The City of Gainesville Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs Department (PRCA) is pleased to announce that Facilities Coordinator Erica Chatman has received the Planner of the Year Award from the central Florida chapter of the Society for Government Meeting Professionals (SGMP).

As part of the City of Gainesville, Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs Department, Nature Operation’s routine land management practices, a prescribed burn is scheduled for tomorrow, weather and site conditions permitting, at Morningside Nature Center, 3540 East University Avenue, beginning at 12 noon and ending before 5:00 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 Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs Department announces its schedule of events honoring this year’s Black History month. The programming celebrates the remarkable contributions African-Americans have made both to the history of the nation and to Gainesville itself. Ranging from performances by nationally-recognized artists to the opening of an important new cultural facility and community center, all events are free and open to the public. The event schedule may also be viewed at www.BlackHistoryGNV.org.

The City of Gainesville is pleased to announce that Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs Department (PRCA) Assistant Director Michelle Park, C.P.R.P. has been elected as president of the Florida Recreation and Park Association (FRPA) Foundation to serve on the Foundation Board through 2018.

The City of Gainesville Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs Department (PRCA) is pleased to announce that National Flag Football, the largest youth flag football organization in the country, is coming to Gainesville this spring. The program provides girls and boys, age four to 14, a safe and fun football league for all skill levels, and is designed to educate young people about football while emphasizing participation and sportsmanship.

The Gainesville Woman’s Club is hosting two theatre performances as a fundraiser for the Gainesville Arts & Parks Foundation (GAP). The play, The Heroes of Bend Fork Bluff, tells the story of a handsome stranger who comes to a Texas town in 1875 to charm Laura Morgan. However, his past may catch up with him as he attempts to make good on a daring promise. The play will be performed at the Gainesville Woman’s Club, which is located at 2809 W. University Ave., Saturday, March 4 at 7 p.m. and Sunday, March 5 at 1 p.m.

The City of Gainesville Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs Department welcomes the spring session of junior golf classes at Ironwood Golf Course, in partnership with The First Tee of Greater Ocala. Class instruction will cover four main areas: golf-specific instruction, etiquette and social skills, as well as The First Tee’s nine core values and nine healthy habits.

The City of Gainesville Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Affairs Department (PRCA) is calling for all helping hands to register for the third annual Great Invader Raider Rally held Saturday, Jan. 28. Formerly known as the Great Air Potato Round-Up, the rally continues a tradition that began more than 15 years ago as a community wide day of service where volunteers of all ages work to remove non-native invasive plants from Gainesville’s natural areas.

The Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs Department is pleased to announce that the Historic Thomas Center has once again been selected as winner of WeddingWire.com’s Couples’ Choice Award.

The Thomas Center Galleries announce the opening of the 82°W / Six Degrees of Separation exhibit, part of the citywide Bulla Cubana celebration. From Friday, Jan. 20 through Saturday, March 25, the Historic Thomas Center’s Main Gallery will feature the engaging art of eight of Havana’s young artists. Their art addresses themes that shape their lives: the geopolitical influences on their creative roots, issues of family and emigration from their native island, an avid commitment to aesthetics and artistic execution, history and heritage, and the quest to express their cultural perspective with the world.