UP  THE  CREEK

      GT'S NEIGHBORHOOD NEWSLETTER, APRIL, 2024

          "All the news that didn't fit into the New York Times or Gainesville Sun".

   This'n starts off up Rattlesnake Creek, the watery wonder that flows through our neighborhood. 

 

 

A bunch of us painted Rainbow Bridge once more.  We appreciate all who contributed.

Note the digging debris in the background

 

 

 

We've got new signs to try to keep "the diggers" at bay (the outsiders who illegally dig up our creek and creek banks in search of fossils).

Below you see what the creek banks look like when they're left alone.

 

 

 

 

 

and here, when they're attacked with picks and shovels.

    Everyone in Gainesville lives close to wild places. In our 'hood it's Rattlesnake Woods.  Let's enjoy and preserve the nature around us for generations to come.

Diggers be gone.

    The city is deepening Hogtown Creek west of NW

22 St. I guess this will make it easier to take summer dips in the creek's pristine street run off.

 

 

SPRING PICNIC

140 people -and five dogs- came to our UPNA (University Park Neighborhood Association) neighborhood picnic in the Parker Park pavilion two weeks ago. 

 

 

Events like the Halloween parade and our two annual picnics give neighbors a chance to enjoy each other.

 

Paul Ortiz telling it like it is.  He and Sheila will be moving to New York's Cornell University this summer.  It's a big loss for the UF which seems to slowly becoming a no-diversity-allowed, Bible-based institution.

Dave grabs the last piece of raspberry pie

Our dear friends Gaurav and Alpa

One woman contributed $100 saying, "UPNA saved me when the college kids' parties next door were driving me batty".   We say, "we're neighbors helping neighbors".

 

WATCH OUT

Foxes and a coyote were spotted in Florida Park this month.  Don't let them eat your cats.  Keep your cars locked at night too. Otherwise the Midnight Creeper will be checking for spare change.

 

NEW BOOK STORE

The Lynx Book Store has its grand opening on
Saturday along with its neighbor, Grand Scheme Brewery. Visit both, enjoy a beer and a book at the soon-to-be gem, South Main Station. It's where SW 6th meets Main, just north of Depot Park.

HOT MUSIC

Few people take advantage of the outstanding live music that shows up on the UF campus.  We heard the amazing Johnathan Scales Fourcestra perform twice last week.

 

 

 

CABLE GUYS

It burns me up when people portray immigrants as bad people. Hear the pop-pop-pop of air-nailers installing your neighbor's roof? 

 

See the men digging hundreds of holes to install the new orange cable pipe all over town? 

 

 Take time to thank the men who dig our holes

 

I spoke to them. They came from Honduras, El Salvador, and Nicaragua because life was intolerable there. They're doing the hard work the rest of avoid. They should be thanked and thanked again.

 

 

 

 

 

EARTH DAY

It came and went with a few meaningful events last Saturday.  We attended the Sustainability Festival at the farmers market on north 441.  The vegetable plants we bought will help sustain Francesca and me.

G'ville's second annual water festival in Depot Park

wasn't anything to brag about. Few people attended.  Booths were mostly selling stuff like Kayaks and summer camps.

When my King Mango friends put on the world's first water festival 20 years ago we actually had water to enjoy (and there was a lot to brag about).

   Our antique sprinkler exhibit sprayed anyone who got near. Yes, we had colored water fights, a mermaid competition, water music, and ice sculpture demonstrations as well.  Hungry? We served shaved ice.  Thirsty? Our water bar featured 18 varieties including melted iceberg. 

We celebrated water and made it fun.  The Gainesville festival should have more of that too.

 

Next, we enjoyed a water-themed art exhibit at the Cade Museum.  It included a painting by our friend, Maple Canner.  It depicts the lotus flowers that pop up on Payne's Prairie every year. Here are a few other entries,

"Woman Watering At The Villages"

Illuminated glass  mosaic

 

 

Our favorite Earth Day event had to be the Trashin' Show at the Re-Purpose Project on NW 23d.

 

 

   Girl Scouts, Brownies, and their leaders strutted their stuff wearing newspapers, bottle caps, and yellow soda straws.

Madison's blueprint dress and leader Celia Herrell's soda straw design

 

Taliana went Hawaiian

 

 

 

 

 

"Going Places", created from maps

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This show had a monopoly on originality

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was perfect, lookin' good for Mother Earth.

Let's preserve this planet so these kids, and their kids, can enjoy it.

                    _______________________

 

 

 

 

NEIGHBORHOOD NEWS- MARCH, '24

                   UP THE CREEK

      Florida Park's Newsletter- March, 2024

Hello Neighbors,

  It's SPRINGTIME in Gainesville.  The azaleas are so bright you gotta wear sunglasses.

I haven't banged out a newsletter in a spell so here's my latest.

 

PICNIC

Our Spring picnic is coming up in a month. 

We will gather on Sunday, April 14th,  in Parker Park (NE 5 Ave at 20 St) from 3-6 p.m.  It's always fun and I hope you can join us.

It is sponsored by our University Park Neighborhood Association ("UPNA").  You need not be a member to attend (membership is just 20 bucks a year. You can join at www.upnagnv.org).  

We have two big picnics and one Halloween parade

Mr. Bones and friends leading the procession last October.

 (plus a few street parties) every year. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A BIT OF HISTORY

   A neighbor did some research and told me 

-The oldest house in Gainesville ("The Bailey House") is just 7 blocks east of us. It is now  Persimmon School at NW 6 St and 11th Ave. The Bailey Plantation consisted of many structures and hundreds of acres tended by enslaved people. Many of their descendants still live here.

-Florida Park (8th to 16th Aves, 13th to 22d Sts.) was one big farm in the early 1900's. In the 30's the UF swimming team would practice in pond north of 9th Street (It was clear and spring-fed before we messed it up).

-In the 1920's a religious group bought the farm to turn it into Dixieland Bible College which never came to be. 

-Rainbow Bridge (in Rattlesnake Woods)

was built by the guys who ride their bikes madly across it at night, 20 years ago.

Every two years helpful neighbors volunteer to re-paint it. "Yellow" and "Orange" were just restored.  

 

ANOTHER PARADE

Last December many Florida Park people

The Dancing Dinosaurs from Melrose

participated in Gainesville's new event, "The Flying Pig Parade".  

   It says great things about our 'hood when so many residents jumped into this fun-filled procession. 

  *Fabric artist Teri Hamill flew her home-made pig.  Lee and Gina had them flying from bamboo sticks. 

*Bobby and his grand kids led the procession.

 

*Eddie and his band, "Ramos Pinta" got the crowds dancing,

*Ward created the Runaway Ballot Box that would not  let anyone vote,

 

* Megan supplied a golf cart for the Star Theater group.  *Kevin was a parade marshal and *Francesca wrangled the groups at the parade's start. *Carol and David were puppeteers operating Mr. Bones!

 *Tina and Shirley

pranced and danced with "Girls Who Just Wanna Have Fun" and  *Pam and Carol led the spectacular Banned Book Brigade.

What an incredible showing from the talented residents of Florida Park!

Start planning your performance when the pig flies again on December 28th!

The Queen of Creativity, Savannah Elliot

UPNA MEETING

Subdivision with 400 s.f. houses in Austin, Texas

    UPNA has monthly online board meetings that anyone can attend. At the most recent, UF professor Peggy Carr shared her views on how our city commissioner, Bryan Eastman's proposed zoning changes to increase residential building density, will affect our city.  The next meeting is tonight (3-12) at 7.

 SAVING ENERGY

 I volunteer with the Community Weatherization Coalition. We do free home energy "tune-ups" for local residents. Last week my CWC partner and I visited the home of Suzetta Riggs on NW 4 St.  In our effort to reduce her GRU bill we, among other things, installed energy-saving light bulbs, a low-flow shower head, and connected her with a non-profit that can help her with insulation and roofing problems.  If you'd like CWC to help reduce you energy bills contact them at info@communityweatherization.org.

NEW NEIGHBORS

We've got new "creekers", folks that have purchased  houses on the amazing creeks in Florida Park. 

Sita, Romain, and their kids moved into the brick house on the west end of 14th Ave last month.

 

 

Brian, Jaclyne, and their children move from their lake house in Melrose to be closer to everything that

Gainesville offers. The family loves their new place on 10 Ave.  

We welcome them all; its great to have more families with kids living on the west side of 18th.

EATING THE PAPER'S HUMBLE PIE

   I have enjoyed the luxury of the morning paper landing in my driveway all my life. I didn't know it was luxury until deliveries stopped last month. "Too few readers", I was told. Reading newspapers online to me is like watching a movie on a phone.               It ain't right.

MOVING ON

Why do obituaries get buried in the news? Many of the departed led remarkable lives. Our neighbor, Geoff Pietsch, left us Christmas Eve. The retired history teacher/long-distance running coach was much loved by his high school students. Former ones visited him often. Over the years you probably enjoyed his many thoughtful letters in the Gainesville Sun.

While Doug Massey lived in Duckpond he always enjoyed marching in Florida Park's Halloween parades. The retired  educator loved world travel too. Last year he and his wive, Anna, spent two weeks in Tajikistan (it's just SW of Kyrgystan). That's Doug was wearing one of that trip's purchases as he holds up Mr. Bones' right hand in October's parade (see photo at the top). Doug, who was the "Silenced Professor' in December's pig parade, died during a Shands operation on 2-21-24.

I'd like to also say "so long" to the hundreds of sandhill cranes who left for North Dakota last month.
Their annual high-flying formations

with warbling song are one more  North Florida delight.

They will return and and so will I with more neighborhood news.

That's it from NW 12th Road.

May the good news be yours.

Your faithful scribe,

Glenn

 

Sharing in Florida Park

 

GOODBYE TOO SOON

   

    Four days ago I had a long conversation with my friend, Doug Mackey. We joked about his heart operation coming up on my birthday (yesterday, February 20th). I assured him he'd do fine, that nothing bad ever happens on the day I was born. 

 
       I was wrong. His wife just called to tell me he died a few hours ago,  "Complications", she said.    

      Doug and I had a lot in common. Friends in Miami, we both moved up to G'ville just before Covid.  Sharing a bent sense of humor he'd help with my parades and other projects.

 

Just last December he was the "Silenced Professor" in the Flying Pig Parade. A year before that he wore the nine-foot puppet in our "Dr. Fauci Look-Alike Contest". 

       

 

 

 

The 76 year-old retired educator died, I suppose, surrounded by medical personnel. His wife, Anna, was nearby in a waiting room hoping for good news.

       That's all I know.  My friend is gone and the silenced professor will speak no more. 

                     _________________________