Newsroom

The Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs Department announces the highly anticipated 2019 “Free Fridays” season concert schedule. The public is invited to join us for our annual series of free, family-friendly concerts at the Bo Diddley Plaza in downtown Gainesville.

As part of the Nature Operation Division’s routine land management practices, a prescribed burn is scheduled for today, weather and site conditions permitting, at Morningside Nature Center, 3540 E. University Ave., beginning at 10 a.m. and ending before 5 p.m. This is an ecological fuel reduction burn, which will be conducted with support from the Florida Forest Service. All public access to the park and living history farm will be prohibited during the burn.

The City of Gainesville has announced a limited amount of free scholarships for summer camp. Registration for elementary and middle school summer camps opens Monday, April 22, but there is a deadline to enter the scholarship lottery. Applications for the free tuition to summer camp will be accepted until Thursday, April 18 at 5 p.m. The Gainesville Arts and Parks Foundation will provide funding for free summer camp tuition at each site for those who qualify. Due to high demand and donation limits, there are a limited amount of spaces available for free tuition and in order to ensure equal distribution and fairness, those applications will be chosen by lottery. The non-resident fee is not subject to scholarship and certain guidelines apply.

The City of Gainesville has partnered with UF/IFAS to test the effectiveness of using organic compost as a turfgrass management alternative on the Fred Cone Park multipurpose field.

The Gainesville City Commission is seeking applications for the newly-established Charter Review Commission. All registered voters within the City of Gainesville are eligible to apply. To apply, please click here.

Want a new career? Don't miss the bus! The City of Gainesville Department of Mobility is hosting a recruitment day Wednesday, April 17 at RTS (34 SE 13th Rd.) from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Interviews and conditional job offers will be extended on site! Current openings include: transit operator trainee (starts at $13.25/hr., we train you for the CDL), vehicle service attendant (starts at $13.25/hr.) and fleet mechanic (ranges from $16.15-$23.24/hr.). For more info, visit www.go-rts.com.

Join us as we celebrate 30 years of the Native Plant Sale! For 30 years, we have been promoting native plants for our yards and sustaining a productive and welcoming natural area for insects, birds and butterflies. The plant sale takes place at Morningside Nature Center, where we are also celebrating 50 golden years since the park’s opening! Take advantage of a wide offering of native, north Florida plants Saturday, April 20 from 8:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. This sale is open to the public. The sale is hosted cooperatively by the City of Gainesville Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs Department, the Friends of Nature Parks (FNP) https://www.friendsofnatureparks.org/ and the Paynes Prairie Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society (FNPS) http://paynesprairie.fnpschapters.org.

An exclusive members-only sale is Friday, April 19 from 4:30-6:30 p.m. for members of the Friends of Nature Parks (FNP), the Florida Native Plant Society (FNPS), and Alachua Audubon Society. It’s easy to join in person or online and memberships are available at the gate. Cash, checks and debit/credit cards are accepted.

The Native Plant Sale features beautiful native shrubs, trees, wildflowers, ferns, grasses and vines grown at area nurseries. Vendors are members of the Florida Native Plant Society and certify that plants are nursery propagated and grown. Native plants are adapted to drought and heat, which helps reduce water consumption from irrigation, requires less upkeep, and saves money. This celebratory sale also features Earth Day festivities including music, food ($), environmental booths and four guided walks on Saturday morning. The park offers a park-a-plant service, which makes for easy hands-free shopping.

Proceeds from the sale benefit environmental and cultural history programs offered by the City of Gainesville Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs Department. Morningside Nature Center is located at 3540 E. University Ave., three miles east of downtown Gainesville.

To join the Friends of Nature Parks, please visit www.friendsofnatureparks.org. To join the Florida Native Plant Society, please visit their website at http://paynesprairie.fnpschapters.org/.

Help Gainesville beat Athens, GA in the annual National Mayor’s Challenge for Water Conservation by pledging to conserve water through www.mywaterpledge.com. The pledge is available through the month of April.

The First Annual Herman “Pop” Williams Peaceful Sunday Family Fest is Sunday, April 21 from 2-7 p.m. at Citizens Field and the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) Center (1028 NE 14th St.). This is a collaboration between the City of Gainesville, the organizers of Peaceful Sundays and Duval community members to provide a fun, safe, family-friendly event.

The City of Gainesville presents a Gainesville150! anniversary concert Saturday, April 13 from 6-11:30 p.m. at Bo Diddley Plaza in downtown Gainesville. The concert features four bands that pay tribute to the music of Gainesville’s nine Rock and Roll Hall of Fame musicians; Bo Diddley, Stephen Stills, the Eagles and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, in addition to the headliner, The Bayjacks featuring Tom Leadon of Mudcrutch.