NEWBERRY ‒ Residents and visitors gathered for the highly anticipated Newberry Watermelon Festival on Saturday, May 18, 2024 at Country Way Town Square, just south of Newberry High School. The 79^th edition of this cherished tradition brought together young and old for a day filled with community spirit, and, of course, plenty of juicy, red watermelon.

The annual festival brought out crowds who enjoyed picture perfect weather, dozens of vendors, refreshing watermelon, games and activities, and entertainment. Highlights included the traditional festival parade, seed spitting contest, hog calling contest and of course, no one could resist the allure of free watermelon, which was available in abundance throughout the day.

Festivities kicked off with the sounds of marching bands echoing through the air as the colorful festival parade made its way through downtown Newberry. Spectators lined the sidewalks, cheering on gayly decorated floats, shiny cars, and a variety of contestants vying for Watermelon Queen titles.

One of the festival's most anticipated events, the Watermelon Queen Pageant, saw a surge of excitement this year as it was held on the same day as the festival. Contestants showcased their poise and charm, with spectators enthusiastically supporting their favorites, adding anticipation and excitement to the day's events.

#     #     #

Email editor@

alachuatoday.com

ALACHUA ‒ Spring Season has officially signed off. Staff at the City of Alachua’s Recreation & Culture Department appreciates all the teams, coaches, volunteers and participants for another successful Season.

399 Recreation & Sports hosted the Alachua County Task Force on Recreation (A.C.T.F.O.R.) volleyball tournament at Legacy’s Multipurpose Building this past week. Teams from Alachua, High Springs, Newberry and Chiefland all participated.

Santa Fe Soccer Alliance, among many other teams throughout Alachua & Levy County – roughly 80 teams combined, traveled to Williston to participate in the Annual Spring End of the Season Soccer Tournament this past weekend. Thank you to the City of Williston’s Youth Athletic Association for providing amazing hospitality and a wonderful tournament.

The Alachua Raiders Football & Cheer threw a Hail Mary this past Spring Season. For the first time in over a decade the City of Alachua and High Springs residents had the opportunity to participate in Youth Flag Football. The result ended in a touchdown for the entire community!

Santa Fe Babe Ruth Baseball & Softball are in preparation for their All-Star Summer Classic. The City of Alachua will host Baseball Districts at the Hal Brady Recreation Complex and Preacher Copland Park Progress Field from May 30 thru June 2.

This past Mother’s Day weekend the City of Alachua hosted Legacy Melodies at Legacy’s Amphitheater. The group/band “Smooth Operatives” put on a performance of a lifetime. Refreshments and food were provided by Pizza in the Neighborhood. And a big shout out to business owners Leon Barrows of Music Junction for engineering the event and Mellissa Hough of Magnolia Lane Photography for snapping amazing photos throughout the entire concert.

Coming soon – 399Sports and Santa Fe High School Varsity Head Coach Glen Banks presents Summer 2024 Youth Basketball with former Santa Fe Basketball standouts. Also, Trell Saucy Elite Basketball Camp will be sponsored by 399 Sports this coming June 22 at Legacy’s Multipurpose Building. The camp will feature college athlete and two-time Gainesville Sun Player of the Year, Dontrelle “Trelle Saucy” Jenkins.

#     #     #

Email editor@

alachuatoday.com

GAINESVILLE ‒ Just after noon on May 15, 2024, units from Alachua County Fire Rescue and Gainesville Fire Rescue responded to a motor-vehicle accident at the intersection of Southeast 39^th Terrace and Southeast Hawthorne Road.

Units arrived to find a single-vehicle that struck a tree in the median. Units on scene quickly extricated an entrapped individual with the Jaws of Life. Two individuals were transported to Shands. The accident is currently under investigation.

#     #     #

Email editor@

alachuatoday.com

ALACHUA ‒ A plan to refresh and reimagine the City of Alachua’s Theatre Park is underway. On Alachua’s picturesque Main Street, the hidden gem known best as “Theatre Park” has seen better years. An overgrowth of vines, a dilapidated arbor, and structural uncertainty have left the park in a less attractive condition.

The Community Redevelopment Agency Advisory Board (CRAAB) as well as the City Commission sitting as Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) met separately Monday, May 6, 2024, to consider alternatives for renovations to Theatre Park. A variety of designs were presented to the boards by Monarch Design Group. Among the plans were two overall design themes for the entry to the park. One plan would utilize Corten steel, providing a weathered, rustic metal façade in both the gap above the front wall as well as in portions of the archways. A second entryway design called for a black powder coated façade for a wrought iron appearance in the gap above the front wall and the archways.

In addition to entryway designs, Monarch Design Group presented a variety of accompanying interior elements for the park, such as brick pavers or concrete across the entire ground level of the park, lighting, a stage, seating, and Florida friendly landscaping.

The CRAAB discussed concerns with the park’s use and design. Without a roof over the park, rainfall can become trapped and potentially seep through into adjoining buildings. Use of landscaping requiring irrigation in the park exacerbates flooding concerns. Vines, which have largely since been removed, posed a risk of damage to the historic brick walls. The arbor, which once served as a tranquil and picturesque backdrop appears to be on the verge of collapse. Hosting live music in the park is untenable without sufficient shade and protection from the rain.

Based on discussions at the CRAAB meeting, Monarch Design Group and the City’s Public Services department plan to narrow the wide array of design suggestions and engineering options. While the plans have not been nailed down, the CRAAB seemed to settle on the black wrought iron aesthetic, a small stage with handicap access, and the ability to install a temporary overhead screen or shield to protect performers from the elements. Board members were also in favor of Florida friendly landscaping, maintaining the footprint of the current walkway in lieu of concrete or brick pavers from wall-to-wall. For areas where the concrete is to remain, the board members stated that they were in favor of clay-fired bricks or similar brick veneers rather than stamped concrete and other brick types.

Assistant City Manager Rodolfo Valladares, who is a Professional Engineer, said the City was planning to develop solutions to divert or dispose of rainwater, possibly using a French drain system. Valladares commented that the projected cost of dealing with the structural concerns together with needed renovations to other elements of the park vastly exceed the CRA’s budgeted $150,000, noting that it would likely become a multiphase project, with solutions starting from “the ground up.”

Located at 14900 Main Street, Alachua, Florida, what is now an openair park was once a drycleaner and then a movie house, according to a walk tour developed by Alachua County Historical Commission and the Alachua County Tour Service in 1986.

In March 2011, the Alachua City Commission authorized structural modifications to Theatre Park in order to make the structure safer. For several months, the park remained closed as a scaffolding system was installed over the brick archways on the streetside opening where there were structural concerns over the ability of the entry to withstand high wind loads.

The 2011 project included removing the top portion of the walls to reduce the wind load on the structure as a whole. The removal included the top 12 feet from the front wall and up to six feet from the side walls.

A report from Driscoll Engineering at the time stated that the outer walls of the theatre park constituted an “immediate safety hazard” because of the lack of support and risk of falling debris. The scaffolding system was a temporary measure to protect pedestrian traffic until more lasting repairs could be completed.

Costing in excess of $40,000, the renovations, which included repairs to the east wall of the park, construction of two new columns and reinforced fiberglass rods, were paid for by the Downtown Redevelopment Trust board (DRTB), which was the City’s Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) at the time.

The park, which is frequently used for special occasions and is one of the most photographed spots in Alachua was reopened in June 2011.

#     #     #

Email editor@

alachuatoday.com

HAWTHORNE ‒ On Saturday, May 11, at approximately 11:20 p.m., a potentially life-threatening situation unfolded in Hawthorne, as a man was arrested for reportedly threatening a woman's life with a knife. The incident, which occurred in the front yard of a residence, led to the arrest of Jimmy Lee Floyd, Jr.

According to reports from the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded to a call regarding a domestic dispute. Upon arrival, deputies found Floyd and the woman engaged in a heated argument. The deputy was able to separate the parties and detained Floyd.

Floyd reportedly said he had been at a tattoo party earlier in the day, and the tattoo artist and another man jumped him in the front yard and stole $40 from him. He said he left but came back later to confront the tattoo artist. Floyd further said he didn’t come back with a knife but wanted to fight the tattoo artist. He reportedly admitted that he said “he would kill the tattoo artist, but said he said it out of emotion.”

The victim said that Floyd and the tattoo artist had gotten into a fight earlier in the day, and Floyd left but came back five or six hours later armed with a knife. She said Floyd tried to enter the home, but she said she would not allow it. She said Floyd got in the victim’s face and started cursing and threatening her.

As law enforcement walked up, Floyd threw the knife, which was picked up by the witness and placed on a table outside the front door. The victim wanted to pursue charges due to being threatened with the knife and being fearful that the defendant would carry out the act. The victim started to write a sworn complained but stated that she would fill the sworn complaint out a later time.

A search incident to arrest reportedly produced a small baggie of a substance that tested positive for Methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV).

Floyd has been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and possession of synthetic narcotics with intent to sell.

Floyd has seven felony convictions, four of which were violent, and four misdemeanor convictions, one of which was violent. He has served three state prison sentences, with his most recent release in 2022.

Bail was set at $25,000 by Judge Kristine Van Vorst.

#     #     #

Email cwalker@

alachuatoday.com

HIGH SPRINGS – An issue that has been brought up numerous times during High Springs City Commission meetings may finally see a resolution. During the May 9, 2024 City Commission meeting, the Commission voted to modify a long-standing ordinance with a new ordinance that will allow alcohol sales by Special Permit on some Sundays by a business that doesn’t derive more than 51 percent of their revenue from the sale of food and non-alcoholic beverages.

Currently, the City’s ordinance does not allow a business to operate on Sunday to sell alcohol unless the business also sells food.

The High Springs Brewing Company, located at 18562 N.W. 237^th Street in High Springs, sells beer and wine, but no food. However, they have an assortment of food trucks that park on their property to serve their patrons. In addition, Prohibition Pizza, which opened their doors within the past year, is located directly across the street from the Brewing Company. Prohibition Pizza can only seat a small number of patrons on their property and relies on the Brewing Company to provide a place where their patrons can grab their pizza and have a place to sit, possibly have a beer and share with others.

On the other hand, some citizens argue that Sunday should be a day of rest and quiet in the community and that allowing the Brewing Company to be open on Sunday will lead to loud amplified music, increased traffic and increased noise. However, there has not been a history of noise complaints, rowdy or drunken behavior lodged with the High Springs Police Department in the past.

In an effort to reconcile these two factions, the City has drafted an ordinance revising the existing alcohol ordinance, providing for a Special Permit Application Process for businesses that derive less than 51 percent of their revenue from the sale of food and non-alcoholic beverages. The ordinance is designed to permit businesses like the High Springs Brewing Company to operate outside the hours established by the original ordinance.

During the City Commission meeting Mayor Katherine Weitz read several letters into the record from citizens for and against approval of the amended ordinance. Some clearly thought there shouldn’t need to be a need for a Special Permit at all, and there should be no barrier to the Brewing Company serving on Sundays.

When the item was opened to the floor for citizen comments, some 15 people addressed the Commission on behalf of the Brewing Company being open on Sundays. Four audience members spoke against approval.

One of the people addressing the Commission was former City Commissioner Sue Weller who brought up technical questions she thought needed to be addressed by the Commission prior to approval of the ordinance. Her suggestions were added to the ordinance.

The ordinance originally specified that the “Special Permit must be applied for in connection with a special event such as a City sponsored event or a Federal holiday and is subject to administrative approval; if the Special Permit is not applied for in connection with a special event it shall be subject to City Commission approval, and the Special Permit shall not be issued for a time period exceeding 48 hours.”

As a point of clarification, the term “city sponsored event” was changed to “City-wide event” with Pioneer Days referred to as an example. “Federal Holiday” refers to the Sunday prior to any Monday-observed Federal holiday. Also mentioned was that the applicant could apply for several Special-Event dates at one time.

Requests are subject to administrative approval without the necessity for Commission approval. However, if the Special Permit is not applied for in connection with a special event (city-wide sponsored event, Federal holiday) it shall be subject to City Commission approval, and the Special Permit shall not be issued for a time period exceeding 48 hours.

Following approval in a 4-1 roll call vote with Commissioner Wayne Bloodsworth casting the dissenting vote, the ordinance passed on first reading and the city attorney was tasked with modifying the ordinance prior to second reading at a future Commission meeting.

Vice Mayor Tristan Grunder made a motion to amend the agenda to include a discussion to put the item to a vote at the general election in November, but the motion died for lack of a second.

#     #     #

Email cwalker@

alachuatoday.com