The City of Gainesville Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs Department, in cooperation with Shakerag Culture Center, Inc., is pleased to announce the next Jewel Box Concert at the Thomas Center Saturday, Feb. 14. The concert features international touring artists Flagship Romance and special guest, the renowned songwriter from England, Rupert Wates. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Rupert Wates performs at 7:30 p.m. Flagship Romance will then perform two, 45-minute sets, with a 20-minute intermission starting at 8 p.m. Admission is $15 at the door - cash or check only.

Please join us for a FREE tree climbing demonstration When: February 7, 2015, at 10:00 am Where: Northeast Park, 501 NE 16 Ave, tree between the tennis courts and ball fields.

The City of Gainesville Parks Recreation and Cultural Affairs Department (PRCA) is holding the dedication of the newly renovated Smokey Bear Park, located at 2300 NE 15th St., Wednesday, Jan. 21 from 3-4:30 p.m. The public is welcome to attend the dedication to experience the new features and bring together the community spirit that makes parks like Smokey Bear special. Please contact Kim Harris, staff specialist, to RSVP at 352-393-8182 or HarrisKD@cityofgainesville.org.

With the freezing temperatures predicted this week, the City of Gainesville Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs Department will continuously run its backflow preventers throughout the parks and facilities system. This means that the irrigation systems continuously drip in order to prevent freezing, which can damage the irrigation components. The backflow preventers are set to drip from the afternoon of Wednesday, Jan. 7, through the afternoon of Thursday, Jan. 8.