Newsroom

It’s time to step up to the plate! Registration for the City of Gainesville Adult Softball League is open until Friday, Aug. 31. Teams can play on the Monday Men’s League or Tuesday and Friday Coed Leagues. Joining a softball league is a great opportunity for office workers, church groups and other organizations to network, have fun and meet new friends!

The Monday Night Men’s League starts Sept. 10; the Tuesday Night Coed League starts Sept. 11 and the Friday Night Coed League begins Sept. 14. The season for each league ends Friday, Dec. 14.

A mandatory team manager meeting is Thursday, Sept. 6 at 7 p.m. at the Martin Luther King Jr. Multipurpose Center meeting room, which is located at 1028 NE 14th St. All team managers are expected to attend, as well as individuals still looking to join a team.

The cost for each team is $203.50 for city residents and $304.75 for non-city residents. Teams will not be registered until payment, the roster form and all player contracts are submitted.

All forms and information are available on the Adult Athletics webpage.

Teams must register in person at Thomas Center Building B, 3rd Floor, which is located at 306 NE Sixth Ave., and is open Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Please bring proof of residency when you come to register.

The band Pine will play at the “Free Fridays” Concert Series at Bo Diddley Plaza in downtown Gainesville Friday, July 20 from 8-10 p.m.

The Budget and Finance Department is notifying residents that residential neighborhood parking decals/permits will be available for purchase online beginning Monday, Aug. 13. Residents in the Controlled Vehicular Parking Zones will be able to purchase decals/permits online at www.cityofgainesville.org by clicking on the “Online Services” tab and navigating to the "parking decals" link.

The Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs Department (PRCA) is proud to announce a new youth literacy program that keeps children reading during the summer. The I-Read program is a local initiative developed in partnership with Innovative Dads and Gainesville Thrives, and is a collaboration that will expand learning at each of the five summer camp locations. Innovative Dads provides the curriculum, Gainesville Thrives supplies the books, members of the Panhellenic and Greek Councils at the University of Florida (UF) volunteer for the program and the bookcases were designed by the UF Rinker School of Construction Management.

Reading comprehension continues to be an area of need for students, and I-Read strives to foster cooperative learning by allowing youth to work in small groups and assess their progress. The program has a particular focus on African-American literature, and is age appropriate for elementary school children. There are plans to extend the program into the after-school programs operated by PRCA that will culminate with a spelling bee and essay contest.

“We found a particular gap in reading material for African-American children, and wanted to find a way to expose more kids to their culture while helping them improve their reading skills,” says Gerard Duncan of Innovative Dads. “Working with the participants in the city’s summer camp program allows us to focus on children in need but, at the same time, be able to account for reading level improvements.”

PRCA offers summer camps for children in first through fifth grade at Albert “Ray” Massey Recreation Center, Eastside Community Center, Porters Community Center, Clarence R. Kelly Community Center and the Phoenix Neighborhood.

For more information about the I-Read Program, please contact Gerard Duncan at soil3@hotmail.com.

The band Wax Wings will play at the “Free Fridays” Concert Series at Bo Diddley Plaza in downtown Gainesville Friday, July 13 from 8-10 p.m.

The City of Gainesville and the Florida Housing Coalition will host a Housing Forum on Monday, July 16, between 8am and 2:30pm at the Springhill Missionary Baptist Church Multipurpose Room (120 SE Williston Road) to give the public and private sector a chance to discuss housing strategies.

Showtune Shenanigans premiered in 2018 at the City of Gainesville’s JestFest. Created by John Lowe, the celebrated director of music and organist at Gainesville’s Holy Trinity Episcopal Church and talented actor/singer/musician Will Winter, the duo played, sang, acted and danced their way through a variety of popular show tunes.  Now with an expanded repertoire and additional musicians, they will play at the All-American Song Fest. This celebration of America’s birthday is held annually at “Free Fridays” on the first Friday in July.

Municipal Minutes is an electronic newsletter for the community. The monthly e-newsletter provides information about upcoming activities, projects and events in the City of Gainesville. For more information about this e-newsletter, please contact the Communications Office at 334-5017.