GAINESVILLE, Fla. (Dec. 14, 2023) – With the New Year come new changes to the City of Gainesville’s "open container" ordinances following measures finalized today by the Gainesville City Commission.

 Beginning Jan. 1, open container restrictions, which were in place before the pandemic, will return for most of Gainesville. The new rules will prohibit people from drinking or having open containers of alcohol on public property in most areas of the city. The only exceptions are two newly designated areas known as the Arts, Culture and Entertainment (ACE) Districts. The ACE Districts will permit open containers on sidewalks, in public parks or other public rights of way between the hours of 8 a.m. and midnight daily.

The ACE Districts are located where there are high concentration of bars, restaurants and entertainment venues. The Downtown ACE District encompasses a section roughly bordered by NE 2nd Avenue to the north, NE 3rd Street to the east, SW 6th Street to the west, and south to Depot Avenue. This area includes Bo Diddley Plaza and Depot Park. (Both municipal parks will continue to permit open containers daily from 8 a.m. to midnight.)

 The Grove Street ACE District is an area between NW 2nd Street and NW 4th Street, bordered to the north by NW 12th Avenue and to the south by NW 8th Avenue. This area excludes a mostly residential area north of the 6th Street Rail Trail.

 “These ACE Districts are areas of our town that showcase the incredible arts and culture that Gainesville is famous for,” said Gainesville City Commissioner Bryan Eastman. “Entertainment districts like these are common across Florida, from Mount Dora to West Palm Beach, and give more flexibility for small business owners and artists to use their outdoor areas to create lively, thriving events,” he said.

 In advance of the upcoming changes, City staff provided downtown business owners with a list of frequently asked questions and answers, and responded to queries at a group meeting earlier this month. Early next year, establishments inside the borders will receive district maps and window decals for display. To help make the boundaries clear for all, the City also plans to install signs on streets in the districts where open containers are permitted.

 Although the Downtown parking garage and some public parking lots are located within the districts, the new ordinances prohibit open containers of alcohol in those areas.

 The Gainesville City Commission approved these changes at meetings beginning in September and October 2023 in the interest of public safety. Gainesville Police Department officers can issue either civil citations or criminal infractions to those found in violation of the ordinances. If there is drunken, unsafe or disorderly behavior, police may impose stiffer criminal penalties.

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Alachua County Today Staff Reporter / This youngster was getting into the holiday spirit at Friday night’s Christmas on Main Street as a Santa Fe High School cheerleader paints a colorful snowman on her face. Dozens of kid’s activity stations offered a variety of holiday themed arts and crafts, treats and refreshments.

ALACHUA ‒ Downtown Alachua was host to throngs of merrymaking crowds who showed up for the annual Christmas tree lighting event Friday, Dec. 2. New this year was the addition of Christmas on Main Street, a collaborative effort between the Alachua Chamber of Commerce, City of Alachua, and local businesses that sponsored all manner of festivities, music, activities, and Christmas trees lining Main Street.

The holiday season in Alachua officially kicked off at 6 p.m. with the annual lighting of the Christmas tree next to Skinner Park on Main Street. City Manager Mike DaRoza and Mayor Gib Coerper welcomed families to downtown Alachua.

But no Christmas tree lighting would be complete without an appearance from the one, the only, Santa Claus. And to the delight of youngsters, Jolly Old Saint Nicholas and Mrs. Claus did roll in on a shiny sleigh led by reindeer that slightly resembled miniature horses. All this with an escort from Alachua’s finest, the Alachua Police Department.

After leading the countdown to the tree lighting and saying a few jovial words to the youngsters gathered to catch a glimpse of that magical man in red, Santa and Mrs. Claus hopped back on their sleigh for a short ride down Main Street to his workshop. Children, and some adults as well, had the opportunity to sit with Santa, have their photographs taken, and share their Christmas wishes.

But the magic continued as all of Main Street was decked out with boughs of holly, garland and sparkling Christmas trees and festive light displays. Shops stayed open with lights ablaze welcoming the merrymakers as they made their way up and down the street.

Dozens of children’s activity stations and giveaways lined Main Street as children hurried to sample hot cocoa, pizza, popcorn, pastries, and cider and to pick up gift boxes and more. Youngsters had the opportunity to play in a bounce house, make ornaments, take a miniature train ride or a sleigh ride, try their hand at holiday crafts or have their faces painted. All activities and refreshments were free for children to enjoy.

At the south end of Main Street, Music Junction provided live music, while midway along Main Street, Randy and Antoinette Hunt also provided live seasonal music courtesy of Boukari Law. Theatre Park was the site of plays performed by the Children’s Theater as gaily costumed children entertained crowds gathered in the historic park that once served the community as a theatre.

Event sponsors included the City of Alachua, Visit Gainesville, Alachua County, Boukari Law, Alachua County Today, Dollar General Distribution, Walmart Distribution and the Alachua Chamber of Commerce.

Activity sponsors included the City of Alachua, Alachua Sports Pub & Grill, Good Life Station, Kelly’s Kreations, Pink Threads, Tony and Al’s, Alachua Flowers, Valerie's Loft, Mother Lode, City of Alachua and Youth Council, Cardinal's Nest, Alachua Police Department and Explorers, Boukari Realty with Santa Fe High School Cheerleaders, Boy Scout Troop 88, Mi Apa, Alachua Business League, Okito America, Capital City Bank, Polaris, Santa Fe Ford, Alachua Women's Club, Alachua Flowers & Tuxedo Rentals, Florida Phone Systems, Ryan Larmann State Farm, Music Junction, Alachua County Today and Boukari Law.

Sharing his excitement, one young child exclaimed, “Everything is free? What kind of town is this?” The efforts and generosity of many made the evening possible as the City’s official tree lighting and the Chamber of Commerce’s Christmas on Main Street proved to be a winning combination this holiday season as hundreds of people undoubtedly made magical memories to remember for years to come.

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GAINEESVILLE, FL – Snta Fe College has received $3 million dollars from FloridaCommerce’s Florida Job Growth Grant Fund to develop an associate degree track in Engineering Technology with a specialization in Advanced Manufacturing that addresses the needs of business and industry throughout the region. 

The new Engineering Technology degree will be among the programs featured in the college’s new Ralph W. Cellon Jr Institute for Skilled Trades and Advanced Manufacturing, which is scheduled to open in the fall of 2025. This grant will enable SF to implement aspects of the program, in advance of constructing the new facility, with a particular focus on semiconductor training, as early as the spring of 2024. Grant funding will also accelerate the full development of the Engineering Technology program. 

“Santa Fe College is committed to both addressing the needs of the business community, while providing training and educational programs that will lead to excellent career opportunities throughout our service district,” SF President Paul Broadie II said. “This grant bolsters our effort to support students interested in entering careers in the emerging semiconductor industry, and we greatly appreciate the state’s continued support of our institution and the work we do transforming lives of our students.”  

President Broadie has repeatedly voiced support for implementing innovation and new technology into the curriculum to better prepare students for the more interconnected global economy they will see upon entering the workforce.  

The college anticipates the Cellon Institute will be able to serve approximately 1,300 additional students over the next decade by more than doubling the capacity of its existing Welding and HVAC programs, in addition to the new Engineering Technology degree. The $3 million is in addition to $1.8 million the college received in the last legislative session to help the college acquire the equipment needed in the new facility. 

The $3 million Santa Fe College is receiving is part of a larger $28 million Florida Job Growth Grant announced by Governor DeSantis.  

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HIGH SPRINGS ‒When we hear “Summer Camp” we often think of a season when kids are out of school, cabins lined with bunk beds, and cooling off in the water. Swimming, games, horses, archery, campfires, are often synonyms of our summer camp ideas.

This year marks 70 years of Camp Kulaqua, a summer camp and retreat center located in High Springs, Florida. A celebration of these past 70 years was held over a weekend in October and 450 people were in attendance, with staff and campers from the decades of the 1950s to present. Camp Kulaqua is owned and operated by the Seventh-Day Adventist Church and is a Christian camp and retreat facility that serves over 50,000 people each year.

The history of Camp Kulaqua starts in 1953 with a few men sitting on the banks of Hornsby Springs, prayerfully considering if they should purchase the 250 acres for $18,000. Prayers were answered and the land was purchased.

“The land was a jungle from the road of 441 to the spring,” recalled one of the early staff members of the camp, John Ryals. At the celebration, 96-year-old Mr. Ryals recalled the men clearing the land in the hopes of having a summer camp there soon. “It was a boys only camp that first week. In the nights we slept in tents. During the days we went swimming. Built a barn for some horses. And during downtime we caught lizards on a pole and released them later.”

As time passed the camp continued to develop. Land was cleared. Activities were added. Staff from the 1980s recall mini-dirt bikes, a treehouse at the end of the spring run, and off-site boating trips to Lake Butler’s lake.

Nature became one of the highlights of camp. One day, two orphaned racoons found their way to Kulaqua needing a home, and the Wildlife Sanctuary & Zoo was created. Today it still serves as a needed home to exotic animals and a sanctuary for the injured. Many from the neighboring community can recall the lion’s roar from the early days as the sound traveled for miles around.

Camp Kulaqua has now expanded to more than 800 acres with hundreds of buildings. In the growing town of High Springs, Camp Kulaqua hires over 80 employees from the community. Camp is a place that loves to serve and be available to the community. Families from the surrounding area often frequent the waterpark in the summer season and church families use the facility for retreats and meetings. Camp is also a resource to the children and local schools, providing education tours of the Wildlife Sanctuary to classrooms, a place for Extended Day Enrichment Program (EDEP) children to attend day activities, and is used by FFA Chapters for their yearly meetings.

Phil Younts, Executive Director of Camp Kulaqua for over 40 years, offers his appreciation for where camp is today. “Camp Kulaqua originally started as a summer camp and today we strive to serve the whole family. Family Camps, Outdoor Education, Summer Camps for children, just to name a few, are offered today. We are glad to be a part of the City of High Springs — a great place to live and a great place to serve God.”

“It’s the friendships we come back for. The once in a lifetime, never forget memories that are built at camp,” Julie Minnick recalls. As a camper and previous staff, Julie traveled from Virginia to be at the celebration. “This is always home for me,” is her response when asked the value of traveling the 300 miles for the 70^th year celebration.

Seventy years in operation is no small feat. Camp Kulaqua wants to thank God for the many blessings that He has given the millions of people who have entered its gates.

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