Events

Morningside Nature Center Events 2011-12 Season.

Native Plant Sale - March 30 and 31, 2012 \| Jean Dorney Wildflower Walks - Every Saturday in October \| Ghost Walk - in October \| Cane Boil and the Youth Fiddle Contest - November 26, 2011 \| Great Air Potato Roundup-Register December 1, 2011 \| Farm and Forest Festival- April 28, 2012l\|

May the forest be with you! Thank you for your interest in the 13^th Annual Air Potato Roundup! Due to overwhelming community response, registration is now closed. However, there are other ways you or your group can help Gainesville’s environment. The Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs offers many other natural resource management volunteer opportunities. Please contact Gary Paul, Volunteer Services Coordinator, at paulga@cityofgainesville.org or (352) 393-8527. To make a difference in your own yard, please visit http://plants.ifas.ufl.edu/node/133 for specific information on the air potato, or visit http://www.fleppc.org to learn about the air potato and other invasive exotics. “Like” us on Facebook: Nature Operations Gainesville, FL.	“Go Native” – it’s easy at the 2012 FALL Native Plant Sale at Morningside Nature Center October 5th and 6th, 2012 Take advantage of the largest offering of native plants in North Florida during the 2012 Fall Native Plant sale on Saturday, October 6th- open to the public from 8:30 am to 12:30 pm. Cash and checks only. An exclusive member’s sale is on Friday, October 5th, 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm, and is open to members of the Friends of Nature Parks (FNP), and Florida Native Plant Society (FNPS) only. Memberships are available at the gate. Only cash and checks are accepted. The sale is hosted cooperatively by the City of Gainesville’s Nature Operations Division of the Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs, the Friends of Nature Parks (FNP)and the Payne’s Prairie chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society (FNPS). Free expert plant advice at the Florida Native Plant Society (FNPS) booth Free Park-A-Plant service that allows you to shop hands-free while we tag, store and help load your plants Free naturalist-led wildflower walk at 11:30 am on Saturday Family-friendly event - music available on Saturday Cash and checks only For event information or to join Friends of Nature Parks (FNP) or the Florida Native Plant Society (FNPS) please call (352) 334-3326. The Morningside Nature Center is located at 3540 East University Avenue.	Family-Fun at the Farm and Forest Festival at Morningside Nature Center on Saturday, April 28, 2012, from 10 am to 4 pm. Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for children ages 3 to 12. Admission is free for children under three--Join us for this Family-Friendly Event! Make Earth Day last longer than a day! Join in the celebration of Earth and our human connections to it during Farm and Forest Festival. Explore local natural and cultural communities of the past and present during this event that offers fun and engaging activities for all! Morningside Nature Center is located at 3540 E. University Ave., three miles east of downtown Gainesville. For more information about this event, call Morningside Nature Center at 334-3326.
Youth Fiddle Contest at the Cane Boil: Saturday November 26, 2011, 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. Join us for the Cane Boil at Morningside Nature Center, bringing together the traditions of giving thanks and fall harvest with music… Make this event part of your Thanksgiving weekend tradition! Join us as we press sugar cane and boil the juice into syrup, while interpreting day-to-day life on an 1870’s Florida farm. Traditionally, cane boils were a time for friends and neighbors to gather for work and for play. Honoring that tradition, we invite you to kick up your heels and enjoy the sounds of the Youth Fiddle Contest from 10 a.m. to 12 noon. Accomplished local musician Alan Stowell will offer a free Beginner-Level Fiddle Workshop at 2 p.m. Multi-talented musician Jay Gimelli will provide live music throughout the afternoon. For more information on these talented artists visit us on FaceBook (http://www.facebook.com/cityofgainesvillenature) or at the website below (www.cityofgainesvilleparks.org). Fiddlers wanted! Complete contest rules and registration forms are available online at http://www.friendsofnatureparks.org. Register in advance online or at the Living History Farm at Morningside Nature Center between 9 to 9:45 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 26. The Longleaf Pine Fiddle Contest will take place from 10 a.m. to 12 noon. This year, the Youth Fiddle Contest includes three divisions with cash prizes and ribbons for first, second and third place winners in each: Sprout Division– Beginners to 7 years old Seedling Division – 8 to 10 years old Sapling Division – Advanced students or 12 to 18 years old Event admission is $2 for adults, $1 for kids age 3-12 and free for children under 3 years. Admission is waived for the contestants, contestants’ immediate family and one accompanist. The Morningside Nature Center Living History Farm is located at 3540 East University Ave. For information please call 352-334-3326 or visit www.cityofgainesvilleparks.org. Syrup will be available for sale at the event if production yields allow. A live performer after the contest is Jay Gimelli, a long-time friend of the folks at Morningside and a great performer on several instruments as well. Jay won awards at the Florida Old Time Music Championships in 2010, including 1st Place in Appalachian Dulcimer, 2nd Place in Mandolin & 1st Place in Old Time Banjo. He was the 1st Place Senior Fiddler in 2007 and the number one old time banjo picker in 2006. Beginning Fiddle Workshop instructor Alan Stowell also is a very well regarded local musician, having played with Louden Wainright III and a collaboration with Maria Muldaur. He played back in the 70s here in Gainesville with Bernie Leadon, who went on to become a founding member of the Eagles. He has given many fiddlers their start and has played in Europe, Asia and up and down the eastern seaboard. The Morningside Nature Center Living History Farm is located at 3540 East University Avenue. Enjoy Cane Boil, Food & Fun! Make this event part of your Thanksgiving weekend tradition!	Take a WALK on the WILDflower side with us! The Jean Dorney Memorial Wildflower Walks take place every Saturday in October and start at 9:00 am at Morningside Nature Center. On October 8^th, the walk starts at 11:30 am, as part of the Native Plant Sale, please meet at the Pavilion. The walks are guided by a Morningside Nature Center staff member. During the walk, participants will enjoy the spectacular fall wildflower bloom at the park. Each week, the walks will be different in focus. Please meet at the Education Office and wear comfortable walking shoes. It is also suggested to bring any guide that may be of use along the walk. Wildflower walks at Morningside Nature Center, 3540 E. University Ave., are offered free to the public courtesy of a grant from the Friends of Nature Parks in honor of charter member Jean Dorney. Jean, a Texas native, moved her family to Gainesville in 1972. She quickly became involved with the Alachua Audubon Society and was a founding member of Friends of Nature Parks (formerly Friends of Morningside). Through the years, Jean was an active advocate of adult education programs at the nature parks and participated in many wildflower walks and natural history classes. Take a WALK on the WILDflower side with us! For event information or to join Friends of Nature Parks (FNP) please call (352) 334-3326. The Morningside Nature Center is located at 3540 East University Avenue.	A Family-Friendly Ghost Walk: Saturday October 22, 2011, from 7:00 to 8:30 pm at the Morningside Nature Center The Morningside Nature Center Living History Farm is located at 3540 East University Ave. For information please call 352-334-3326.