March 30, 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Gainesville, FL -- Jazz up this spring with activities around Gainesville and Alachua County. Listen to bands play while browsing an arts festival, watch the Gators compete to become national gymnastics champions, and enjoy the newest exhibits at the Harn Museum of Art and the Florida Museum of Natural History. For a complete listing or for additional information, visit our website at www.visitgainesville.com and click on Events or contact Marcheta Cole Keefer, media and tourism marketing manager at the Gainesville/Alachua County VCB at 352/374-5260. Here’s a sampling of the events and highlights:
April 10 and 11—41st Annual Santa Fe College Spring Arts Festival—The festival takes place April 10 and 11 on historic NE 1st Street and the lawn of the Thomas Center in downtown Gainesville. Hours are 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Saturday and noon to 5:30 p.m. Sunday, rain or shine. New to this year’s event is The Santa Fe Jazz Big Band, Santa Fe Jazz Combo, Santa Fe Rhythm & Blues Band, The Tazers, 6th Street Rhythm & Blues Review and GrüvTherapy who will perform in a free jazz and blues festival on the Thomas Center lawn 3 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on April 10. For more information call 352-395-5355 or e-mail kathryn.lehman@sfcollege.edu.
April 17—Spring Native Plant Sale—The Morningside Nature Center will host its annual Spring Native Plant Sale. On Saturday, April 17 the sale is open to the public from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The center will only accept cash and checks. Proceeds from the sale benefit environmental and cultural history programs offered by the City of Gainesville’s Nature Operations Division. Morningside Nature Center is located at 3540 E University Ave. For more information, call the center at 352-334-3326 or visit the Web site www.natureoperations.org
April 22-24—2010 NCAA Gymnastics Championship—For the first time since 1997, the University of Florida will host the 2010 National Collegiate Women’s Gymnastics Championship at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center. On Thursday, April 22, two rounds of semifinals will be held. One round lasts from 1-4 p.m., and from 2-7 p.m. On Friday, April 23 the Super Six Team Finals will begin at 6 p.m. On Saturday, April 24 the Individual Event Finals will start at 6 p.m. Tickets are available for purchase through GatorZone.com or by calling 800-34-GATOR. Tickets for children and seniors are $30 and adults are $45 to $55. Participating gymnasts will be available to sign autographs Saturday, April 24 from 4-5:30 p.m. at the University of Florida's Stephen C. O'Connell Center between Gates 1 and 2. Fans may enter through these gates for the autograph session. UF is ranked fourth in the nation as of March 8. For more information, contact David Lucier at 352-392-5500 or dlucier@ufl.edu.
April 24—Farm and Forest Festival—The Morningside Nature Center will host the Farm and Forest Festival on Saturday, April 24 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Guests will enjoy life in North Central Florida during the mid to late 1800s by listening to an old-time string band, taking a ride in a horse-drawn wagon and watching costumed demonstrators weave baskets. Admission to the festival is $5 for adults, $3 for children ages three to twelve and free for children under three years old. Morningside Nature Center is located at 3540 E. University Ave. For more information, call the Center at 352-334-3326 or visit the Web site www.natureoperations.org.
April 24—Rose Show—Kanapaha Botanical Gardens will host a Rose Show on Saturday, April 24. This show celebrates the splendor and distinctive fragrance of roses. There will be judged exhibits of award winning roses. For more information, contact John Tucker at 352-591-2145.
May 8—26th Annual Windsor Zucchini Festival Arts and Crafts Show—Come see if you can carve the kookiest courgette at this year’s Windsor Zucchini Festival on Saturday, May 8, from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The event is located seven miles east of Gainesville on County Road 234 between State Road 20 (Hawthorne Road) and State Road 26 (Orange Heights Road). Activities at the Windsor Zucchini Festival will include: Zucchinithon Fun Run, Duke of Zuke and Zuqueenie Pageant, Cook-a-Zuke contest, Zucchini Carving and more. A live band will provide music and entertainment. Tease your taste buds with treats like fried zucchini and zucchini icecream. For more information, call 352-378-8671 or e-mail Windsor@afn.org.
Florida Museum of Natural History—A patchwork pattern of Florida’s nature is available to view at the Florida Museum on Natural History. Its newest temporary exhibit, “Quilting Natural Florida II,” is open through April 25. Starting Saturday, April 24, the Florida Museum of Natural History will open a new exhibit, Life on the Edge: The Story of Florida’s Nature Coast. Eric Zamora uses the visual power of photography in this exhibit to share the story of Florida's Nature Coast with the goal of helping mold a sustainable future for the region, which is experiencing rapidly increasing development. The exhibit closes on Aug. 8. For more information, visit www.flmnh.ufl.edu.
Samuel P. Harn Museum of Art—On March 16, the museum opened an exhibit by Bea Nettles called Life’s Lessons, A Mother’s Journal. This visually poetic study of her daughter, Rachel, and son, Gavin, follows them through their first ten years of life in black and white photography. The exhibit closes on Sept. 26. For more information, visit www.harn.ufl.edu.
Gainesville is conveniently and centrally located less than two hours from Tampa, Orlando and Jacksonville and is the halfway point between Atlanta and Miami. For additional information, contact Marcheta Cole Keefer, tourism/media marketing manager at the Gainesville VCB at 352-374-5260 or toll-free at 866-778-5002 or visit us on our website at: www.visitgainesville.com.
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