UP THE CREEK

                           UP THE CREEK

                            THE RATTLESNAKE CREEK 

                           GARDEN CLUB NEWSLETTER             

                                        SPRING, 2023

 The "Pinxter", our native azalea

SPRING HAS SPRUNG!  We're enjoying the sweet scent of citrus blossoms wafting through the air and, azaleas bursting with color.

 Lucky us!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our neighborhood University Park Neighborhood Association ("UPNA") is keeping busy. On March 1st, fourteen of us met with our district's city commissioner, Bryan Eastman.

Most of our discussions were about his recent effort to re-vamp single-family zoning.

Our association has many talented people who want to work with him to improve housing (and zoning) in Gainesville. He said he looks forward to our help. 

We went on to discuss creating new parks along with parking, noise, and traffic issues.

The UPNA SPRING PICNIC will take place in Parker Park on Sunday, April 30, from 3 to 6 p.m. Make plans to attend!.

CREEK CLEAN UP-                     

The annual Rattlesnake Creek Cleanup will take place on Saturday, March 11 at 10 a.m.  Meet at "the dip", where the creek runs under NW 18 Terrace, a half-block north of NW 8 Ave.  You'll be walking  in water. Wear old shoes and bring a bag to collect trash.

 

Note:  Our Rattlesnake Creek Cleanup coincides with First Magnitude's 9^th annual Clean Creek Revival festival.  They host the largest creek and waterway cleanup in the Gainesville area. If you all want join that as well, info and registration is here,

bit.ly/cleancreek2023

 

    At First Mag, you can get tools, dump creek trash in their dumpsters, and get a free beer for your troubles!   All this from the brewery's owners, Christine and John Denny, who are also 14th Avenue neighbors.

 

Our creek crewe two years ago.

 

PARK REPORT-  We are working to create new parks in Rattlesnake woods and in the wooded area west of Parker Park.  Commissioner Eastman  encourages our efforts and assures us that he will help.

This is the publicly owned right-of-way in Rattlesnake Woods.  We need  to convert it into a linear park!

BROKEN BRIDGE

     Out local bike club has been nice enough to build a few bridges

in the woods west of us. They allow us to cross Rattlesnake and Hogtown Creeks without getting our feet wet. The one just north of NW 8th cracked in half last month. A bunch of us disassembled it Saturday (I only fell off it once!) so water can  easily flow past again.

  

Our UPNA Bulletin Board has been sharing information on 18th Terrace for two years now. Feel free to use it whenever you need to get the word out.

 

  

 

 

CURIA-  If you haven't been to Curia-On-The Drag yet, stop on March.10th.  This collection of shops, restaurants and Dad's Bar has something for everyone. Their Auk Market is sponsoring a mini-fest with 20 vendors and live music Friday evening.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NEW MUSEUM- The "Theatre of Memory" Museum opened, just a mile east of us last month. It's Bill Hutchison's life-long collection,  all kinds of wonderful things. It is located at 1705 NW 6th

Street. Admission is free (donations are accepted). Join us there at 3 p.m. on Sunday, March 12, for our Neighborhood field trip. Bill will give us a personal tour. 

More information at www.theatreofmemory.org .

    THE BEAUTY AROUND US -  Remember we live where there are more natural springs than anywhere else in the world.  Why not jump in one today?  or, at least glide a kayak down that lazy river we call "The Ich".

 

Above, a shot taken by my brother-in-law, Frano, three days ago. 

On his excursion he and his wife, Sheila, were amazed by a bulbous manatee, two gators, three otters, and more alligator gar than they could count. Our springs are like a dream...

 

Proud we were, to be attending my sister-in-law's lecture at the UF school of architecture last week.

 

 

 

 

Last Sunday, 5th Generation farmer, John Nix, came to University

Park to speak about the discrimination black farmers have faced in this country for 150 years.                                    

                                       Farmer John Nix, left, at UCG Sunday

His great-grandparents were enslaved in Alachua County.  Gained their freedom in 1865, they started a farm in Rochelle, eight miles east of Gainesville, which is still in the family. They raise cattle.

John wants us to support creating a meat processing plant in Newberry. This will allow small farmers, like him, to sell local, grass-fed beef to folks living here.  For more information on supporting local black farms check out https://www.northfloridablackfarms.com/black-farms.

It is rumored that King Mango will be coming to town on the wings of a pig.  Stay tuned for details.

The Governor and his legislature continues to ban books. We are honored to have the painting, "Florida's Book-of-the-Month Club' " gracing the cover of the New Yorker this week.

 

That's it for now,

                            

 Best wishes for a happy day,

-Glenn