PRCA News

The Tennis Courts at Northside Park, located at 5701 NW 34^th Boulevard, will be closed to public access on Saturday, Oct. 1 and Sunday, Oct. 2 for the Gainesville Sports Commission’s Annual Senior Games Pickleball Tournament.  We apologize for any inconvenience to our patrons. Public access tennis courts are available at the following parks:

• Albert “Ray” Massey (Westside) Park
  1001 NW 34th Street
• Cofrin Nature Park
  4810 NW 8th Avenue
• Northeast Park
  501 NE 16th Avenue
• T.B. McPherson Park
  1717 SE 15th Street  

The Thomas Center Galleries is pleased to announce a new exhibition, EVE :: Woman from Archetype to Abstraction, featuring a group exhibit of paintings, drawings, sculptures and photography focused on woman as Muse. Curated by Anne E. Gilroy, the exhibit is in the Historic Thomas Center’s Mezzanine Gallery from Friday, Sept. 30 to Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2017. Featured artists include Anthony Ackrill, Brianna Angelakis, Dessarae Bassil, Christina Carfora, Ani Collier, Adreena Cook, Tom D., Angela DeCarlis, George Ferreira, Amy Freeman, Laurie Hitzig, Barb Howe, Daniel Hughes, G.V. Kelley, Louise Leak, Jeffrey Luque, Gorge Mangual, John Moran, Daniel Nevins, Susan Ober, Marta Pérez, Melanie Peter, Lauren Reveri, Jesse Rhoads, Cindy Steiler, Daniel Stepp, Mark Stock, John Ward, Alison Ward, Art Werger and Nika Zakharov.

The City of Gainesville Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs has postponed the junior golf classes at Ironwood Golf Course until Wednesday, Sept. 28. The classes are a partnership with The First Tee of Greater Ocala.

Heavy Petty returns to the “Free Fridays” Concert Series with a tribute to Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers Friday, Sept. 30 from 8-10 p.m. Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Famer Tom Petty is one of the most famous musicians to hail from Gainesville, Florida. Heavy Petty is Gainesville’s own Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers tribute band. The band first played on Valentine's night in 2010 at Common Grounds in downtown Gainesville. Since then, the five-piece rock ‘n’ roll band has played many different events and venues in and around Gainesville. Heavy Petty prides itself in playing Tom Petty songs with attention paid to strict interpretation, but also in being able to rock out, have a lot of fun and get the crowd involved.

The City of Gainesville Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs (PRCA) Department is celebrating National Public Lands Day by waiving all admission fees at Sweetwater Wetlands Park Saturday, Sept. 24. Guests are invited to enjoy the day at the park, which contains three miles of trails and boardwalks, and offers spectacular wildlife watching opportunities. Sweetwater Wetlands Park is not only a place to connect with nature; it is also a way to protect our environment.

Downtown Gainesville has a new café. Patticakes opened its second location in the newly built café space on the northeast side of Bo Diddley Plaza. The grand opening is Tuesday, Sept. 20, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 9 a.m., followed by hourly giveaways and a celebratory toast at 5 p.m.

The 35th Annual Downtown Festival & Art Show is quickly approaching and the City of Gainesville Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs Department is looking for individuals and organizations that would like to support this community event by volunteering at one of the top fine art shows in the country.

The City of Gainesville Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs Department is pleased to announce the adoption of Duval Park by the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice. In recognition of the adoption, the partners will host a community celebration at Duval Park Thursday, Sept. 29 at 10:30 a.m.

Cofrin Nature Park, located at 4810 N.W. 8^th Ave., will be closed to regular vehicle traffic and parking on Saturday, Sept. 10, from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.  The park will be hosting the Friends of the Crisis Center 5K Benefit Run that morning. The park will remain open to foot traffic. We apologize for any inconvenience to our patrons.

The City of Gainesville Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs Department will host The Beatles tribute band, The Impostors, at the “Free Fridays” Concert Series Friday, Sept. 16.