and race each

about 12 feet long. Parts

another over a straight

include blade, shaft, collar,

course to the finish line.

and handle or grip.

• Seat: The sliding seat that enables the rower to deliver power with the legs.

A LEARN TO ROW WEEKEND is $125 for a three-day course that introduces people to sport, machines, jargon, sweep and scull rowing. Information on the next Learn to Row Weekend - usually held in late September - will be available on the GAR Web site, gainesvillearearowing.com, in late summer.

NATIONAL LEARN TO ROW DAY IS JUNE 5 Register by visiting gainesvillearearowing.com, or e-mail masters@gainesvillearearowing.com.

GAINESVILLE AREA ROWING CLUB membership is $105 a quarter and includes use of all machines, equipment and boats.

Competition costs are included. Training is an extra fee and can either be paid monthly or per-session.

47

o continued from page 45 Jen Defant, 29, went out on a sweep boat for the first time at the national learn-to-row event two years ago. She was hooked.

“I was bored of my gym routine when I was encouraged by a co-worker to sign up for the

What draws many to the sport is its whole body workout.

“As a workout it is great,” Motyer said. “It provides a low-impact cardio workout that improves balance and timing.

At the same time you are in fresh air seeing nature.”

“It provides a low-impact cardio workout that improves balance and timing. At the same time you are in fresh air seeing nature.”

National Learn to Row Day,” Defant said. “I loved it. I liked the people, I liked being outside, plus, it is a great workout.”

Defant said she did not take up the sport to compete but rather to socialize and get to know people.

As it turns out, she said, “Racing is fun. It gives me a great goal to maximize my workout.”

The low- to no-impact nature of the sport led Kelly Bergdoll to try it.

Bergdoll, 52, a small business owner, was never an athlete until she reached her 30s. She inherited a genetic predisposition for arthritic joints that made finding a sport difficult. The fencing she did, with all its lunging, strained her knees. Running was not an option.

“I’d been a masters swimmer and was looking for a new challenge. Another rower suggested it, and I started with a learn-to-row weekend two years ago,” she said.

The low-impact nature of the sport coupled with Bergdoll’s competitive nature hooked her. Now she races regularly.

“Sculling is very symmetrical,” Bergdoll said. “It is a sport you can do for your whole life. While it requires a lot of focus and mental concentration, sculling doesn’t require super-human strength. It also provides a mental challenge of matching up with the other people in your boat.”

Bergdoll said rowing is the best way to undo the effects of a tough workday.

“I come to the lake after work grumpy and tired. I workout on the water and I leave feeling fantastic,” she said. “Sitting on the couch watching television is just not going to do that.” s

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>> HISTORIC SITE

Telling Her Story

BY SARAH A. HENDERSON

Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Historic State Park Speaks Volumes 50 | Summer 2010

PHOTO BY SARAH A. HENDERSON

OPPOSITE: The front porch of her cracker-style house is where Rawlings wrote most of her works, including her most famous book, “The Yearling.”

he only door ever locked by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings at her cracker-style house in Cross Creek was the door to her liquor cabinet.

But this is not the only quirky fact visitors will learn at the Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Historic State Park.

Park rangers and volunteers hope that through their tours and preservation of the Rawlings property, people from all over the world will discover and appreciate the legendary author who blossomed in Old Florida.

“I love to see people discover Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, seeing them discover the history of it,” said Mona James, a volunteer tour guide at the state park, Rawlings was born in Washington, D.C., Aug. 8, 1896, and grew up always wanting to be a writer. She started her career young, submitting children’s stories to local newspapers until she was 16. Rawlings even won a prize for a short story she wrote at age 15.

She attended college at the University of Wisconsin in Madison and graduated with a degree in English in 1918. It is there she met her first husband, Charles Rawlings, with whom she worked on the school’s literary magazine. The two married in 1919.

The couple moved around, working as journalists in Louisville, Ky., and Rochester, N.Y. But in November 1928, after too many cold winters and much dissatisfaction with her work as a journalist, Rawlings found her perfect home in Florida. Rawlings wrote eight books at her Cross Creek farmhouse — the only place the author felt she could write well.

Thirty thousand people visit the Rawlings farmhouse each year, said Lee Townsend, a park ranger at Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Historic State Park. People of all ages from all over the world take a trip to the park to learn about the famous author.

“The park allows people to step back in time to the 20s, 30s and 40s,” he said. “They get to see how people then lived and what kind of work they did.”

Besides the farmhouse, visitors to the park can wander through the farmyard with ducks and chickens, peek into the barn, view Rawlings’ garden and outhouse, and look around the tenant quarters. There are also two nature trails open for visitors to enjoy.

James is one of several volunteer tour guides at the state park, and she has shared the Rawlings house with visitors for more than six years. She said the park receives the most visitors in spring and early summer because the weather is more comfortable in the old farmhouse, which is not air-conditioned.

“I love being out here in a place that feels so removed from modern life,” James said. “It’s so relaxing and feels like another place, continued on next page

T

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©2008 Alachua County Office of Waste Alternatives

Summer 2010 | 51

another time.”

— for much of their marriage.

But Marjorie and Charles experienced tough times However, according the University of Florida adjusting to their new Florida home; tough times visiarchives, Rawlings felt uncomfortable living in Cross tors will learn about on the park tour. Though Marjorie Creek after a neighbor sued her for libel in 1943. The grew to love the neighbor, Zelma challenging experiCason, did not like ences along with what Rawlings the good ones, and had written of her even incorporated in “Cross Creek,” them in her writings, Rawlings’ memoir Charles never fully about her life in adjusted. The couple the small Florida divorced in 1933. community. Upset “She wasn’t a by this, Rawlings perfect woman,” spent most of her James said. summers following “But who is?”

1947 at her newly After the divorce, purchased farm in Rawlings remained Van Hornesville, N.Y. in Florida writing.

During the rest of PHOTO BY SARAH A. HENDERSON She completed her the year, she lived most famous work, with Baskin at their The Rawlings property includes a farmhouse, a barn, tenant quarters, a “The Yearling,” in cottage in Crescent garden, an outhouse and a citrus grove, all of which can still be visited 1938 for which she Beach, Fla. Rawlings by the public at Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Historic State Park. won a Pulitzer Prize only occasionally in 1939. Two years later she married Norton Baskin, a visited her Cross Creek property thereafter. hotel owner from St. Augustine. They lived separately Rawlings died Dec. 24, 1953, in St. Augustine, — Rawlings in Cross Creek and Baskin in St. Augustine after suffering a fatal cerebral hemorrhage. The

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author bequeathed her Cross Creek property to the University of Florida, where she once taught creative writing classes. Rawlings Hall, a UF dormitory, is named in her honor.

Initially, to avoid damage, Baskin removed Rawlings’ personal belongings from the house. But in the 1970s, when the house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and the state park established, Baskin moved some of her things back so the items could help share Rawlings’ life story with park visitors. The house and farmyard were designated a National Historic Landmark in 2006.

Today, because of Baskin, volunteer tour guides like James can easily and authentically share the story of Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings and her life in beautiful Cross Creek. James hopes visitors become both curious about and inspired by the author, similar to James’ first experiences on the Rawlings property years ago.

“I like so much how she made me stop and look at nature like no one ever has,” James said. “I’m so grateful for having discovered her.” s

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54 | Summer 2010

>> CREATIVITY

Artists in the Making Summer Family Events at the Harn

BY KATE HELLER s the number of college students dwindles and campus quiets down, the museum gears up for its family filled summer schedule.

Children are impressionable. So the Harn Museum of Art uses summertime to implant youngsters with some art savvy.

On June 19, the Harn will present an interactive tour of “America at Work,” an exhibit of about 50 art and propaganda posters related to America’s national identity during the early twentieth century. Visitors explore the main exhibition gallery to view motivational posters that were used in the work place, said Tami Wroath, director of marketing at the museum.

The program is one of the five Family Days hosted by the museum every year. Children, usually ranging from 2 years old to fifth graders, and parents are invited to attend together.

The guide uses basic, age-appropriate language to engage the children, while parents get a crash course on how to talk to their children about art.

After the tour, children move to classroom spaces downstairs to create their own screen paintings, replicating art from the exhibit. “America at Work” posters will expose children to an art form that is easier to understand than paintings and sculptures from older periods, Wroath said.

“Posters are a little more assessable, especially for people who shy away from art,” she said.

Admission is free for the Family Day as well as the exhibit, which will be on display in the museum’s main gallery from June 8 to Sept. 5.

All ages — even college students — are encouraged to participate in the art projects, and children appreciate the time spent with their parents. “[Family-oriented activities] instill a love of art at an

A

early age,” Wroath said. “Hopefully, the children will continue coming back, and it will continue to be a part of their lives.”

The “America at Work” Family Day follows the museum’s Earth Day Celebration Family Day that took place on April 24. The celebration is held annually with the Natural History Museum next door.

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hands-on art activities using recycled materials and booths set up by local businesses and vendors with information on environmental topics and energy efficiency. Waste Management and the UF Office of Sustainability were in attendance this year, Wroath said.

This summer, the Harn will also continue to host Tot Time for families with children 2 to 5 years old on the first Friday and last Tuesday of every month. Each event will focus on a different theme like outdoor art or sculptures. Children look for reoccurring aspects in the works of art, Wroath said.

Day camps offer an introduction course for older children with a greater art appreciation. Campers travel through the collection areas with sketchbooks to learn the fundamentals of art and design. The camps are organized so children can wander around the galleries at their own pace and choose what to sketch.

Summer art camps are available for two different age groups. Kindergartners, first and second graders are welcomed to the museum the week of July 12, while third, fourth and fifth graders attend the week of July 26.

The museum’s five permanent galleries — African, Asian, Modern, Contemporary and Photography art — are open and available to the campers.

Last year, finished sketches were displayed at the end of the week, and children took their parents on tours of the galleries with the help of their sketchbooks, Wroath said.

The summer camps are popular, and they fill up quickly. Last year, there was a waiting list, said Bonnie Bernau, the director of education at the museum.

Staff, students and volunteers in the Education Department operate all of the summer family events, and Bernau oversees every program. She helps certified art teachers plan activities and order materials.

“We try to have the highest standards of instructors, materials and activities,” Bernau said.

By providing a family friendly atmosphere, staff at the Harn creates successful experiences, which they hope will be remembered even in adulthood. Firsthand opportunities to explore the world of art are rare.

“We feel like we are offering something different than regular summer camps,” Bernau said. “It’s a museum-level experience.”

Throughout the year, family events are held on Saturdays or during the evening, allowing for optimal attendance. Summertime, however, brings excited tourists and travelers to the museum.

Museum hours remain the same over the summer for anyone looking to add some culture to their lives. s Visit the museum’s Web site for more information on summer events, www.harn.ufl.edu.

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Citizens Co-op Local Food for Local People

BY CHRIS WILSON he Citizens Co-op, which plans to open its store in Gainesville in May, is trying to unite more than just its members in local food initiatives.

While the store will provide locally-grown produce and foods, its founders believe it is also important to educate the community about health issues and the importance of buying locally-produced food.

The word co-op is short for cooperative. According to the International Co-Operative Alliance’s Statement on the Co-Operative Identity, a co-op is an organization of people united to meet common needs through a jointly owned and democratically-controlled enterprise.

The Citizens Co-op was founded by Gainesville residents Gretchen McIntyre and Elizabeth Nesbitt.

McIntyre said she had been inspired by co-ops she had

T

60 | Summer 2010

seen on the West Coast and in the Northeast.

“After living in other places, we really wanted to see a co-op happen here in Gainesville,” McIntyre said.

“In other communities, it’s a very vibrant center for a town, and a hub for a lot of local food initiatives. It’s a great community gathering space.”

McIntyre said another goal of the Citizens Co-op is to

market is wonderful, but this will give access to local foods seven days a week beyond the farmers market hours.”

The Citizens Co-op had been just an idea and a plan for more than two years. It was always the plan for the co-op to locate a store in downtown Gainesville and it now has a physical location on Main Street in Gainesville.

The store is expected to be

“A farmers market is wonderful, but this will give access to local foods seven days a week beyond the farmers market hours.” provide locally grown food and regional products from trusted growers.

“We will know all of our growers’ practices,” she said.

“It will be easier access for the farmers themselves to a market, instead of standing at a farmers market. A farmers

open sometime in May. “We have the highest concentration of our members in the 32601 zip code, and we also want to be accessible to the east side neighborhoods,” McIntyre explained. “The main street was always the center of commerce in town

PHOTO BY CHRIS WILSON

Gretchen McIntyre and Robby Barbaro are excited about the opening of the co-op’s new store.

Tropical and organic fruits are some of the fi rst items brought into the store.

and the liveliest part of the city.

We’ve seen a lot of growth happen in Gainesville in a lot of different directions, and we wanted to be a part of that renaissance of the downtown main street to [become] the economic cornerstone for the community.”

The road to opening the co-op has not been easy. McIntyre and Nesbitt have worked for nearly three years to get the organization

ready to open its store.

“We started in fall 2007,” McIntyre explained, who has been working as the co-op’s project manager. “We spent the first year researching different cost models, board structures, having town hall forums and getting feedback from the community. In the fall of 2008, we announced it to the community. We’ve spent time since then fundraising and doing

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community outreach.”

A general membership in Citizens Co-op is $100, but the co-op offers student and low-income memberships at a discount. The co-op now has more than 500 members, who will get members-only discounts and store promotions. In addition, members are given a share of excess profits at the end of the year, based continued on next page

Summer 2010 | 61

The road to opening the co-op has not been easy.

McIntyre and Nesbitt have worked for nearly three years to get the organization ready to open its store.

upon their grocery bill throughout the year.

“That has given us the seed funds to build-out the space and start the store,” McIntyre said.

“But, we also now have these guaranteed customers.”

The co-op received additional funding from grants and through investor shares sold to its members for $500 that will pay back an 8 percent dividend.

“In order to get some of the funds for the build-out without paying a loan from a bank or some other outside source, we’d rather keep that money in the community,” McIntyre said.

The co-op has also received donations from the community.

McIntyre said the organization obtained large coolers from both a restaurant that was going out of business and from Shands AGH when it closed.

The planning, however, does not stop once the co-op opens its doors. There are plans for what

McIntyre calls “phase two” of the co-op, which will include a baking kitchen, a coffee and juice bar, and storage in a building behind the store.

“It’s not huge or tons of space, like Publix,” McIntyre said. “But, we don’t have a lot of that packaged or processed food. We’re sticking to a lot of the basics. We will have olive oil, flour, rice. You could potentially get everything you need here.”

Robby Barbaro, a member of the co-op, said he decided to join after seeing the organization’s Web site.

“The whole mission of the co-op is something that I’m in alignment with,” Barbaro said. “I want to support local farmers. I want to be able to come to the Citizens Co-op and buy food from a farmer, where I know where it’s coming from. As a person trying to live healthfully and live a sustainable lifestyle, I want to see some changes, and Citizens Co-op is making those changes a reality.”

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BLUE OVEN KITCHENS INCUBATOR When it comes to food, most people purchase more than just produce, eggs, meat and milk.

In order to provide some other food products, McIntyre said the co-op has partnered with Gainesville’s kitchen incubator Blue Oven Kitchens (BOK), another Gainesville-based project.

The goal of the non-profit BOK, said Val Leitner, the organization’s chair, is to provide commercial cooking space to people who want to make packaged food products, such as dips, sauces, dressings and processed foods. The organization also hopes to provide commercial kitchen space to farmers who want to make flour or need a licensed kitchen to clean and process eggs, and even beekeepers who want to jar their honey. BOK, which is supported through fundraising and grants, will also provide kitchen space to caterers.

Leitner said the partnership

with the Citizens Co-op should help BOK-supported entrepreneurs find an audience for their products. “[The co-op] will guarantee shelf space for products,” Leitner said. “Marketing and exposure can be the biggest challenges for entrepreneurs in the food industry.

The co-op will be very helpful in getting exposure and by giving the community the opportunity to vote with its buying power. And not too many incubators can offer that.”

BOK is also in the planning stages for building a licensed commercial kitchen facility of its own. But in the meantime, Leitner said, restaurant owners can donate use of their kitchens. Through the efforts of both BOK and Citizens Co-op, more local food can be on store shelves.

“I feel like one of us will not be successful without the other,” McIntyre said. “We’re going to be able to provide shelf space and the marketing for their products.

They’re providing products that

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will help our store grow. It’s a very symbiotic relationship.”

EVENTS The Citizens Co-op has hosted several fundraising events, and recently participated in Gainesville’s downtown Art Walk, by hosting a local wine and cheese tasting.

In April, the co-op hosted a bike tour of Gainesville area gardens. Participants were treated to T-shirts and a map of the local gardens and also had the opportunity to attend workshops at each of the different gardens.

The day ended with live music and a party at the co-op.

“We’re trying to educate people, not just about food, but also about gardening, riding your bike over driving your car, and a lot of issues that are interrelated,” McIntyre said. s For more information, visit www.citizensco-op.com.

Summer 2010 | 63

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18 _____ Creek Park has a new playground, paved trails and a skate park

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19 Race held each fall at Lake Wauburg 20 The Timucuan Indians left huge mounds of _____ shells on Cedar Key 22 A place we can take dogs to play (2 words)

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Gate Crashing On Deck: The Ex-Boogeymen, Vincent Valentine DATE: SATURDAY, MARCH 27 VENUE: FEATHERS MUSIC CONFERENCE AT THE LABORATORY reetings, live music aficionados! This month we’ll be spotlighting a show at the Laboratory, a venue in the midtown area of Gainesville (specifically, 818 West University). Midtown can be thought of as the area around University Avenue from about 6th Street

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sits perpendicular to University Avenue, it can be easy to miss from the street. But miss it you shouldn’t! The Laboratory takes its name from the theme of its design and décor, right down to its menu, all of which are styled around — you guessed it — the look of a science lab. Chrome tables and chairs, free wifi, and menu items named after famous scientists and inventors (both historical and fictional) complete the scene. You can even get drinks by the beaker! How cool is that, seriously?

At any rate, while I was not adventurous enough to drink anything out of a beaker, I did have a couple nice bottles of beer during the afternoon festivities, which were part of something called the Feathers Music Conference.

The origin of the name is a reference to one Armando Feathers Santelices, an electronic musician from Miami who had previously played at the Laboratory. More music fest than conference, the festivities had begun Thursday with what was billed as a “Night of the Weird,” followed by a Friday night DJ extravaganza.

Saturday was billed as a Free Block Party, and while

no free blocks were given away, nor, to my knowledge, were any imprisoned blocks freed, a party was indeed had. Up first: the Ex-Boogeymen, a Gainesville quartet that’s been around for nigh on three years. Decked out in the unofficial band uniform du jour of black stretchy jeans and black t-shirts, lead singer Reverend Liaison added a suit jacket modified for comfort (armpit seams ripped out), with some band buttons on the lapel.

Guitarist Mercy Minor added a plaid shirt over his black t, but much more comely was his butterscotch Strat, cranking through a Fender combo amp. Bassist Leviticus Lunch thumped a Fender Jazz bass into an Ampeg combo amp, and drummer J.C. bashed and crashed his kit while wearing a Radon t-shirt. (For those not in the know, Radon is a semi-legendary local punk rock band.)

But what besides an acute fashion sense and neato gear did they bring to the table, as in sound-wise?

Garage, that’s what. Metric tons of good ol’ Americanmade rock ‘n’ roll like taking continued on next page

Chrome tables and chairs, free wifi, and menu items named after famous scientists and inventors (both historical and fictional) complete the scene. You can even get drinks by the beaker!

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PHOTOS BY BRIAN “KRASH” KRUGER

The Ex-Boogeymen rocking the parking lot at the Labratory.

L-R: J.C., Mercy Minor, Reverend Liaison, Leviticus Lunch.

RIGHT: Caution! Vincent Valentine. L-R: Ashley, Sean, William, Mikhail.

its starting point from what was made back in the pregroovy Sixties, baby. Loud sloppy guitar solos drenched in reverb (at one point including taking a bite of an onlooker’s sandwich during a solo), a driving rhythm section, and a front man whose onstage manic ranting carries on a tradition established by greats like Peter Wolf, David Johansen, the Nuge, and the Ex-Boogeymen fave (his picture appears on their myspace page) Screamin’ Jay Hawkins.

What’s not to dig?

After a break, Ocala’s Vincent Valentine (named after a video game character) hit the stage. Forming in 2005, and having put out no less than five EP’s since, this band went the extra mile by playing a man down. Normally a quintet, the band was missing guitarist Anthony (the band lists its members by first names only). Frontman Ashley played a black doublehumbucker version of a Fender Jaguar into a halfstack powered by an old Peavey “Butcher” head (one of the louder tube amps around, rated at 120 Watts), while bassist Mikhail continued the black axe/big rig theme with a Nikki Sixx Thunderbird into an 8x10 Ashdown rig. Keyboardist Sean (locals may remember him as the frontman of the Gainesville punk rock band the Monistats) played two small keyboards into a halfstack, and drummer William (who did not get the black stretch jeans memo and wore black shorts instead)

70 | Summer 2010

played a kit with an interesting sunburst finish.

Despite bringing much heavier artillery, ampwise, Ocala’s finest were not overbearing in the volume department, a sign of some smart restraint on their part. Their music is described by them as “alternative/ punk,” and definitely has touches of Goth, hardcore (with the audience joining in for some “whoa-ohs” and “heys”), at times pop, and even a reggae/dub-inspired bass line on one song. Guitarist Ashley also expertly wielded a fairly massive effects pedal board to give some extra sonic texture along the way.

About as nice an afternoon of music as I can remember! Now, go see some bands. s Since the early 1980s Brian “Krash” Kruger has played in some 17 or so local bands, playing most every Gainesville venue friendly to original music (and some that weren’t so friendly).

From the ‘90s on, Kruger has written about music for a succession of local and regional magazines. Kruger is a graduate of the University of Florida College of Law and shares “Casa Krashpad” with his long-suffering wife and their two teenagers.

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Summer 2010 | 71

>> RECREATION

Boulware Springs Park and Historic Waterworks – Gainesville’s Gem of Water and History

BY DEBBIE M. DELOACH magine Gainesville without the University of Florida. Boulware Springs, offering a plentiful and free supply of clean water, was an important factor that drew the university to the area in 1905. Now, over 190,000 gallons of Floridan aquifer water emerges from the spring every day and travels down a small run into Paynes Prairie.

Boulware Springs has been important to the people of this area well before the founding of Gainesville.

Evidence of indigenous people using the spring dates back as far as 500 B.C., according to the Gainesville Regional Utilities Web site.

According to Ben Pickard’s booklet, “Historic Gainesville: A Tour Guide to the Past,” the fledgling town of Gainesville purchased Boulware Springs in 1891. The spring was the city’s sole source of potable water from 1898 until 1913. During that time, up to 300,000 gallons of water per day was available to Gainesville homes and businesses.

As the city grew and began using treated ground water instead of spring water, the use of Boulware Springs declined. In 1977, Gainesville Regional Utilities and the City of Gainesville quit using its water completely. Boulware Springs may have been retired from work, but soon it would be revived for recreation.

Boulware Springs is now a 104-acre city park that is open to the public. Stefanie Nagid, Natural Resource Management Program Coordinator for the Nature Operations Division of the City of Gainesville Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs, said a grant from the Historic Preservation Trust Fund

I

72 | Summer 2010

helped finance the renovation of the pump house. She said the City of Gainesville also received a grant from the Florida Department of Natural Resources, now the Department of Environmental Protection “for acquisition of land to expand the park for development of urban park area.”

According to “Historic Gainesville: A Tour Guide to the Past,” exterior renovations restored the pump house façade to its original 1902 Florida industrialstyle architecture. Even the white paint and window arches are true to the style that was popular in that era for industrial buildings. The exterior pole lights also conform to 1900’s specifications.

However, the pump house interior was modernized with meeting rooms, restrooms and air conditioning.

This facility can be rented from the City of Gainesville for meetings. Persons interested in renting the pump house should contact Lisa at 352-393-8171.

In 1985, the site was listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The American Water Works Association designated it a Water Landmark in 1990.

Currently, Boulware Springs Park provides shady picnic facilities and pavilions, restrooms, grills, drinking water, paved parking and nature trails. Amenities for the handicapped include paved sidewalks with rails, handicap parking, and paved roads and trails.

The Gainesville trailhead for the GainesvilleHawthorne State Trail originates from the park.

Hikers, horses, skaters, runners, dog owners and cyclists are all welcome and the trailhead amenities cater to all of these groups. Trail access is paved all

PHOTO BY DEBBIE M. DELOACH

A succession of concrete ponds holds fresh spring water which overfl ows to a pipe and ultimately to a small run bound for Paynes Prairie. The green “slime” on top of the water is actually a minute flowering plant called duckweed. The water beneath is clear and cool.

of the way from the parking lots but horseback riders may use a grassy, dirt track as access.

Horse owners must be able to show proof that their horses are coggins negative. A large, fenced grassy area is available for off-loading horses from their trailers and for parking.

Nature is also a draw for visitors to Boulware Springs Park. The park contains upland pine forest and sandhill ecosystems. With a direct connection to species-rich Paynes Prairie, Boulware Springs Park is a good area for bird watching and discovering nature with the

family. Park employees and volunteers are currently working to restore habitats in the north area of the park. Anyone interested in volunteering should call Gainesville Nature Parks at 352-334-2231.

The park is open seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., November through April, and 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., May through October. It is located at 3300 - 3500 SE 15th St. Park gates are shut and locked at closing.

Vehicles left after hours receive an informational ticket under the wiper with instructions on how to arrange release from the lot. s

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Summer 2010 | 73

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>> MUSIC

PHOTO BY ALBERT ISAAC

Chuck “Charles Ray” Martin performing with The Righteous Kind last November on the Bo Diddley Community Plaza stage. For many years, Martin - as The Colonel - was the front man in the local rockabilly band dblWIDE.

The Righteous Kind

A New Kind of Old Rock

BY ALBERT ISAAC huck “Charles Ray” Martin, arms stretched wide, guitar hanging from its strap, white shirt wet with sweat, had just finished a set with his band, The Righteous Kind. Speaking in sentences punctuated by 1960s lingo, he thanked the howling audience at Brophy’s Irish Pub. The patrons had gathered to experience the rock ‘n’ roll band that has been entertaining Gainesville audiences for the past three years.

With front man Martin on guitar, Tom Miller on bass, Larry Thompson on drums and Bruce Brashear — who boasts of having the largest organ in Gainesville (he plays a Hammond B-3) — on keys, these musicians can frequently be found playing their original brand of ‘60s music in a variety of Gainesville venues. All are seasoned musicians who take their music seriously, but have a lot of fun in the process. From their ‘60s apparel to their old school

C

PHOTO BY ALBERT ISAAC

The Righteous Kind: Bruce Brashear, Tom Miller, Chuck Martin and Larry Thompson.

equipment, this quartet stays true to their particular style of psychedelic rock ‘n’ roll.

The band rehearses in the studio of the home Martin shares with his wife and muse, Amy. On this particular evening, a bottle of Kentucky bourbon sat upon a pool

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table in the adjoining room, to be sampled during the practice. Beside it, a bottle of champagne was on ice, for after the rehearsal. It was the eve of Amy’s birthday and a celebration was in order.

In a practice room crammed with continued on next page

Summer 2010 | 79

instruments, microphones, amps and recording equipment, the band whipped through a rapid succession of high-volume, rocking tunes.

There is a new CD in the works and final touches to be made to their songs. After their rehearsal, the guys sat down to talk about the music and how the band came to be.

“When I started this band, everyone had a pseudonym,” Martin said.

“Tom played this character called Slam Gunther...”

“That was not me,” Miller objected. “...this bass-playing lunatic,” Martin continued, referring to Miller’s mythical, Germanic, wig-wearing, character. “Larry became Larry California, the great California session drummer. Bruce became Professor B. Burrhus Bran.”

“That’s B-u-r-r-h-h-u-r-s-p-hs-q-e- space B-r-a-n,” Brashear spelled, in complete seriousness.

“I am Charles Ray, former rock ‘n’ roll star presumed dead for many years, but had come back, studied chemistry, was interested in education, and teaches at the University of Florida.”

As it turns out, part of this biography rings true: Martin is a distinguished professor of chemistry at UF. But tonight it is all about the band.

“I decided three years ago that the music had to come back,” Martin said.

Thus, The Righteous Kind was born. The band released its first album, “Some Are of Love” in October 2008, recorded at Rob McGregor’s Goldentone Studios.

Three songs on that CD won awards.

Prior to The Righteous Kind, Martin, as “The Colonel,” played in a rockabilly band. The band performed for eight years before Martin decided it was time for something different.

“I was playing in dblWIDE, which was a very successful band for many years here in Gainesville,” Martin said. “Finally, after doing that for so many years, I wanted to change. I wanted to change my musical style and persona, and so I put together this rock ‘n’ roll band. Rockabilly is ‘50s music. I came of age in the ‘60s and that’s what brought this group together. I wanted to do psychedelic rock.”

Martin’s interest in music goes back to continued on page 82

PHOTO BY ALBERT ISAAC

Members of the Righteous Kind at ‘work’ in the studio. The band practices once a week in the home Martin shares with his wife. From Left: Larry Thompson, Chuck Martin, Tom Miller and Bruce Brashear.

80 | Summer 2010

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o continued from page 80 the 1960s, while watching “The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet” on television.

“Ricky Nelson, on some shows, would get up there with his guitar and sing,” Martin said. “And I’m thinking to myself, ‘this guy is getting the chicks. There’s no doubt about it, that guy is getting the chicks.’ When the Beatles hit, then I knew I had to play guitar. It was all about getting chicks, it was just that simple.”

Larry Thompson credits the public school system for his music education.

“I thank all of my music teachers,” Thompson said. “That’s what launched my career.”

He was initially influenced by Eddie Arnold (via his father), and then by the Beatles. In the ‘70s it was Jethro Tull and Queen. In college, it was Count Basie, and he played big band swing music.

“I tried to incorporate the different styles. And I played in the

church choir. That was my first gig,” Thompson said. Then, following Martin’s lead: “Because I was into the chicks! We’re going to go on a two-month tour with a bunch of girls on a bus, yes, this is great!”

Tom Miller received his early musical training from two aunts; both were musicians who taught piano.

“I grew up around music, listening to the piano,” Miller said. “And I had an ear for music.”

He also continued on page 84

PHOTO BY ALBERT ISAAC

Longtime Gainesville musician and artist (and one-time Gainesville City Commission candidate) Tom Miller on the bass with The Righteous Kind during the 28th Annual Downtown Festival and Art Show in November 2009.

82 | Summer 2010

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“Everybody is feeding off of everybody’s energy, and that’s what creates the sparks,” o continued from page 82 had a multi-track, reel-to-reel recording system when he was 12 years old.

He learned how to play piano, drums and guitar. As a teenager, he recorded his first album at Criteria Recording Studio in Miami.

“I made my 45 when I was 15, and I played all of the tracks, and I still have that recording,” Miller said. “I handed them out to all of my friends and when I left school they were all on the ground.

Nobody really cared. I was the only one that thought it was cool.

“So I was a total freak from the get go.”

Miller found his inspiration from the Beatles and a funk band called Parliament.

“I was a Paul McCartney fan, and all of my recordings sounded very thin, until I learned about the bass guitar and what it could do for you,” Miller said. “I added it into my recordings and suddenly what was thin became rich. So Paul McCartney is a major influence. Between Paul McCartney and Parliament comes Tom Miller.”

Keyboardist Bruce Brashear started taking piano lessons as a youngster.

“And then all of sudden, it

84 | Summer 2010

became cool to be in a band, about the Beatles time,” Brashear said.

In sixth grade, he borrowed his piano teacher’s Wurlitzer electric piano and played his first gig.

“At a pool party,” he said. “The guys playing guitars got shocked, standing in the wet. People made fun of me saying it sounded like a calliope.”

Undeterred, he continued playing in bands and learned a lot from fellow musicians, especially from a jazz player named Paul Hillis. When Brashear began college he quit music, thinking he was not talented enough to go on.

“I couldn’t stand [not playing] as an adult, so I creeped back,” he said.

“That’s my sad tale.”

Brashear took an interest in the Hammond B-3 organs and started working on them. He now owns four Hammond consoles and three Leslie speaker cabinets.

“It’s kind of like having a jaguar,” he said. “It’s kind of an obsession.”

Brashear uses a trailer to haul the large, heavy organ and Leslie to most gigs, but for very small venues he uses a Nord synthesizer.

“The Nord sounds pretty darn good. But having said that, if you put the two rigs next to each other, there

PHOTO BY ALBERT ISAAC

The Righteous Kind performing at the Bo Diddley Community Plaza during the 28th Annual Downtown Festival and Art Show in November 2009.

is absolutely no question, because not only does the Hammond sound better, it’s much more fun to play,” Brashear said. “Synthesizers bounce around, it’s a certain kind of dance, but when you poke the Hammond it ain’t goin’ anywhere, and it might slap you back.”

Laughter and off-color jokes erupted from the band members.

“It’s a different relationship,” Brashear continued. “I play much, much better on something solid like that than something bouncing around.”

“That’s our commitment to authenticity,” Miller said. “We are using tube amps. We’re using real amplifiers that were in use in the day, like my combo custom amp.

It’s a 1960’s padded; you can play on it and then sleep on it.”

“It’s a 1960’s custom tuck and roll,” Martin added.

Miller described the band as being neo-retro.

“We are new/old,” he said. “What we are continued on page 86

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o continued from page 84 doing is using classic elements of the old school, which is guys playing instruments. No auto tune; we just plug into our amps and play rock ‘n’ roll. We do it with some sensibility.”

In addition to their dedication to the musicality, the members take pride in the quality of the band’s songwriting.

“Our typical gig is all original Righteous Kind music,” Martin said.

“Two songs written by Bruce, one song written by Tom and six songs written by me. We are telling a story.

Each song has characters, like a book, and things happen to those characters. A bunch of the music that I write is inspired by my wife, Amy.” The band chimed in to say all of the songs Martin writes are inspired by his wife.

“Amy Lynn Martin is my muse,” Martin proclaimed.

And it is working; Martin has garnered several songwriting awards. His song, “Righteous Man” won Outstanding Achievement in Songwriting in the 10th Annual Great American Song Contest 2008 and “I Didn’t Have Love” was a finalist. “Show Me the Day” took Honorable Mention in the 3rd Peacedriven.com Songwriting Awards in 2008, and “The First Rock ‘n’ Roll Song” earned first place in the lyric writing contest sponsored

by Broadjam.com, December 2008.

The band is now working on its second album, and like the first, the songs are being recorded ‘live’ with

PHOTO BY ALBERT ISAAC

Charles Ray and Slam Gunther of The Righteous Kind at Brophy’s Irish Pub in 2008.

the entire band performing together.

Some parts will be kept while some will be overdubbed. Recording live, Martin said, captures the synergy of the entire band.

“Everybody is feeding off of everybody’s energy, and that’s what creates the sparks,” Martin said.

“We did that in Rob McGregor’s studio, and we’re doing that with Bob McPeek now.”

“It is going to be in the classic arc of 60s bands,” Miller added, “much more experimental, much more psychedelic, and with a much broader and bigger sound.”

Their new album, tentatively titled “Wild Hibiscus,” is named for a song inspired by a boat trip Martin and his wife took on the Apalachicola River. Their guide brought them back into the swamps to see wild hibiscus in bloom.

“They were white and they had this red, very sensual red

part in the middle,” Martin said.

“I was thrilled. I felt like I had seen something very special. And coming back on that boat, you know the boat motor was going (he mimicked the drone of the boat motor) and what pops into my head was that summertime blues guitar part.”

“It’s a surf groove,” Thompson added.

As the evening came to an end, Amy joined the group for champagne and a rousing rendition of “Happy Birthday” sung by the band, with Brashear on piano and Thompson on tambourine.

But the night did not end there.

The rehearsal continued, followed by a raucous, high-volume jam session. The police were summoned.

And the band all agreed, “That’s rock ‘n’ roll, baby.” s For more information visit www.therighteouskind.com

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>> RESOURCES

Water, Water Everywhere?

Are Shortages on the Horizon?

88 | Summer 2010

BY KEVIN ALLEN ater is a big part of any summer. But this season, Gainesville and Alachua County residents may be talking about it more than usual.

Water officials say Alachua County is on track to officially join the list of areas that have to plan for future water shortages.

That is prompting two efforts at promoting conservation — one by the county,

W

Most water experts say it is just a matter of time before the region has to start looking at expensive alternatives for water supplies the other by the St. Johns River Water Management District (WMD). What comes out of that work could determine how you get your water, and how much you pay for it, for the next several years.

“Water shortage” and “Alachua County” are two phrases that do not usually go together. From the time when the city of Gainesville promised free water to draw the University of Florida to town, area residents have been able to sit back and watch with some detachment as Miami, Tampa and Orlando struggled with their water issues.

This could be the year that starts to change. For the first time, there is the likelihood that the St. Johns and Suwannee River WMDs, as part of their periodic updates of supply estimates, could declare Alachua County a “Priority Water Resource Caution Area.” That means planners do not think there is enough water to support the expected growth over the next couple of decades. The new designation could force area utilities, like Gainesville Regional Utilities (GRU), to pump less water from underground and put more emphasis on conserving.

“It’s a big yellow light coming on,” said Hal Wilkening, the director of Resource Management for the St. Johns River WMD. “We’re looking at demands on the order of like 50 percent more than what we’re using

now over the next 20 years.”

The growth concerns are complicated by the drought-created low levels of some of the water sources — in particular, the Floridan aquifer, the underground water reservoir that lies beneath the surface of most of the state. Even now, more than six years after the worst of the drought ended, the state says groundwater levels in the aquifer remain below average.

“We’ve always been under the view that we’re water rich [in north Florida]. But if you look at the aquifer, it’s a thin veneer,” warned Suwannee River WMD Director David Still.

For area environmentalists, such as Brack Barker, that is not much of a news flash. They have pointed to warning signs such as nearby White Springs, which has dried up, for some time. And to them, the districts’ tendency to approve water use permits has not helped.

“Some of us believe that we wouldn’t need [the designation] if the water districts practiced water conservation,” Barker said.

For the water districts and utilities, conservation is becoming a matter of economics.

Or, as Tatiana Borisova, an assistant professor in water economics and policy at the University of Florida, put it, “It’s cheaper than developing new supplies.”

Most water experts say it is just a matter of time before the region has to start looking at expensive alternatives for water supplies, like desalination and reclaiming wastewater, and the most politically charged option — pumping water out of area lakes and rivers. They hope conservation will put off that day.

But even with conservation, the days of easily accessible, inexpensive water are numbered.

“When you look at our future supply needs, water, in general, is going to become more expensive,” said Tony Cunningham, a senior environmental engineer with GRU. He called conservation the “least-cost alternative.”

Alachua County Environmental Protection continued on page 91

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o continued from page 89 Director Chris Bird likes to talk about “mining” water.

“We’re drawing it down faster than we’re replenishing it,” Bird said.

Bird is overseeing Alachua County’s water conservation initiative. Last fall, county commissioners asked him to put together a report, modeled on the recent Energy Advisory Commission’s work on energy conservation. The draft was released this past spring.

It included calls for sustainable landscape irrigation, updating and retrofitting water fixtures like toilets and showers, and changing land use rules to promote conservation. Most of all, the report stressed residents need to realize just how important water is.

“We don’t respect water,” Bird said.

But it will take more than just urging residents to change, said Sanford Berg, the director of the Public Utility Resource Center at the University of Florida.

“You can have public service messages all over the place, but until we get a behavior change, it is just poetry,” he said.

That message is not lost on the county.

“Rather than just giving someone a pamphlet, and assuming they’re going to read everything in it and start doing it, [we want] to give them tools to help them,” said Stacie Greco, a senior environmental specialist with the county EPD. The county has sold barrels to encourage water collection, and is

considering handing out more efficient water fixtures, such as showerheads.

It is important to understand what makes people want to conserve, agreed UF’s Tatiana Borisova, who has studied conservation methods.

“Don’t just distribute fixtures to people, but think about how they use it,” she said.

Greco called the county’s approach “social marketing.” Using the rain barrels as an example, she outlined how it could lead to people seeing themselves conserve water, and start exploring other alternatives. But she acknowledged that getting people to change some wasteful behaviors might be difficult.

That is especially true when it comes to one of the biggest categories of residential water use — lawn irrigation. State water officials estimate as much as half the water use at the average home goes to water the lawn. And getting homeowners to think differently about having that lush green lawn may not be easy.

Bird said there are some things the county can do to change that mindset, such as encourage more use of native plants and vegetation that need less water, and discourage in-ground watering systems, which are more likely to waste water.

The St. Johns River WMD approach is a little different. The regulations the district is considering this summer focus on getting the middleman in the pipeline — the water utilities continued on next page

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State water officials estimate as much as half the water use at the average home goes to watering the lawn.

— to push more for conservation. The district’s current goal for average daily use is 150 gallons per person.

(Alachua County’s average is 151 gallons per capita.)

“We are going to require that they do certain things,” Hal Wilkening said. “We require that they are going to do a lot of water conservation to try and meet these goals we are setting. All these things cost money.”

That leads to what many experts say could be the best method for changing people’s behavior — and the most problematic.

Sanford Berg is blunt about how to get people to conserve water.

“Raise the price,” he said.

Amen, said Suwannee River’s David Still. “If you go over X amount, it ought to cost you.”

If there is anything approaching unanimity in the water debate, it is that water is under-priced. And in some opinions, that translates to under-valued.

Most people, argued Berg, see water as something that is free.

“And if it’s free, then it will be overused,” Berg said.

Using the price as leverage, he said, can get consumers to worry more about conserving.

“It absolutely is effective,” said GRU’s Tony Cunningham. The utility uses what is known as a “tier” to set water prices, with the cost per gallon rising, the more water is used. For instance, a home that uses less than 9,000 gallons a day pays $1.65 per gallon, while users of more than 10,000 gal/day see the price double.

Cunningham estimates as GRU introduced the tier grades, water usage dropped by roughly 10 percent.

In March, the St. Johns River WMD hinted it would push utilities to use

92 | Summer 2010

things like tier rates to promote conservation. That triggered outcries from several utilities in the region, which said that would put an undue burden on them.

Alachua County’s Chris Bird understands the concerns.

“The way they make revenues is, how much water do they sell. So, to try and tell a business that you need to sell not so much of your product ... it’s a challenge for most business models.”

For its part, GRU does not seem too concerned about pressure from the water district to raise rates.

“I think we have in place what they are looking for already,” Cunningham said.

Even if utilities agree, getting consumers and their elected leaders to accept higher water prices in a recession could be daunting. Sanford Berg acknowledged consumers worried about their pocketbooks, and politicians worried about the next election, are not going to be thrilled about the idea of higher water bills.

“It’s the last thing anyone wants to do,” he said.

Especially considering some residents’ concern about who really benefits the most.

The e-mail in the public comment section of the Alachua County Environmental Protection Department Web site sums up what Chris Bird calls a “conundrum.”

“What are we going to do with the water saved, give it to Jacksonville?” it says.

A quick glance at the St. Johns River WMD numbers explains the concern. The district expects Jacksonville and Duval County to use more than 185 million gallons a day (mgd) in 2010, compared to Alachua County’s 35 mgd. A map of projected withdrawals from the Floridan aquifer shows the water level would fall farther under Duval County than anywhere else.

That, acknowledged environmental activist Brack Barker, could make any conservation efforts in Gainesville a much harder sell.

“It’s the idea you are imposing restrictions on one area to support growth in another area, when maybe they need to look at themselves,” he said.

The worry about Jacksonville taking water away from the rest of the region is hardly a new one.

Officials with the Suwannee River WMD have argued for some time that Jacksonville’s demand has lowered the aquifer level and affected the district’s 250 springs. Director David Still said if other

communities conserved and Jacksonville did not, it would be a “valid point.”

“That’s where we’re really going to have to rely on the water management districts,” Chris Bird said. “[They] are going to have to start rewarding, or at least not penalizing, communities that are willing to have a better water conservation ethic.”

Officials at the St. Johns River WMD, which includes both Jacksonville and Gainesville, dismissed the concerns. They said Jacksonville is in the same boat when it comes to conservation. District estimates show water use will increase at about the same rate in Duval and Alachua counties (47 percent in Duval to 43 percent in Alachua). And while there might be a “residual” benefit for other areas, Hal Wilkening argued, “If water is saved in Alachua County, it’s going to benefit first and foremost the local utilities.”

Even Barker, no fan of the water districts, agrees that Jacksonville’s growth should not deter Gainesville and Alachua County residents from doing more to conserve.

“Don’t go out and turn on your faucet for spite,” he said.

If the St. Johns and Suwannee River WMDs — who are drawing up the latest projections together — approve the new designation and rules later this year, it will mean what at least one water official acknowledged as a “new era” for the region. People will pay more for water, and be told to use less.

How much more, and how much less, no one is really

saying. In part, that is because water experts are not sure exactly how much water we have left. Plus, the expectations of future needs are based on the area’s growth — and for the time being, that growth has almost ground to a halt.

But planners say growth and the demand for water will return. And they hope to use the breather to get people talking about the issue more, and recognize what is at stake. As David Still put it, “We’ve come to the point where we see the resources have a breaking point.”

“If Poe Springs and Ginnie Springs dry up,” Chris Bird said, “how do you put a price tag on being able to take your kids to a spring when it’s 100 degrees in July?” s

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

St. Johns River WMD water supply page sjr.state.fl.us/dwsp.html

Suwannee River WMD water supply presentation www.srwmd.state.fl.us/ DocumentCenterii.aspx?FID=63

Alachua County Conservation Plan draft www.alachuacounty.us/government/depts/ epd/waterquality/waterconservation.aspx

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COLUMN >> CRYSTAL HENRY

Naked Salsa As a mother of an infant, people often ask me the same three questions. s she crawling?

“Oh yes,” I proudly reply. “She’s even trying to walk.”

Is she always this alert and friendly?

“Oh goodness, yes,” I proudly report. “Since the day she was born.”

And how is she sleeping?

Gulp. “Through the night,” I reply with a hint of guilt in my voice. And then I softly add, “As long as she’s in our bed.”

This gets one of two reactions. The first is sheer horror. It’s as if I just told them that she works nights in an underground puppy torture factory. I’m told what a huge mistake that is. I’ll pay for it later. And oh I’ll know better for the next one not to commit this most heinous of all parenting crimes.

The second type of reaction is a shameful admission of their dirty little secret. They too did the unthinkable and co-slept with their child.

Now, before I had a baby, I was onboard with the first group. Knowing better than all those weak-willed ninnies with mommy-rotten children, I smugly declared that my child would never, ever, under any circumstances, ever sleep in my bed. But then again, before I had a child, I said a lot of silly things.

A lot of people believe in the hocus pocus idea that your thoughts and verbalized wishes somehow control reality. For instance, if you believe hard enough and say it often enough that you’re going to get that promotion, it will happen. Well, when it comes to parenting I’ve found that the harder you believe and the more you run your mouth about how things will be, the more words you have to eat. No wonder mom jeans were invented. You need some elastic high-waisted pants after all those “I’ll Nevers” you have to choke down.

It’s just so easy to judge and point fingers before you have a child. The rational thought that children who sleep with their parents will grow up to be clingy little mama’s babies with no sense of independence got completely thrown out the window at 3 a.m. when my screaming

I

94 | Summer 2010

infant stared up at me in wild-eyed abandonment.

And I know that I am sometimes viewed as a weak parent because I can’t just let my baby cry in her room.

It’s supposedly good for her to learn to self soothe, and it’s supposed to teach her independence. But there is nothing soothing about a baby who cries so hard she starts to choke and throw up. And I find it hard to believe that picking her up to calm her will cause her to hide under my skirt when she’s 16 instead of cursing me under her breath when she’s grounded for missing curfew.

No, the only cry-it-out method I am prepared to use at this point is one that involves a sappy chick flick I enjoy while nursing my daughter to sleep.

Some parents can get their kids to sleep alone. But it’s not because they are a better parent than I. It’s because their child is different than my child. And it took me a while to get that.

My own mother said as a baby I didn’t want to sleep in her room. Her movement woke me up, and I just slept better alone. And my dear mother-in-law reminds me all the time that her son slept by himself through the night a mere two weeks after she brought him home. Well, lah tee friggin’ dah. That’s all fine and well if your child will do that. More power to you, and I encourage that behavior if it works for all involved. But my child is different.

Since day one, she startled easily. She would quickly fall asleep, but the second she was placed in her crib she would flail her arms and wake up screaming.

Yes, I tried swaddling. I all but put a straight jacket on the child. Yes, I tried the wedge. I tried letting her fall asleep in her crib. I tried rocking her and then putting her down. I tried music. I tried no music. I tried shushing and patting and singing and nursing and bathing and reading and staying and leaving. Nothing worked.

The first night we brought her home, my husband laid her in her crib and she started to cry. He came back into the bedroom and I looked at him like he had a horn growing out of his nose. How could he just leave her in there alone and crying?

His rationale was that she was fed, her diaper was clean, and she needed to sleep in her bed. There was no reason for her to be upset. She was just trying to manipulate us. My first instinct was to punch him in the forehead, but I knew that we needed to stick together when it came to parenting. So I tried to ride it out. After laying there for about three minutes in tears, the crying stopped, on her end at least. I crept down the hall and peeked in the room only to discover that my mother had come to her rescue.

“Don’t just let this baby cry like that,” she pleaded as she rocked and soothed her firstborn grandbaby.

“Mother,” I said sternly in my very best responsible and controlled voice. “Put her down. We’re parenting.”

I swear she snickered at me in the dark, and I laugh now at how ridiculous I must have sounded. Because nine months later, as I sit here savoring the victory that she is napping in her crib, I realize that letting her sleep in my bed is what is best for us as a family. She sleeps, therefore we all sleep. I love waking up to her sweet little face, and my husband gets that extra time with her each morning and each night. She’s learning that she can count on me to be there for her, and that nighttime is not a scary time, but rather a relaxing and peaceful time to recharge. She grows so fast each day, and I know one day she might not want to give me a kiss in front of her friends. So for now, I’m going to enjoy the closeness we share and go on letting her sleep next to me.

Judge me all you want. But I’m parenting. s

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>> NATURE

Prairie Creek Preserve Wilderness Five Miles from Downtown

BY DENISE TRUNK KRIGBAUM triking off down the Susan Wright Trail in the Prairie Creek Preserve, silence did not descend. Two hikers, a woman and her 20-month-old daughter, had traveled some distance from the trailhead near busy State Road 20 (Hawthorne Road), but in the flatwoods of pine mixed with wetlands, voices of birds and frogs filled the air and erased any possibility of quiet.

The pair crossed narrow plank bridges over wetlands; saw woodpeckers and other birds. As they

S

96 | Summer 2010

rambled, they also spotted signs of less-rare wildlife â&#x20AC;&#x201D; prints of deer left in the muck.

With a state-designated paddling trail running through it, the 368acre Prairie Creek Preserve varies in habitat from flatwoods to cypress swamp to hardwood hammock and is full of wildlife, some noisy, some not. The preserveâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s natural abundance provides a refreshing change to the city life just 5 miles away in downtown Gainesville.

Alachua Conservation Trust, which secured the land in 2007 and

manages it, has recently bought an additional 750 acres, 500 of which may be purchased by the state to add to Paynes Prairie State Park this summer. The remaining acreage would be sold and divided between various conservation organizations and uses.

Restoration ACT, with the help of many volunteers, is restoring acres of flatwoods that were planted with slash pine.

The multi-year process started with thinning continued on page 99

PHOTO BY SARAH FITZPATRICK

Canoeists venture through Paynes Prairie State Park down Prairie Creek on the Potano Paddling Trail, a statedesignated trail maintained by Alachua Conservation Trust.

PHOTO BY DENISE TRUNK KRIGBAUM

Makeshift bridges span an area of wetlands in the Prairie Creek Preserve.

Alachua Conservation Trust, which manages the land, has plans to construct a boardwalk through this area on the Susan Wright Trail.

www.VisitOurTowns.com

Summer 2010 | 97

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o continued from page 97 the existing trees to eliminate the monoculture, conducting controlled burns and replanting native species such as long leaf pines.

“This area of Florida has been clear cut several times in the past 100 years,” said Liz Binford, ACT’s project manager. “The area has been greatly altered or disturbed. We can’t be sure what was there before all the manmade changes.”

ACT has conducted prescribed burns in 50 acres in the past two years and is planning to burn 30 more acres this spring, weather permitting.

“Flatwoods, which include long leaf pine, palmetto, button bush and native grasses, are a fire dependent habitat,” Binford said. “The burns create openings in the tree canopy for native species to gain a foothold.”

The restoration project is well underway; 6,000 to 7,000 long leaf pines have already been planted in the burned areas.

Prairie Creek Preserve also benefits from the presence of its neighbors —Paynes Prairie State Park to the north and west, nearby Newnans Lake, and Lochlossa Wildlife Conservation area to the south and east. As a group, they form an impressive wilderness.

“Wildlife is abundant, including large populations of wading birds, raptors, and migratory birds. Reptiles and amphibians, and a variety of mammals are in large numbers, in part due to tens of thousands of acres of

The restoration project is well underway; 6,000 to 7,000 long leaf pines have already been planted in the burned areas. protected land,” Binford said. “Flowering plants can be found in profusion along the banks of the trail, including wild azalea along Hatchett Creek, American lotus in Newnans Lake, pickerel weed and blue flag iris along Prairie Creek, and lizards tail and buttonbush along Camps Canal.”

A variety of habitat provides a variety of ways to experience the natural area.

Hiking the preserve’s growing trail system of about 4 miles is one option, picnicking, canoeing or kayaking are others.

Paddling Trail One special way to see the preserve, as well as a continued on next page behind-the-scenes view

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of Paynes Prairie, is on the state-designated Potano Paddling Trail.

Florida’s Office of Greenways and Trails only designates as “state trails” those lands or waterways that protect, enhance and connect natural, recreational, cultural and historic resources. ACT worked diligently with city, county and state officials to ensure the official designation of the Potano Paddling Trail.

The trail gets its name from the Potano, who were the native Americans that inhabited Alachua County at the time of first European contact, in the mid1500s. They spoke Timucua, a language that was well documented by the Spanish missionaries. The Potano occupied hardwood hammocks, with village sites on high ground, near streams or sinkholes.

Newnans Lake, a nearly 7,000-acre body of water, is the site of the largest find of early Native American dugout canoes in the North America. It is also the starting point of the Potano Paddling Trail, which runs from the lake and continues onto Prairie Creek, through the park and ends at Camp’s Canal at S.R. 234.

The lake has a fascinating history and it is right at Gainesville’s backdoor. During a drought in 2000, more than 100 Native American dugout canoes were found in the exposed lakebed. Seminoles called the lake Pithlachocco, which translates “where boats are made.” Indeed, some experts speculate there may be more that 200 canoes still buried at the bottom of the

lake. Native Americans lived around Newnans Lake for thousands of years. The state aged the oldest group of discovered canoes to be between 5,000 to 3,000 years old. The most recent ranged from 1,300 years to right up to the arrival of the Spanish to the region.

The two-mile-long site where the canoes were discovered was listed on the National Register of

Newnans Lake, a nearly 7,000-acre body of water, is the site of the largest find of early Native American dugout canoes in the North America.

Historic Places in March 2001. Along with the canoes, archaeologists discovered stone tools, projectile points, pottery shards and a 260-year-old paddle (one of only 15 ever found in the state).

As it continues from the lake, the Potano Paddling Trail follows Prairie Creek, which drains Newnans Lake

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from the south on its way to Paynes Prairie and Orange Lake. Historically, the river drained into Paynes Prairie State Park. In the early 1940s, the Camp family built Camp’s Canal to divert most of the water to Orange Lake and keep the prairie from flooding.

At the head of Prairie Creek, the trail skirts Kate’s Fish Camp, crosses under S.R. 20/Hawthorne Road, and meanders south through Paynes Prairie. Put in points include boat ramps at Owens-Illinois Park and Earl P. Powers County Park on Newnans Lake. Alternatively, Kate’s Fish Camp (www.katesfishcamp.com/) is located on the east side of Hawthorne Road just before 2082 and rents canoes, kayaks and boats.

To avoid paddling back upstream, paddlers can take two cars, park one car at the C.R. 234 take out point at Camps Canal and the other at Earl P. Powers County Park on Newnans Lake.

Some of the river is narrow and winding, other portions during this wet spring are about 100 feet wide.

The trail alternates between narrow creeks and open water, and passes though hydric hammocks, cypress sloughs, wet prairie and marsh habitats.

In November, Sarah Fitzpatrick and friends put in her canoe at Powers Park and paddled downstream 4.4 miles to her car at Camp’s Canal.

“It was a great trip,” she said. “It was great to travel down a river I didn’t already know every twist and turn of, especially since it was a river so close to home.” s

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>> EDUCATION

Camp Crystal Lake

Fun, Family & Fellowship

PHOTO COURTESY OF TONY OYENARTE

Summer campers enjoy a variety of water activities such as kayaking.

BY TATIANA QUIROGA pounds of peanut butter a day.

22 gallons of milk each morning. 10,000 gallons of sunscreen in one summer.

From June to August, Camp Crystal Lake summer campers, about 2,100 of them every year, can count on having as much peanut butter-and-jelly sandwiches, milk and protection from the sun as they want and need.

Former Alachua County Superintendent Howard

10

PHOTO BY TATIANA QUIROGA

Bishop established Camp Crystal Lake in 1948. Through a post-war act passed after World War II, government land opened up for recreational and educational purposes, said Tony Oyenarte, director of Camp Crystal Lake. Clay and Bradford County School Boards fought with the Alachua School Board over the property in a case that went up to Floridaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Supreme Court. In the end, the Alachua School Board continued on next page

www.VisitOurTowns.com

Summer 2010 | 103

won and purchased the land for a fee of $1, Oyenarte said. The outdoor education facility is one of only three in the country owned by a school board.

The camp sits on 144 acres of land located between Starke and Keystone Heights off State Road 100, according to a camp brochure. Facilities include cabins for boys and girls, public restrooms, a dining hall, kitchen, recreational hall and craft room.

Since 1948, generations of children have enjoyed the plethora of educational and fun activities offered at the camp. For 46 weeks of the school year, Alachua County elementary schools alternate sending second graders to spend a day at the camp hiking, visiting the animal museum, and hay riding, all while learning about science.

Fifth graders go to camp for a two night, three-day trip where they experience hands-on learning in environmental science. Students learn about water through lake investigation studies and learn about North Florida ecosystems through hiking. All of the material directly ties to the FCAT and Sunshine State Standards, Oyenarte said. Children spend the night in cabins and pay $14 to cover food for the three days.

Students receive instruction from the camp’s certified teachers while parents and teachers from their school serve as chaperones.

Several parents take off work to join their children on the excursion, Oyenarte said.

“A lot of them remember coming to camp when they

Along with summer camp and school trips, Camp Crystal Lake rents its facilities to churches, families and other groups 22 weekends out of the year. were in fifth grade, so a lot of them want to come back and do it again,” he said.

Through the years, the concept of the camp has remained the same, but the facilities have been renovated and the curriculum has changed to reflect current environmental trends. Along with summer camp and school trips, Camp Crystal Lake rents its facilities to churches, families and other groups 22 weekends out of the year.

Oyenarte said 6,800 students attend camp during the school year. On the Monday of the week of the trip, he visits fifth-grade students at their school to talk about the camp and what they can expect.

“There is an excitement,” he said.

“They are pumped.”

Leann Malphurs, a fifth-grade teacher from Alachua

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Elementary School, said students learn lessons on the trip that will stay with them forever. Her son, who went to camp in fifth grade, still remembers science lessons that apply to his high school environmental science class.

“For the kids, it’s just like having school in an outdoor classroom,” she said.

Once school lets out, children can enjoy five- or 12-day summer camp sessions at Camp Crystal Lake.

Campers choose five classes they would like to attend from 21 available activities — ranging from camp newspaper to dance class to kayaking.

College students serve as camp counselors and provide a positive environment that attracts students.

“They look at creating the environment that kids want to be a part of,” Oyenarte said. “There is just a passion for camp.”

He said the comment he hears most from parents is that they cannot believe how much their child grew both physically and mentally at camp.

“Camp is just as important as school — if not more important. It gives kids the opportunity to grow outside of school,” Oyenarte said. “They get that confidence they need.”

Along with the regular camp sessions, there is an adventure camp open to seventh through 11th graders where they spend four nights and five days paddling down the Suwannee River and setting up camps along continued on page 108 the bank at night.

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o continued from page 105 Camp Crystal Lake’s six regular sessions are available for second to ninth graders and run from June 20 to Aug. 13. The camps can hold 160 children and spots are reserved on a first come, first serve basis. Oyenarte said he wished the camp could accommodate all the children who wanted to attend but there simply are not enough beds for everyone. Every summer, the waiting list is filled with hundreds of names.

Alachua County residents pay $470 for a 5-day session and $880 for a 12-day session while all other applicants pay $530 for a 5-day session and $940 for a 12-day session, according to a summer camp brochure.

“I feel like we’re very affordable,” Oyenarte said.

“Kids are getting the opportunity not only to enjoy themselves but they are learning lots of skills.”

Oyenarte said there are payment plans available for parents and about 60 scholarships are given to students each summer.

After camp is over, many campers suffer from what Oyenarte deems “camp sickness.” Once, a mom called him a few days after camp was over and told him something was wrong with her kids. They determined that the children just missed camp.

“We’re putting the real world on hold,” he said. “We have everything taken care of.”

Oyenarte said counselors ask the children to smile and to have a good attitude at all times. Camp Crystal

108 | Summer 2010

Lake values center around fun, family and fellowship.

“Counselors get to know all the kids,” he said. “It’s truly a family when you get down to it.”

Scott Gulig, a UF student, went to Camp Crystal Lake for four summers.

Students learn about water through lake investigation studies and learn about North Florida ecosystems through hiking.

“I loved it,” he said. “We sailed, camped, did archery, canoed and spent a lot of time on the lake. It was definitely a welcome break from boring Gainesville summers.”

Oyenarte said the best part of the camp is that it makes a difference in children’s lives.

“We are such a huge part of the community,” he said. “There are very few children who have not been touched by Camp Crystal Lake.” s

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LaChua Trail

A Short Walk That is Long on Natural Wonders

BY DEBBIE M. DELOACH t was a cold, cloudy morning in March when Mark and Linda Bolinger of Altoona, Pa., set off to explore the LaChua Trail for the first time. Part of the Paynes Prairie State Preserve, the LaChua Trail is located on the north rim of the prairie.

“The alligators decided that a little bit of sun was good, so they all came out on the way back,” Mark Bolinger said.

The Bolingers hiked the LaChua Trail after their son, who lives in Gainesville, suggested they visit it.

“There were some pretty big alligators ... and they

I

112 | Summer 2010

were like right there,” said Linda Bolinger as she pointed directly in front of herself. She went on to mention the birds, egrets, a snake and turtles they had seen. “It was a beautiful nature walk. I imagine on a sunny day it’s even more spectacular,” she said.

LaChua Trail is a spur off the Gainesville Hawthorne State Trail. It is a three-mile round trip hike. An elevated observation platform at the end of the trail provides viewers a panoramic view of Paynes Prairie’s wet prairie and marsh and of Alachua Lake.

Be CART

PHOTO BY DEBBIE M. DELOACH

Plenty of rainfall creates a small lake, the Alachua sink. The new boardwalk keeps pedestrians above the sink’s reptilian residents. a. PHOTO BY GDELOACHPHOTOGRAPHY

A handful of captive-bred whooping cranes may be seen from the LaChua Trail and throughout Paynes Prairie, especially in the winter. b. PHOTO BY GDELOACHPHOTOGRAPHY

A trio of alligators cozy up at the Alachua sink. c. PHOTO BY DEBBIE M. DELOACH

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LaChua Trail wanders underneath an old Seaboard System Railroad overpass. This railway was abandoned in 1984 and earmarked for use as “pedestrian walkways, bicycle, and equestrian ways” according to the Archer Historical Society’s Yulee Railroad Days Web site.

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A new raised boardwalk provides a safe and excellent view of Alachua Sink and its residents. Actually, the sink area is composed of several sinks all covered at this time by a continuous body of water. The words La Chua translates to Big Jug, which is how the native peoples of the area characterized the Alachua Sink area.

The main sink of note is called the swallow. Jim Weimer, park biologist for Paynes Prairie State Preserve, said that over 100 million gallons of water per day have been measured rushing down the chimney-like swallow into the underlying lime rock, draining all of Paynes Prairie. The depth of the swallow is 80 feet below sea level while the ground around it is about 60 feet above sea level.

“Surface water in Florida is recreation water and wildlife water,” Weimer said. “Yet the water we drink, the water we use for agricultural purposes, the water we use for industry, the water we use to irrigate our lawns all comes out of the aquifer. Yet we never see the aquifer.

That water in Alachua Sink is the top of the Floridan aquifer. So you get to see that water. You can stand there and look at that water and think, ‘OK, somewhere somebody at some point in time is going to get a chance to drink that water — and how good are we taking care of that water?’”

Nature John Barrett has been hiking and photographing the LaChua Trail for the last ten years on his regular winter trips down from Massachusetts.

“It’s a beautiful spot,” Barrett said. “It’s a really amazing location with so much wildlife concentrated in one spot. I always come out and get some great pictures.”

On this day, he had continued on next page

For more information, recycle bins or cart repairs call 352.338.3233 • TheWasteWatcher.com

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Summer 2010 | 113

photographed a great blue heron feeding its two Visiting nestlings. The birds were in a rookery with other herons To ensure the best experience, be prepared for close-up and egrets who were sitting on their nests. Sandhill encounters with a multitude of creatures and for the cranes, bald eagles and osprey are common sights. extremes of Florida’s climate. Check the weather report “Everything that you can get in a wild Florida and dress accordingly. Carry plenty of water, sunscreen environment we and insect repelhave here,” Weimer lent. For added said. “So everything enjoyment, take from biting insects, binoculars or a fire ants, snakes camera. and, of course, Weimer highly large, meat-eating recommends small reptiles — alligators. children be held Occasionally people on to and watched encounter bison on for signs of stress. the trail, as well, To cover the same and sometimes amount of ground, wild horses. Give they must expend yourself plenty of more effort than time. Move slowly. does an adult, so You don’t have to they are more prone rush. There’s a lot to to heat stress in see and that gives the summer. Also, you time to see if the sink has no there’s a snake or rails and a small a fire ant mound, individual thrashing PHOTO BY GDELOACHPHOTOGRAPHY some wasps or about in the water Along the LaChua Trail, a gulf fritillary butterfly drinks nectar from a purple bees at flowers.” is the dinner bell for thistle. Even this native, though obnoxious, plant has a good use. resident alligators.

Despite these History dangers, “the most dangerous thing they [families] The largest cattle ranch in Spanish Florida, Hacienda will do when they come out to visit the park is drive,” de la Chua, had its headquarters, Ranchero de la Chua, Weimer said. at Alachua Sink. About 1903, William Camp had bought The LaChua Trail is accessible from either Boulware Paynes Prairie and had started a cattle ranch there. He Springs City Park or the north Paynes Prairie State also established his ranch operations at Alachua Sink.

Preserve entrance, seven days a week. The Bolingers used The stone and block buildings at the sink are the actual the parking lot at Boulware Springs City Park and walked buildings used by the cowboys and ranch manager of a short distance east on the Gainesville Hawthorne Trail Camp Ranch. The Florida Park Service Northeast District to the LaChua trailhead.

Headquarters now uses those buildings.

Parking is free, but these areas have gates. The gates Going even farther back in time, Weimer said, “There at Boulware Springs City Park are open from 8 a.m. to was a Timucuan village, a Potano village, right here 6 p.m., November through April, and 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., [Alachua Sink]. People have been coming here for the May through October. Boulware Springs City Park is past 10,000 to 12,000 years.” located at 3300 - 3500 S.E. 15th St. The north Paynes The brochure, “A Trader’s Path: GainesvillePrairie State Preserve parking lot opens at 7 a.m. and Hawthorne State Trail,” calls Alachua Sink, “the heart closes one hour before sunset. It is located at 4801 and soul of Paynes Prairie.” It has been “a gathering spot Camp Ranch Rd., which is a southbound extension of for prehistoric animals and people, a steamboat landing Southeast 15th Street. Cars left in the lots after closing and a train stop.” remain locked in the lot until the next morning.

Weimer said that soon the trail will be diverted The trail begins with a collection box and an outhouse. through a horse barn that once housed Gainesville Police The fee for entrance is $2 per person. Visitors are honor Department Mounted Patrol horses. It is being converted bound to pay the fee and to have exact change. Individuals into a walk-through visitor and interpretive center. with Florida State Park annual entrance passes do not have “The trail is going to run right through the building to pay the fee. Since there are currently no other restroom and we’re going to have exhibits on cultural history,” facilities along the trail, a stop at the outhouse is a smart Weimer said. move. The outhouse sports an environmentally sensitive composting toilet so check it out. s

114 | Summer 2010

COLUMN >> MOLLY LARMIE

Adventures in Appetite Everything tastes better with live music at Mexico Lindo Mexican Restaurant and Cantina

grew up in a large Irish family. We ate a lot of starch: mashed potatoes, baked potatoes, twice-baked potatoes. At dinner each night, we tried to upstage one another by telling the most outrageous story about our day.

After dessert, we vied for the most creative excuse to get out of washing the dishes. Meals were large, healthy and never missed, but they were never very adventurous. Mum shied away from salt and spice and preferred her meat well-done.

The summer before my freshman continued on next page

I

year at the University of Florida, I started dating a friend whose father happened to own a restaurant. I learned how to shuck an oyster. I learned how to eat sushi with chopsticks.

In college, after a year of living at the mercy of dining halls and cup macaroni and cheese, I learned to cook. Out of curiosity, or necessity, I threw different combinations of flavors together in a pan and quickly found out what worked, and what didn’t.

Now when I dine out I prefer something original. I have a passion

www.VisitOurTowns.com

for creativity, for cooks who take time to prepare a dish that reflects their personality, and often, their culture. I’m always searching for that perfect hole-in-the-wall venue with great people and big taste.

Such a search led my sister, Megan, and me to Mexico Lindo Mexican Restaurant and Cantina, at 7070 SW Archer Road, on a recent Tuesday.

Mexico Lindo, which opened in 2009, is Alberto Roman’s latest contribution to the Gainesville food scene. Roman owns Las Margaritas on Northwest 43rd Street and La

Summer 2010 | 115

Tienda Latina, a restaurant serving super-authentic cuisine on Southwest 13th Street.

We chose the second day of the week for a specific reason. A mariachi band plays at Mexico Lindo every Tuesday from 6-9 p.m. As we walked through the door, we were greeted by a friendly blast of brass and strings.

Mexico Lindo had a good crowd for a weekday. We waited about five minutes for a booth, which was not enough time to take in the magnificent décor.

Beautiful golden walls emit a soft, shimmering glow throughout the restaurant.

Vibrant, metallic paintings lend a three-dimensional quality to wild horses, villas and cowboys. Each chair and booth is painted a different color with a unique design. Small, delicate lamps dangle above the tables from the ceiling.

The hostess led us to a side booth in a second dining room to the left of the main dining area. Several flat-screen televisions were broadcasting sports in the upper corners of the room, but everyone’s eyes were on the band.

Five men dressed in tight, black attire with decorative gold trim sashayed between the tables. Three

carried violins, one man held a trumpet and another strummed an instrument that resembled a wide, deep-bodied guitar. Our server Alex, who was equally proficient checking on us in English and talking with diners at the next table in Spanish, told us to listen for “Orange Blossom Express” and “The Mayonnaise,” the mariachis’ greatest hits. The only thing I picked up was “La Cucaracha,” but I also know only about four words in Spanish.

When the band was playing at nearby tables, the atmosphere was loud and boisterous, but most diners didn’t try to talk over the music — they just joined in. Several women got up from their tables to dance. One of the violinists grabbed Megan by the hand and pulled her up for a twirl. During a slower song, one patron took the lead, belting out a wistful tune while seated at a table with his family. When the band left to serenade the front room, the noise level dropped considerably, and it was very easy to carry on a conversation.

The cantina holds a full bar with both domestic and imported beer. Mexico Lindo serves pitcher margaritas, which seemed to be popular with the college-age

We chose the second day of the week for a specific reason. A mariachi band plays at Mexico Lindo every Tuesday from 6-9 p.m.

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crowd, and the restaurant makes homemade sangria.

We ordered virgin strawberry daiquiris ($3.50). The restaurant makes seven different daiquiri flavors: mango, banana, strawberry, raspberry, peach, wild berry and pina colada. Our thick strawberry drinks arrived in large glasses with a heavy dollop of whipped cream and a cherry on top. They lasted the entire meal without a refill.

For an appetizer, we chose the guacamole dip ($3.70) to go with the complimentary salsa and tortilla chips.

The guac dip was nothing extraordinary, but it had a smooth, clean taste on top of the crispy golden chips.

For an added charge, the staff will make homemade guacamole or salsa at the table in a molcajete, a sort of mortar and pestle.

The menu, like the restaurant, was very family friendly. The kid’s plates, such as a burrito and refried beans or even a cheeseburger and fries, were priced under $4. The menu included plenty of options for vegetarians, too, such as the Chiles Poblanos ($7.99) — two poblano peppers stuffed with cheese, fried in an egg batter and topped with a house sauce.

I couldn’t decide on an entree, so Alex recommended the enchiladas suizas ($8.40) — flour tortillas filled with chopped steak in a tomatillo and cheese sauce.

Megan ordered the quesadilla campechana ($8.50) — a cheese quesadilla stuffed with grilled steak, ground continued on next page Mexican sausage, onions,

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bell peppers and tomatoes. She had to choose between refried beans and rice, although she would have liked both. Our entrees came from the section of the menu titled “Especialides de la casa”-house specials.

Fewer than ten minutes and two mariachi songs later, Alex delivered our entrees on large, extremely hot plates. On mine, piping hot tomatillo and cheese sauce covered four identical white flour tortillas. The steak inside was tender and well-seasoned. The dish was served with a side of guacamole and sour cream, which blended well with the distinct tomatillo flavor in the sauce.

Megan’s dish came with guacamole salad, sour cream and a heap of smooth refried beans smothered in cheese. The blend of meat, veggies and melted cheese in the quesadilla struck her as a kind of Mexican-style Philly cheese steak. The ground sausage dominated the plate with a smoky, spicy flavor. The result was delicious and very filling.

For dessert, it was a toss up between the chimichanga cheesecake and the flan, a traditional Mexican custard baked daily at the restaurant. We were too full to order our own desserts, so we decided to split the flan ($2.99). We weren’t disappointed. Alex had to maneuver around the swaying mariachi band to place the dish in the middle of our table. The flan was served at perfect room temperature in a light, delicious caramel sauce with whipped cream and a cherry on

118 | Summer 2010

PHOTO BY MOLLY LARMIE

A member of the band plays the trumpet at a nearby table.

top. I thought it would have been better without the whipped cream (Megan disagreed). The custard had just a hint of outside skin and no rubbery taste. It was the perfect ending to the meal.

The total price for our daiquiris, shared appetizer, two entrees and shared dessert plus tax and tip was $38.66. And we brought home half of our entrees in to-go boxes. It almost felt like we were walking out on half of the bill, with leftovers for lunch the next day.

“Lindo” means pretty or lovely in Spanish. Mexico Lindo gave us a lovely evening full of good service, great music and delicious Mexican cuisine. We left in high spirits, already making plans to bring friends for another visit — on Tuesday night, of course. s

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Youngsters, with an adult, can join an animal caretaker for amphibian and reptile feeding. This FREE program lasts about 45 minutes to an hour.

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Artisans’ Guild Gallery Sat. 5/1 - Thurs. 5/27 4201 N.W. 16th Blvd.

“Flames, Smoke and Ash” wood fired pottery by member artists Darrell Adams, Kate Murray, Mary Ann Bonner, Barbara Knutson and guest artist Jeanne Galligan.

And “Out of the Box” abstract mixed-media paintings by Mandy Macias. Also “Fun & Functional” Fine Arts and Fine Crafts by 50

regional artists. Hours are 10 a.m.- 7 p.m.

Mondays-Saturdays, noon - 5 p.m. Sundays.

352-378-1383 www.artisansguildgallery.com

Mother’s Day Trunk Sale Sun. 5/2 1:00pm - 5:00pm Samuel P Harn Museum of Art. Select consignment artists will be present and have additional inventory. Choose the perfect gift of jewelry or art for mom’s special day. www.harn.ufl.edu

Edible Plant Project’s Spring Sale Wed. 5/5 4:00pm - 7:00pm Union Street Farmers’ Market/Bo Diddley Community Plaza.

An eclectic selection of edible plants, fruit trees, and seeds will be available. www.edibleplantproject.org

Let’s Go Downtown ‘Free Fridays’ Plaza Series Fridays, Beginning 5/7 8:00pm - 10:00pm Bo Diddley Community Plaza. Every Friday night the plaza comes alive as local and regional bands and

performing arts are showcased under the stars. So grab a blanket or lawn chair and join us downtown.

352-393-8746. www.gvlculturalaffairs.org

Uptown Art Hop Fri. 5/7 6:00pm - 9:00pm Thornebrook Village.

Fine arts, crafts and artifacts presented at a dozen galleries and boutiques all within easy ‘hopping’ distance. www.uptownarthop.com/

Celestial Celebrations Fri. 5/7 7:30pm Phillips Center for the Performing Arts. Gainesville Chamber Orchestra performance. Reserved Seating. Tickets: $35 per person. Seniors: $25 per person Students: $20 per person. performingarts.ufl. edu/

Fundraiser Golf Tournament Sat. 5/8 7:30am Turkey Creek Golf Course. Fundraiser presented by the Santa Fe High School Booster Club. Net proceeds are to benefit the youth of the Santa Fe High School football team. Prizes:

Hole-in-One - vehicle.

8:30 am: shotgun start.

Noon: Buffet lunch and awards.

CSI: Crime Scene Insects Beginning Sat. 5/8 Florida Museum of Natural History. This exhibition explores one of the most fascinating areas of criminal investigation - forensic entomology.

(May 8 - Jan 17) www.flmnh.ufl.edu

Paynes Prairie

by Bicycle Sat. 5/8 9:00am Boulware Springs Park, South Entrance.

An easy 12 miles with frequent stops to explore our natural and cultural history on the Gainesville-Hawthorne Trail through Paynes Prairie. Reservations required, call George Edwards at 352-3333184. www.prairiefriends.org/bike

Windsor Zucchini Festival Sat. 5/8 9:00am - 4:30pm Windsor (County Road 234). Come celebrate the 26th

Annual Windsor Zucchini Festival.

Join us for a day of fun, food, music and laughter. Benefiting the Windsor Volunteer Fire Department. For more information call 352-378-8671. www.afn.org/~windsor/page2.htm

Museum Nights Thurs. 5/13 6:00pm - 9:00pm Samuel P Harn Museum of Art. Join the Harn MUSEs for art-making opportunities and other artistic activities, sponsored by UF Honors Program and Student Government. www.harn.ufl.edu

Brazilian Music Institute Concert Fri. 5/14 7:30pm Squitieri Studio Theatre. Special Guest Celso Machado Founded and organized by Dr. Welson Tremura in 2001, the University of Florida’s Brazilian Music Institute (BMI) is sponsored by the Center for World Arts, Center for Latin American Studies, School of Music, and UF Student Govt.

Tickets: $15 per person (reserved seating). performingarts.ufl.edu

RIOULT - Part of UFPA’s Chords of Color for a Cause Thurs. 5/20 7:30pm Phillips Center for the Performing Arts.

Formed by Pascal Rioult and his wife, Joyce, both former Martha Graham company dancers, RIOULT has become one of the leading modern dance companies since their founding in 1994. The company will perform several signature works including Prelude to Night, a work created by Mr. Rioult after his wife, Joyce, was diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer.

Tickets: $15 per person (reserved seating) performingarts.ufl.edu

Master Gardeners Plant Sale Sat. 5/22 8:00am - 12:00pm UF/IFAS Alachua County Extension Office, 2800 NE 39th Ave. A variety of herbs, annuals, perennials, natives and more will be available at great prices. There is something for everyone and Master

www.VisitOurTowns.com

Gardeners will be on site for advice on caring for your plants.

Admission and parking is free.

352-955-2402

Family Fun and Safety Expo Sat. 5/22 11:00am - 3:00pm Santa Fe College’s North Field at the corner of NW 39th Avenue and NW 91st Street.

S.A.F.E.ID4FAMILIES will host a Family Fun and Safety Expo.

Admission free.

Fun for the entire family, including games, activities and food. Free safety resources such as medical screening and emergency identification and locator kits will also be available.

352-337-0281 safeid4families.org/

Musical Chairs Project Sat. 5/22 6:00pm - 9:00pm Eleanor Blair Studio, 113 South Main St. Benefit for the Friends of Alachua County Public Schools Elementary Arts Programs Fund. Silent cont. on page 123

Summer 2010 | 121

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o cont. from page 121 Auction for chairs handpainted by local artists, followed by music at Boca Fiesta.

through Floating Island Gift Store in Sun Center.

352-328-5927 artwalkgville@gmail.com

Gainesville Arts & Crafts Festival

Yulee Railroad Days

Sat. 5/22 - Sun. 5/23 9:00am - 6:00pm (Sat.) 9:00am - 5:00pm (Sun.)

Sat. 6/5 - Sun. 6/6 9:00am - 10:00pm

Alachua County Fairgrounds. Fun filled family event with shopping, food, kids activities and more! Come spend the weekend with us at the Alachua County Fairgrounds. Now accepting vendor applications. www.theshowpro.com/20701.html

Moonlight Walk Sat. 5/22 7:00pm - 11:00pm

City of Archer. Yulee Railroad Days gives us all a chance to indulge in railroad nostalgia, to learn a bit more about our pioneer past, to have fun, and to share our fascinating Alachua County heritage and history. www.yuleerailroaddays.org

Taste of Home Sun. 6/13 5:00pm - 9:00pm

Kanapaha Botanical Gardens. Large sections of the garden’s extensive walkways will be lit by 1500 luminaries, as well as paper lanterns and other light sources. There will also be live entertainment at the stage pavilion. www.kanapaha.org

University of Florida Hilton. Taste of Home is a charity fundraiser benefiting the Child Advocacy Center, Children’s Home Society, and other select charities. Come sample cuisine from some of North Florida’s finest restaurants.

Tickets $75. www.tasteofhomeevent.com

Art Walk

Family Day

Fri. 5/28, 6/25, 7/30 7:00pm - 10:00pm

Sat. 6/19 1:00pm - 4:00pm

Downtown Gainesville.

Free parking in city garage with validation

Samuel P. Harn Museum of Art. Put your nose to the

grindstone to learn more about ‘America at Work: Art and Propaganda in the Early-20th Century’.

After a tour of the exhibition, children will have the opportunity to create their own poster prints. www.harn.ufl.edu

Discovery Room Mon. 6/21 10:00 AM - 04:30 PM Florida Museum of Natural History, SW 34th Street and Hull Road. Fun for the entire family this summer. Swim through the shallows of a coral reef, puzzle together a prairie and create creatures from Florida’s diverse ecosystems in selfguided discovery stations. Visit the hands-on Discovery Room filled with activities and take part in the following scheduled program times for stories, puppets, museum exploration with Dr. Discovery and more!

Come in anytime, or attend a scheduled program. Discovery Room hours: 10 a.m. 4:30 p.m. Mondays & Saturdays; 1 - 4:30 p.m.

Sundays.

352-846-2000 www.flmnh.ufl.edu/

Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band Wed. 6/23 7:30p.m.

Phillips Center for the Performing Arts. Part of UFPA’s Chords of Color for a Cause. For some artists, having a creative outlet can allow them to deal with their grief over losing a loved one to cancer.

Gordon Goodwin lost his younger brother and father to the disease only a month apart.

Goodwin’s 18-piece jazz ensemble celebrates and personifies the best of the big band tradition with a very contemporary and original sound.

Tickets: $15 per person (reserved seating) performingarts.ufl.edu

Fourth of July Sun. 7/4 TBA The City of Alachua has dubbed its celebration “The Largest Small Town Fireworks Display in America.” The annual event draws over 20,000 people to Alachua and has great economic impact on area businesses.

There are dozens of activities for the kids, including a petting zoo, bounce houses and water slides. www.cityofalachua.com

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Summer 2010 | 123

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Music Junction Full service music store in downtown High Springs Providing Free concerts by the Railroad tracks

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Summer 2010 | 125

>> ART

The Gainesville

Ten

Multiple Perspectives, Singular Passion

BY TATIANA QUIROGA n March 2009, Larry Santucci was struck with an idea — to create a group of artists who combined multiple perspectives with a passion for photography.

“It occurred to me that a compilation of artists, emerging or not, with different approaches to photography would be a tour de force in terms of showing at various galleries,” he said.

This “tour de force” became The Gainesville Ten. After Santucci contacted a couple of photographers in the area and set up a group, The Gainesville Ten had their first showing at the Frame Factory & Gallery in April 2009. More than 300 people showed up in the span of three hours, said Santucci, who co-founded the group along with his wife, Linda.

The Gainesville Ten has held exhibitions at locations such as the Thomas Center, the Tioga Town Center and the Hippodrome State Theatre.

The members of the group are Larry Santucci,

I

126 | Summer 2010

Willene Johnson, Lance Cooper, Steve Auer, Robert Kamarowski, James Buzzella, Pamela Luckey, Sheila Andrews and the late Dominick Martino. One of the original members of the group is no longer associated with The Gainesville Ten. All have unique styles and approaches to photography; some specialize in infrared, hand-colored, or black and white photography.

Others focus on landscapes, wildlife or portraiture.

Some members are professional photographers and others have daytime jobs. Some are emerging artists while others are established in the industry.

But the photographers’ appreciation for the art of photography and the desire to constantly learn and grow are the common themes that unite them.

“There’s always a gentle push to improve what we’re doing,” Santucci said. “We thrive on one another’s enthusiasm.”

Willene Johnson said she only knew Santucci when the group formed and met the other members at The Gainesville Ten’s first exhibit.

“I was amazed at how each of us had a different

PHOTOS BY ALBERT ISAAC

OPPOSITE: Visitors eat, drink and take in the photography at The Gainesville 10 photographic exhibition and reception in March, held at the Tioga Town Center.

TOP: Larry Santucci and a model pose for a photo opportunity at the Gainesville 10 reception.

RIGHT: Larry Santucci and artist Lenny Kesl stand beside Santucci’s photo, American Gothic, featuring Kesl and a woman volunteer at Dudley Farm.

style, yet when you put us all in a room together, everything meshes and there’s a flow,” Johnson said.

“It just works,” Santucci added.

The group usually meets monthly over dinner to discuss photography techniques and upcoming exhibits. There is no theme to The Gainesville Ten exhibits — photographers showcase a few of their images, making up an assortment of artwork. The photographers usually display what they are currently working on. Visitors can always count on seeing something new at the shows because the same pieces are rarely shown twice, Santucci said. The next exhibit will be at the Hippodrome State Theatre and will run from May 11 to June 6.

At each exhibition, opening receptions feature buffets and sometimes musicians. The photographers are able to meet the public and discuss the group’s art.

“It gives us an opportunity to talk about our work and that’s always gratifying,” Santucci said.

Johnson recalled a time when people were examining one of her images of old bottles in front of a mirror

and debating how many bottles there actually were.

“It just tickles me,” she said. “I just think that’s so cool.”

Sometimes the group invites a guest photographer to exhibit with them, calling the exhibits The Gainesville Ten — plus one. The guest photographer “adds another dimension” to the show, Santucci said.

Dominick Martino, a member of The Gainesville Ten who is widely known for his wildlife shots of Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park, passed away last October.

The Gainesville Ten display a picture of Martino along with an “in memoriam” statement at all their exhibits.

“Dominick will always be one of the ten,” Santucci said. “His work will always have a presence in all of our shows because he was a vital part of the formation of our group. His work is absolutely over the top. People need to know that, in many ways, Dominick is alive and kicking.”

The Gainesville Ten is also very active in the community. Santucci and some of the other photographers have provided free continued on next page

www.VisitOurTowns.com

Summer 2010 | 127

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photography for the Sebastian Ferrero Foundation’s Noche de Gala. The group has also donated images for auction to benefit local charities.

The Gainesville Ten hopes to sponsor an event for local elementary students where the photographers would help the kids take photographs at a group shoot somewhere. The group hopes to receive a grant from a camera company to be able to provide the children with disposable cameras.

One of Santucci’s favorite aspects of the group is the support he receives from others.

“People have shown me a lot of kindness. People have been helpful without knowing that they have been,” he said, blinking back tears in his eyes.

He appreciates that Johnson always attends his independent shows.

“Artists have got to support artists. Few people make a living out of it,” he said. Santucci also mentioned his wife’s encouragement.

“She’s a vital member of the team, although she’s not a photographer. She helps the photographers in any way they need help.”

Johnson said she studied photography in college but went on to do other things.

“Like many of us, our life gets in the way and [we] just can’t seem to dedicate our lives to it,” she said.

When she started to get back into photography, learning new techniques in continued on page 130

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the group helped get her “creative juices flowing.” She also said that she was an emerging artist when the group formed, and Santucci’s guidance was vital to her success in exhibiting.

Johnson finds the philanthropic mission of the group particularly rewarding.

“I really like the idea of us just not being a group of artists showing but that we’re coming into the community,” Johnson said. “We reach out everywhere and, to me, that’s very important.”

The group may embark on a new creative adventure in the future — making miniature prints.

“We want our art to be available for anyone,” Johnson said. “We have the large pieces, but some people can’t afford $200 or $300 for a piece.”

If they had a show where they showcase miniatures, that would make buying the artwork more affordable, she said.

Making miniature prints would also be “something that stretches [them] artistically,” Santucci said.

“The group is beginning to realize that while they function as individual photographers, they have a responsibility to do the best that they can,” he said. “There’s a certain pride in being associated with the group.” s For more information about The Gainesville Ten, visit www.thegainesvilleten.com.

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>> REPURPOSE

Rails to Trails Abandoned Railroads Foster Alternate Transportation

BY MOLLY LARMIE t the beginning of the eighteenth century, Gainesville became an important economic outpost for North Central Florida. Railroads powered the economy â&#x20AC;&#x201D; funneling essential goods in and out of the region, distributing them over thousands of miles throughout the country. A rail line was tantamount to a lifeline for many growing cities.

As time passed, the glory days of the railroad came to an end. Trucks and airplanes replaced trains as the preferred mode of transportation. Many of the once mighty railroads fell into disuse and disrepair.

A

132 | Summer 2010

GAINING SPEED Miles of railway may have been left to rust-obsolete, forgotten relics of American history and industry â&#x20AC;&#x201D; had it not been for the establishment of the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy in the 1980s. The RTC, a non-profit organization now based in Washington, D.C., sought to create a nationwide network of rail-trails: multi-purpose public paths formed from abandoned railroad corridors. The railroad tracks are removed and the trail surface is paved for recreational use. The resulting rail-trails provide a protected venue for alternate transportation such as

PHOTOS BY MOLLY LARMIE

TOP: The Downtown Connector trail is used for jogging, cycling, rollerblading or walking dogs.

RIGHT: The Gainesville-Hawthorne State Park Trail continues south from Boulware Springs Park through Paynes Prairie State Preserve to the city of Hawthorne.

bicycling, walking, rollerblading and horseback riding.

According to its Web site, www.railstotrails.org, the conservancy is “committed to enhancing the health of America’s environment, transportation, economy, neighborhoods and people — ensuring a better future made possible by trails and the connections they inspire.”

In 1986, when RTC opened its doors, there were fewer than 200 known rail-trails in the country. Today, there are more than 1,600 trails — about 19,000 milesthroughout the U.S. continued on page 135

www.VisitOurTowns.com

Summer 2010 | 133

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LOCAL LINES Florida boasts 42 open trails — about 397 miles — and 42 project trails are in the works that will provide and additional 571 miles, according to a tally by the RTC. Dekova Batey, Gainesville bicycle and pedestrian coordinator, spreads the word about Alachua County’s own impressive system of rail-trails.

The Waldo Road Greenway serves the Gainesville area from the northeast. This recreational rail-trail is mainly used by University of Florida and Santa Fe College students for walking or cycling, Batey said. The city hopes to eventually connect the trail all the way to the Waldo area. The Waldo Road Greenway joins with the Depot Avenue Rail-Trail near University Avenue and continues south until the trestle on Southwest 13th Street. The 13th Street trestle is itself a former rail line that once crossed the state from Fernandina Beach on the east coast to Cedar Key on the Gulf of Mexico, according to TrailLink.com, a trail-tracking Web site powered by the RTC. After the trestle, the Kermit Sigmon Trail takes over.

The trail, named for a mathematics professor at the University of Florida who advocated improved bicycle safety and alternate transportation in the community, runs west along Archer Road past Shands at UF and the Malcom Randall VA Medical Center. There it merges with the Old Archer Road Trail, Batey said, and continues until 34th Street. The Old Archer Road Trail also joins with the 23rd Street Trail (a trail not formed from a rail line) that heads south to Williston.

The downtown Gainesville Depot Park, which is currently closed for renovation, will serve as a formal hub for all major trails.

From Depot Park, the Downtown Connector Trail links to the Gainesville-Hawthorne State Park Trail, Batey said. This 16-mile corridor extends from its western endpoint at Boulware Springs Park on Southeast 15th Street through Paynes Prairie State Preserve to the city of Hawthorne. An equestrian trail parallels the asphalt trail in several areas.

Construction will soon begin on the 6th Street RailTrail, a new strand in the ever-expanding web of local lines. From the Downtown Connector, the 6th Street trail will run north, roughly parallel to Main Street, past the Gainesville Police Department and continue until Northwest 16th Avenue, Batey said. This “missing link” will serve the northwest part of the community, providing alternate access to work, shopping and recreation, he said.

RAILS TO TRAILS So, just how does a rail become a trail? According to the RTC, the first step is to determine if a rail corridor is abandoned. If so, rail service is discontinued, an authority called the Surface Transportation Board approves the abandonment and pay schedules are cancelled. The railroad company then removes the

“The trails offer a cycling commute through neighborhoods and places where people work and go to school, thus encouraging exercise and a healthier lifestyle.” tracks and ties and re-grades the surface area, often with the original ballast left by the railroad, according to the RTC Web site.

Most of the corridors in Alachua are checked for hazardous compounds (sometimes arsenic was used to keep rail beds from overgrowing) and then resurfaced with asphalt, a durable material that does not crack as much as concrete, Batey said.

The advantages of a rail-trail are abundant. Because continued on next page the railroads carried

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essential goods and services, the corridors they left behind are already established through key areas of the city, Batey said. The trails offer a cycling commute through neighborhoods and places where people work and go to school, thus encouraging exercise and a healthier lifestyle, he said.

The increase in venues for alternate transportation decreases the number of cars on the road, which leads to less road maintenance and fewer harmful emissions, Batey said. And fewer bikes sharing busy main roads may help to reduce the number of bike accidents.

“A lot of people have issues with riding in the roadway, even though drivers are supposed to share the road,” he said. “Most would rather ride on an off-road facility.”

Trails also increase property values and boost tourism, he said. Bicycle enthusiasts use Internet trail-tracking technology to plan trips to Gainesville’s thriving rail-trail network.

CHANGING HANDS According to the RTC, the local, state or federal government agency that buys the railroad corridor normally builds the trail as well. Trails are generally managed by public agencies, but some are operated by other types of organizations, such as non-profit groups, land trusts and community foundations.

In Gainesville, ownership varies by trail. Railroad

Today, there are more than 1,600 trails — about 19,000 miles-throughout the U.S. companies in possession of unused railways look to capitalize on their prime real estate, Batey said, and multiple state grants and partnerships are needed to seal the deal. Once constructed, the 6th Street Trail will represent 10 years of negotiations between sellers, non-profits, the Department of Transportation, the Gainesville Police Department and members of the community, Batey said.

Locally, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection Office of Greenways & Trails works as a liaison between prospective buyers and sellers to bring rail-trails to the community, Batey said. The office joins a growing movement to create a statewide system of rail-trails by linking local trails to regional trails until they form a complete unit.

According to the RTC, by 2020, 90 percent of Americans will live within three miles of a local trail system. s For more information, call Dekova Batey, bicycle and pedestrian coordinator for the City of Gainesville, at 352-334-5070.

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>> LEISURE

A Day Trip to

Cedar Key

BY LARRY BEHNKE ou donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t need to travel all the way to New England to experience a quaint fishing village.

The small Gulf Coast town of Cedar Key is only 60 miles from Gainesville.

The pleasant journey there, along Highway 24 (Archer Road), is mostly rural, except for scattered small towns.

Approaching the first of the connected islands is a thrill. The feeling is that of being in a more beautiful place than I usually think of as the Gulf of Mexico.

Y

138 | Summer 2010

History Timucuan Indians lived in the area 1,000 years ago and left huge mounds of oyster shells. The recent oyster industry was supplanted by clam harvests after hurricanes and over-harvesting destroyed the oyster beds. Clam farming is big now, and Cedar Key clams are enjoyed nationally. Other fresh fish are available, many caught off the big dock: whiting, redfish and drum.

The island of Atsena Otie was the original Cedar Key. The Eberhard Faber pencil factory was located

PHOTO BY LARRY BEHNKE

Boaters and fishers can easily launch from the boat ramp.

PHOTOS BY LARRY BEHNKE

Visitors to Cedar Key can spend the day strolling the historic downtown shops and galleries, fishing from the city dock, sailing, and sampling Cedar Key clams. At day’s end there is always the nightly treat of watching the setting sun.

there a century ago when the area still had cedars.

After total devastation by a hurricane in 1896, the town moved to its present location, Way Key. That hurricane continued north bringing destruction to Gainesville, too. Nowadays, tourists able to brave mosquitoes can still find the 1800s cemetery and an ancient cistern on Atsena Otie.

The Yulee Railroad once crossed to Way Key on trestles, but was also destroyed in that hurricane.

Before then, Cedar Key had been a port for shipping

cotton, sponges, lumber and fish. Commercial fishing still goes on, but the recreational kind is more popular.

Two downtown boat ramps offer easy access and trailer parking. Usage and launch fee is $10. Rental boats are also available, as are daily boat tours to Atsena Otie.

For more history, visit one of the island’s two museums: The Cedar Key Historical Museum on Second Street and Hwy. 24, or the Cedar Key Museum State Park at 12231 S.W. 166 Court. Both have a $2 admission fee.

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continued on next page

Summer 2010 | 139

Crab Invasion Cedar Key City Park offers restrooms, covered picnic areas and beach access, but on certain fall days, prehistoric creatures populate the shore. Scores of horseshoe crabs mate, the large females burrow into sand while the smaller males rock in the lapping waves above.

Weakened by storms, the town’s main tourist dock was closed for four years. The new concrete version should last considerably longer. Now, pelicans rarely strut across it, and it is too high for boats to dock, but people still use it to visit or fish.

Alex Trapp had fished from the dock for hours, but the “big one” had gotten away twice. On the third try she snagged a 35-pound black drum and, with the help of a long net, hoisted it up to the dock. The inch-long hook had been baited with a crab leg. The fish would not fit in a large cooler.

Touring Across the water from the dock, Frog’s Landing slowly fills with happy hour couples. Outside on the bar, a great white egret known as Spike catches food tossed by the waitress while tourists snap photos of the large, tame bird.

Frog’s is on Dock Street, which juts into the Gulf and holds several shops, restaurants and lounges with great water views. Coconuts Bar is a favorite spot for watching

gorgeous sunsets from its large west-facing dock.

A couple of blocks in is Second Street, known to most as the main street because of its centrallylocated ancient buildings holding antiques, art, food, consignments, and also a Jiffy store, a bank, library, city hall and at its end, the park, just before a group of condominiums.

Cedar Key shopkeepers are friendly and seem to enjoy making a living in this bit of paradise, even during tough times. But because of real estate price jumps, most natives must live on the mainland now, miles east of the island where land is still affordable.

The building that sold for $10,000 four decades ago is now on the tax rolls at half a million dollars.

Robinson’s is one such eatery run by Cedar Key natives that had to relocate to Rosewood. It features only locally caught seafood, unlike most of the restaurants in town that import such food.

The Island Hotel is on the main street and has been there seemingly forever. It still offers full accommodations: rooms, restaurant and bar. Motel rooms near the park can be rented for long periods. Stand-alone motel rooms are available further up Hwy. 24, and the mainland has a campground for RVs. An airport for small planes is a mile from Cedar Key’s shopping district.

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The island of Atsena Otie was the original Cedar Key. The Eberhard Faber pencil factory was located there a century ago when the area still had cedars. After total devastation by a hurricane in 1896, the town moved to its present location, Way Key. Festival and the Old Florida Celebration of the Arts each April. The seafood event brings many visitors to feast in the park. Local groups run food booths for fundraising: Women’s Club, Lions, school and church groups.

Arts and crafts are a part of the attraction, too.

Friday night has a queen pageant and Saturday morning features a parade. The art fair also brings thousands of visitors to the town that usually has a permanent population of only 300.

In December, colorful lights abound with a variety of Christmas festivities held over a month’s time. Visit www.cedarkey.org for details and updates on events.

Laying Back If those events sound too crowded, visit Cedar Key just about any other time for relaxation. The village is a good example of people living on “island time,” a

slower pace conducive to sanity.

Everything you need in Cedar Key is within walking distance, but if you want to move a little faster, rent a bicycle, rickshaw or a golf cart, which are abundant.

Walking “home” to your rental is easy after a night out. Local bars offer free live music and some have drink specials.

To get to Cedar Key from Gainesville, take Archer Road, Highway 24, all the way to its end. When you come to the first stop sign, you are in the middle of Cedar Key. Despite some recent growth, Cedar Key is still a small, charming community. The USDA selected the town as Florida’s Rural Community of the Year for 2009.

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>> GREEN PASTURES

An Equine Sanctuary Mill Creek Horse Retirement Farm

BY NICOLE LYNN GREINER pon retiring as a Master Sergeant from the Army, Houdini received a certificate of appreciation signed by President Barack Obama.

When it was time to find a place to retire after 19 years of service, he went to a small farm in Alachua: Mill Creek Farm. But Mill Creek Farm is not typical; it is a retirement farm where the average age is 27 years old.

Houdini is one of 126 horses that now call the Mill Creek Farm home.

At the farm, only a wooden fence confines him. He has no saddle, no reins and no rider. He has 12 acres to roam free and he shares the green pasture with five other horses, including Possum, who retired as a Sergeant First Class from the Army.

Together, Possum and Houdini have appeared in 4,300 events in multiple states, and their hard work and service has paid off. Upon Houdini’s arrival to the farm he was promised — as are all horses — that he would never be ridden or worked again. And he will die there.

To Peter Gregory, the farm’s owner, this is how it should be. Each horse at the Mill Creek Retirement Home for Horses has a unique life story. Some were racehorses, some were rescued from abuse, some were research subjects, but all found common ground at Mill Creek Farm.

The farm, located down a small dirt road from CR 235-A in Alachua, has been around for the last 26 years and was created as Peter and his wife Mary’s retirement plan.

U

Gregory said the idea to start the farm began in 1950 when he met and fell in love with Mary while enrolled at the University of London.

Gregory became a hotel manager for a company in Great Britain. He ran resorts in the Caribbean and in the Grand Bahamas Islands, and he also ran the first hotel for non-smokers, The Native Sun. The couple later made the move to America and became citizens in 1976.

After becoming a millionaire twice in his life, it was about time to think about retirement. The couple decided to spend the rest of their lives helping animals, which had been their dream since they met about 60 years ago.

“We always had this dream in our mind that we had to do something for the horses, but if it wasn’t horses it would have been dogs or cats,” Gregory said.

In 1983, they opened the gates of Mill Creek Farm and one year later they welcomed their first horse to the farm.

After 26 years the farm is still there and Peter is now 81 years old, but his sharp memory and his quick feet would fool people. He knows every horse by name and even remembers when each horse came to the farm and from where it came.

Big Surprise, now 10 years old, came to the farm in the belly of his mother, Dakota Too. Dakota Too was rescued when the Broward County Sheriff’s Department raided a farm in South Florida. In total, 18 horses were found and Mill Creek Farm took eight of the horses in the continued on page 145

PHOTOS BY ALBERT ISAAC

TOP AND BOTTOM: Horses wait patiently at the fence, hoping for treats.

MIDDLE LEFT: Carissa Sutphin with daughters Linnea and Cadence feed one of the 126 horses at the farm.

MIDDLE RIGHT: Trevor Isaac feeds a friendly miniature donkey.

www.VisitOurTowns.com

Summer 2010 | 143

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o continued from page 143 worst shape.

Nobody knew the mare was pregnant, including the veterinarians that examined her.

“She never looked any different,” Gregory said.

Gregory is not quite sure why his memory is so sharp, but he said his father lived to be 91 and that might have something to do with it.

“I keep busy,” he said. “I don’t worry about what’s going to happen tomorrow because I keep busy.”

He attributes some of his retention to his eating habits. For the last 35 years, the couple has been vegetarians because they do not approve of killing animals.

To the Gregorys, Mill Creek Farm is home; they live in a small house on the middle of the property.

Gregory said he loves living on the farm and the proximity makes it easier for him to get things done. He works a 12-hour day that starts at 6:30 a.m. Some times he does not even stop to take a break.

Every morning he loads a golf cart with carrots and apples and makes his rounds around the farm. He sees to it that all the horses are cared for and none need a vet.

The farm has only one paid employee that takes care of feeding the horses; the rest of the workers are volunteers.

“It’s amazing that they do it themselves, it’s incredible,” said Dawn Zinsmaster, a frequent volunteer at the farm.

Zinsmaster said coming to the farm is like an escape from reality.

“When you come here, everything else in your life just goes away, and you know you’re doing a good thing,” she said.

Zinsmaster said she mostly helps Peter with the Facebook page and clerical work.

Even at 81 years of age, Gregory has no plans to retire as the owner and manager of the farm. To him this is retirement.

“I am retired,” he said. “This is what I do when I’m retired.”

Since the farm opened in 1983, the Gregorys have worked without a salary. Gregory said the last time he went out to dinner was in April of 1993, partly because he wants to leave as much money as he can for the farm. The other part is because there is no money to spread around. It costs hundreds of dollars a month just to care for one horse. The farm currently has 126 horses and at one point had 141.

In 2000, Pavarotti, a now 31-year-old quarter horse, retired to Mill Creek Farm from the Claremont Riding Academy in New York City. Pavarotti was living in a basement stall in the city and was used for riding lessons. Now she grazes in wide open pastures with grass at her feet and the sky overhead.

Gregory also dreams of buying more land to care for more horses, but property is hard to come by. The land behind the farm is for sale, 300 acres for $2.9 million.

However, money is even harder to come by.

The farm runs solely on donations, most of which come on Saturdays when the farm is open to the public.

From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. visitors stroll the 265-acre farm to pet and feed the horses and even have picnics.

To the horses, this is the day they take a break from galloping across the fields to stand along the fence and eagerly wait for visitors to come with carrots and the occasional apple.

Terry Harpold said he has visited the farm about four times with his 6-year-old daughter, August, who loves feeding the horses carrots just as much as she loves eating them.

August enjoyed feeding one horse in particular, Voltan.

Voltan, a Belgian horse, came to the farm in 2006, fresh from his glory days performing at the Metropolitan Opera. He was called to the Met to replace Milky Way, who had also retired to Mill Creek Farm. Voltan took the stage to play a role in Carmen at the Lincoln Center. He, too, retired from the Claremont Riding Academy in New York City.

“When you come here, everything else in your life just goes away, and you know you’re doing a good thing.”

Voltan was forced into retirement after a bad case of arthritis.

Terry and August are just two of about 300 visitors that come to the farm every Saturday.

A walk through the farm is not free. Visitors must pay the cost of admission: two carrots.

“It’s definitely fair,” said Eric Hicks, a Gainesville resident who visited the farm with his family. “Last time we didn’t bring enough carrots.”

The 265-acre farm is immaculate. Visitors, neighbors and volunteers often say the farm is like heaven.

And for horses like Houdini the farm is heaven. It is also their final resting place. When Gregory made the promise that every horse would live out its life on the farm and never leave, he was not lying. The horses are buried in a section called the Field of Dreams.

Just like the other parts of Mill Creek Farm, the Field of Dreams, which holds over 200 fallen horses, also has a story, a story in every tree that is planted in the memory of a fallen horse.

Everything at Mill Creek Farm is done for the horses, so Houdini, Possum, Big Surprise, Pavarotti and Voltan need do nothing more than be the creatures they were born to be. s

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Summer 2010 | 145

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For 46 weeks of the school year, Alachua County elementary schools alternate sending second graders to spend a day at Camp Crystal Lake hiking, visiting the animal museum, and hay riding, all while learning about science.

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SERVICE Action ChemDry .................................. 31 Alachua County EPD ...................... 146 AllState Mechanical, Inc...................69 Big Blue..................................................113 Clint S. Davis Land Clearing .........104 COX Communications ........................ 6 Creekside Outdoor ........................... 40 Gainesville Regional Airport ........ 144 i3 Solutions ..........................................125 Mini Maid ..................................................7

www.VisitOurTowns.com

Natural Order Organizing ............... 53 Outreach Center for Children ...... 130 Phones and More.............................. 124 Pickett Weaponry Service ............ 150 Ray French A/C & Heating .............48 Schmidt Roofing................................. 53 TJM Studios Photography................ 13 3-Way Electrical Service Inc. ....... 144

HOME IMPROVEMENT Any One Can Do It Pest Control & Lawn Care ............. 144 Andy Bixby .........................................100 Buck Stove Place, Inc....................... 119 Budget Blinds ....................................... 31 Carson’s Cabinetry & Design .........85 Decks, Docks and Barns ..................98 Duffield Home Improvements ..... 105 Fences & Gates by IMI ..................... 101 Gateway Autos ................................... 141 Gulf Coast Supply ............................ 146 Graetz Construction ........................ 109 Great Lakes Carpet & Tile ...............64 Jack’s Small Engine Repair............. 74 Livingston & Sons ...............................16 M&R Granite, Inc. ................................56 Mike Hill Construction ......................93 Overhead Door ................................. 107 Southland Rock & Stone................. 110 Whitfield Window & Door............... 57

RESTAURANT Coffee Clutch ..................................... 124 David’s BBQ ........................................122 Domino’s Pizza ...............................15, 17 El Toro....................................................123 Flying Biscuit Café ....................... 71, 75 Joe’s Place .............................................111 Mad Hatters Café ..............................125 Mamma Mia Pizzeria ........................137 Northwest Grille ...................................111 Pita Pit ....................................................20 Take Away Gourmet ...........................41

MISCELLANEOUS Holly’s Cougar Den .......................... 144 Government Jobs.............................140 Typist Needed (Employment) ..... 105 Waste Watchers................................... 51 Waste Watchers..................................64

Summer 2010 | 149

Mon-Thu: $8 hr. for first person • Fri & Sat: $12 hr. for first person * 5. *$ 5.00 00 eeac ach h ad addi diti tion onal a shooter er

W

FIRE ARMS

ACCESSORIES

SAFES

Hundreds of new and pre-owned handguns, rifles and shotguns in stock.

Holsters, ammo, targets, grips, hunting gear, 511 tactical clothing, concealment purses, cleaning supplies & more.

Protect what you have worked hard to earn.

Large free delivery area.

Liberty Safes on SALE!!

WOMEN’S BASIC CLASS

$

65

PERSONAL GUN SAFETY

Every 3rd Thursday and Saturday of the month.

CONCEALED WEAPON PERMITTING CLASS $65

25/hr

Classes available based on instructor availability and customer needs. Two hour minimum plus $20 registration fee.

WE WEDNESDAY EDNESDAY TARGET MATCH Knock Knoc Kn ock oc k stuff stuf st ufff do uf down down! wn!! St wn Stop op ssho shooting hoot otin ing g paper. pape pa per. r

Every 3rd Thursday and Saturday, y, and 4th Saturday of the month.

CIVILIAN PRACTICAL CLASS AS SS

$

M m

$

95 9 5

Every 4th Tuesday and Thursday of the mont month. th .

PRIVATE CONCEALED WEA WEAPON APON 5 PERMITTING CLASS $95

Ever Every eryy Wednesday Wedn We dnes esda dayy at 6:00pm.

6 6:0 :00p 0pm. m. All All pistol p pis isto tol calibers welcome.

Wednesday are we welc lcom omee. 4 4th th W Wed edne nesd sday ay o off th thee mo month is .22 2 night! may nigh ght! t! Prices Prices i may vary. vary va ry.

Call For Class Details Government Issued ID Required

Located just South of Gainesville svillle on Hwy Hwy 441 441 HARRY BECKWITH GUNS & PISTO PISTOL OL RANGE

12120 S. HWY 441 Micanopy

352-466-3340

TRY T RY IIT T BEFORE BEFOREE YOU BUY IT! Rent a Handgun as low as $10/hr.

www.HarryBeckwithGunDealer.com 150 | Summer 2010

*S

Santa Fe Where Low Overhead Guarantees the Lowest Price!

Over 300 Vehicles In Stock

Certificate Entitles Any Customer To Select the new vehicle of their choice for

1.00

$

Ve ehiccle e Lo ocatio on Available We wiill mattch h or beatt any other dealer’s s price.

OVER INVOICE PRICE Must present certificate. Not valid with any other offer. Some restrictions may apply. See dealer for complete details. Offer ends soon.

*Rates As Low as 0 %

VIEW OUR ENTIRE INVENTORY AT

www.SANTAFEFORD.com Where low overhead guarantees low prices.

Santa Fe Ford US 441 & I-75 • Alachua, FL Sales: M-F 8-8, Sat. 8-5:30 Service M-F 7:30-6, Sat. Closed

1-800-580-4776 toll free 386-462-2802 local

www.VisitOurTowns.com

* Select new vehicles only - with approved credit

Summer 2010 | 151

Need A Car Loan?

If the absolute lowest payment is a MUST...check with SunState before you buy Help Our Local Ecomony, Bring Your Loans Home.

Use SunState Federal Credit Union and do business with the same people who do business with you.

www.SunStateFCU.org 152 | Summer 2010

Gainesville Main Office 405 SE 2nd Place 352-381-5200