The vibrant “Greetings from Newberry, Florida” mural, completed by artist Jesus Martinez, now brightens the west wall of a city-owned building, serving as both public art and a new downtown landmark. / Photo special to Alachua County Today

City’s first mural, blending local history with a splash of color

NEWBERRY –A once-blank wall along West Newberry Road has been transformed into a splash of color that Newberry city leaders hope will capture the spirit of the community and draw new attention to downtown.

Now completed, work began Aug. 4, 2025, on Newberry’s first downtown mural, the opening project of a mural program launched by the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA). The design, created by artist Jesus Martinez, spells out “Newberry, Florida” in bold letters filled with images of local landmarks and themes.

The project reflects months of planning, community engagement and funding partnerships. The CRA Board directed staff to pursue a mural and apply for the Alachua County Art Tag Grant to help cover costs. That application was successful, bringing in a $2,000 matching grant supported by the National Endowment for the Arts, Visit Gainesville and sales of Florida’s “State of the Arts” license plate.

The mural design emerged after input from residents, social media feedback, and review by the CRA Board and the Historic Architectural Review Board. Suggestions included highlighting Newberry’s agricultural history and incorporating Veterans Memorial Park, which was dedicated in 2024. Martinez’s final design weaves these elements into the city’s name, turning the wall into both artwork and a statement of civic pride.

The mural can be seen on the western wall of a city-owned building at 25439 W. Newberry Road. To encourage visitors to stop and enjoy it, the CRA has also funded improvements around the site, including a sidewalk, landscaping and a bench.

The mural program is part of Newberry’s Downtown 5-Year Action Plan, which called for a “selfie wall” to promote the city through social media and boost foot traffic to local businesses. Public art projects like this are increasingly recognized as tools not only for beautification but also for economic development.

By creating a focal point for visitors, city officials believe the mural will strengthen downtown’s role as a gathering place and encourage people to linger at nearby shops and restaurants.

The mural is the first in what city leaders hope will be a series of public art initiatives. Along with other redevelopment programs — such as façade improvement grants, marketing support for businesses, and potential residential paint programs — the mural reflects Newberry’s broader effort to balance historic character with growth.

Public art has been shown in other communities to become informal landmarks and popular social media backdrops, providing free publicity for small cities while fostering civic identity. For Newberry, this mural marks an important step in that direction.

The completed mural has quickly become a focal point, drawing residents and visitors who pause to take photos and admire the bold “Newberry” letters filled with images of the city’s history and character. The artwork now serves as both a visual welcome to the community and a lasting reminder of how creativity and collaboration can transform public spaces into landmarks. From blank wall to bold landmark, the mural now tells Newberry’s story in color.

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THEN — August 2008: Students line up at the bus loop at Mebane Middle School in Alachua on the first day of the 2008-09 school year. The warm afternoon sun and chatter of friends marked the end of the first day — a scene that remains familiar more than a decade later. / Alachua County Today file photo

Familiar Scenes Blend with Fresh Faces

ALACHUA – As buses pulled up outside schools on Aug. 11, the first day of the 2025-26 school year in Alachua County felt both familiar and fresh — a blend of new beginnings and deeply rooted traditions.

NOW — August 2025:  Members of the Alachua Lions Club assist with traffic control at W.W. Irby Elementary School on Aug. 11, 2025, the first day of the 2025-26 school year. This year marks the club’s 33rd consecutive year providing safety support for the school’s youngest students.

In classrooms and hallways, students returned from summer break with new backpacks, sharpened pencils, and the familiar hum of first-day excitement. Teachers greeted children at doorways, parents lingered for quick hugs, and crossing guards in bright vests ushered families safely across busy intersections.

The rhythms of the day echoed a moment from 17 years ago, captured in a 2008 photograph at Mebane Middle School: students lining up at the bus loop in the warm afternoon sun, ready for the ride home after their first day back. Though fashions and technology have changed, the anticipation and energy remain timeless.

Educators say the first day of school is about more than finding classrooms and learning schedules — it’s about setting the tone for the year. In 2008, middle schoolers gathered in small clusters, chatting while waiting for the buses. In 2025, those clusters still form, but cell phones are in hand and buses come equipped with updated safety systems and air conditioning.

The first-day bustle is most visible in neighborhoods surrounding schools, where traffic patterns shift and sidewalks quickly fill before and after the bell. For students, the day marks the start of new academic challenges, sports seasons, and friendships. For parents and educators, it’s a reminder of the responsibility — and privilege — of shaping another year of learning.

The back-to-school season is also a coordinated community effort. Public works crews refresh crosswalk paint and prepare school-zone signals, local police increase patrols near campuses, and volunteers help stock classrooms with supplies.

A long-running first-day tradition is found at W.W. Irby Elementary School in Alachua. This year marked the 33rd consecutive year that the Alachua Lions Club provided traffic control during the first few days of school.

Since 1993, members have donned their gold and purple vests each August to guide parents through the drop-off and pick-up process at the school, which serves kindergarten through second grade. On Monday and Tuesday this year, club members once again lined the sidewalks, helping keep the city’s youngest learners safe and ensuring a smooth start to the year.

A current photo from this week shows Lions Club members on duty — a visual reminder of how civic groups, schools, and families work together to support children.

Whether remembered through a faded photograph from 2008 or experienced firsthand in 2025, the essence of the first day of school remains the same: anticipation, energy and the start of another year in the classroom.

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Officer Payne of the Alachua Police Department hands out backpacks to local students as families choose supplies for the new school year/Photo Special to Alachua County Today

ALACHUA – More than 500 local students are heading back to class with new supplies in hand, thanks to a community-wide back-to-school event held Saturday at Legacy Park.

The Alachua Police Department and the City of Alachua Recreation Department partnered with Just Between Friends of Gainesville to host the event, which provided backpacks filled with school supplies, free Child Identification Kits, and a family-friendly atmosphere designed to support student readiness and safety.

Volunteers and officers worked side by side to distribute 500 backpacks in a variety of colors and patterns. Each backpack was stocked with essential items to help children start the school year prepared.

Families also had the opportunity to complete free Child Identification Kits. These kits included fingerprints, current photographs, and other key information that can be critical in helping law enforcement quickly identify and locate a child in an emergency.

The Alachua Recreation Department provided space and logistical support at Legacy Park, contributing to the welcoming and well-organized environment. Just Between Friends of Gainesville, a well-known community consignment event, played a key role in organizing and supplying many of the items handed out during the event.

Alachua Police officers engaged with children and parents throughout the morning, helping with ID kits and offering safety information. Tables were filled with colorful backpacks, and children excitedly picked their favorites with help from family members and volunteers.

Support from sponsors, including Hitchcock’s Markets and Sysco, helped ensure the event’s success.

The effort is part of the Police Department’s broader commitment to youth engagement and community partnership as the school year begins.

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Main Street Momentum — Alachua’s historic downtown may soon welcome breweries and wine bars if the City Commission follows through on its plan to ease alcohol sales restrictions near churches. A proposed ordinance could help revitalize the area by allowing more diverse business types / Today Staff Photographer

ALACHUA – After months of mounting pressure from local business owners and residents, the Alachua City Commission took a significant step Monday toward relaxing its decades-old alcohol sales restriction near churches — a move that could pave the way for breweries, wine bars, and other small establishments to revitalize Main Street’s commercial core.

Commissioner Dayna Williams welcomed the proposed changes saying, “I think that it would benefit not just Main Street, but the [Community Redevelopment Agency area] and our city as a whole.

At the center of the debate is a city ordinance prohibiting the sale of alcoholic beverages within 450 feet of any religious institution. While the rule includes exceptions for full-service restaurants and temporary special events, it effectively bans new standalone alcohol vendors from opening in much of downtown due to the close proximity of three churches: Living Word Church of Faith, River of Life, and First Baptist Church of Alachua.

Under the city’s current ordinance, a business may sell alcohol even if it is closer than 450 feet to the nearest religious institution, but only if that business derives at least 51% of its sales from food or non-alcoholic beverages.

The issue resurfaced earlier this year after representatives of the Alachua Chamber of Commerce and other economic stakeholders urged commissioners to consider revising the ordinance to allow for new types of businesses in the downtown district.

Local resident Julie Smith summed up the issues as, “I think it's just a matter of freedom of choice and freedom of businesses to be able to operate, for them to be able to have an income.”

“Because of the close proximity of three churches, [the sale of alcohol] is currently restricted … the Commission requested staff return at a future meeting to present possible options,” said Economic Development Manager David Wisener, who presented a report outlining several policy options. “Other cities in Alachua County — including Gainesville, Hawthorne, and Micanopy — have removed these restrictions entirely or set shorter distances.”

Mayor Walter Welch expressed concern that downtown churches had not been contacted, despite Wisener’s insistence that multiple phone calls were made and emails were sent to encourage pastors to attend the July 28 meeting.

The City’s current 450-foot rule is stricter than most in the county. High Springs and Waldo, for example, maintain a 500-foot buffer, while Newberry sets its distance at just 300 feet. Gainesville and several neighboring municipalities impose no such restriction at all.

Wisener explained that the distance is measured from the center of the licensed business’s main entrance to the center of the church’s entrance, along the most direct pedestrian route. That approach has rendered wide swaths of downtown ineligible for new alcohol licenses unless the business qualifies under narrow exceptions.

Commissioners previously directed staff to solicit feedback from the affected churches. According to Wisener, pastors from religious institutions were contacted multiple times over the past two months via email and phone. While staff did not confirm whether any formal objections had been raised, it was noted that none of the churches appeared before the commission to speak Monday.

Commissioners voted unanimously to direct City Manager Rodolfo Valladares to bring back to the commission a proposed ordinance, which would remove any prohibition of alcohol sales within the Community Redevelopment Agency area. The commission also voted to direct the city manager to explore adding a new business category for breweries and wineries, which might also be exempt from the alcohol ordinance.

The new ordinance is expected to come before the commission later this year for public input and a formal vote. In the meantime, current restrictions remain in place.

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