The Avenue

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THE AVENUE  |  MUSIC

Big: Culture and Arts Festival transforms downtown Gainesville into artistic epicenter

By Benjamin Miller and Alexandra Burns | Apr. 15

Gainesville residents and music enthusiasts gathered outdoors at a renovated lot between Porter’s Community and South Main Street Saturday to celebrate “Big: Culture and Arts Festival.” Produced by How Bazar and Dion Dia Records, the festival featured local businesses and more than 50 solo artists and musical collectives playing between two individual stages. 

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THE AVENUE  |  FASHION

UF psychology senior set to debut How Bazar’s first interactive runway

By Tanya Fedak | Apr. 15

The “Noah Aaron Sams Supernova Runway Extravaganza” is an interactive runway event hosted by Sams, a 21-year-old UF psychology senior and aspiring clothing designer, at How Bazar. Inspired by his time in Gainesville, the event will feature a culmination of Sams’ fashion creations he made during his time studying at UF. 

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THE AVENUE  |  FOOD

PrimoHoagies opened a Gainesville location in March, now hopes to attract college students

By Molly Seghi | Apr. 15

PrimoHoagies, specializing in Philadelphia-style Italian sub sandwiches, hosted a grand opening of its Gainesville location at 211 S Main St. March 21. The event attracted hundreds of people with its opening day special where more than 250 customers indulged in a free hoagie. 

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THE AVENUE  |  FOOD

Gainesville mourns closure of gourmet chicken shop Birdie Box Sando 

By Alexandra Burns | Apr. 15

The opportunity to eat a dripping hot chicken sandwich in a light pink double-decker bus has come to an end. After three years in Gainesville, Birdie Box Sando, located at 2216 SW 13th St., announced April 2 it is permanently closing its doors in Gainesville. The closure was effective immediately following the announcement. 

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THE AVENUE  |  LIFESTYLE

Hundreds of Florida Muslims gather in Gainesville to celebrate Eid al-Fitr

By Molly Seghi | Apr. 11

Hundreds of Muslim community members prayed and feasted at the Eid al-Fitr celebration at Skate Station Funworks.

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THE AVENUE  |  LIFESTYLE

First Gainesville Oddities Market offers unusual items 

By Bea Lunardini | Apr. 8

The market, the first of its kind in Gainesville, hosted more than 60 vendors offering jewelry, decorations and animal products. The items were unusual, falling outside the normal range of goods sold at markets.  

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THE AVENUE  |  LIFESTYLE

From fields to fork: A list of local farmers markets

By Molly Seghi | Apr. 8

As temperatures rise and flowers burst into bloom, farmers markets grow in product and patron size. This guide lists seven bustling markets in Gainesville and High Springs that invite springtime with open arms.

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THE AVENUE  |  LITERARY CORNER

Gainesville author Lauren Groff responds to statewide book bans by opening bookstore, The Lynx

By Bonny Matejowsky | Apr. 8

On April 28, The Lynx will become Gainesville’s latest independent bookstore. It’s the creation of New York Times bestselling author Lauren Groff and her husband Clay Kallman. 

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THE AVENUE  |  LIFESTYLE

Gainesville ‘Dancing With The Stars’ raises money for new local arts building

By Madilyn Gemme | Apr. 2

Some of Gainesville’s most accomplished residents danced, flipped and raised money at a  “Dancing With The Stars” competition Sunday. 

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THE AVENUE  |  ART AND THEATER

‘The conga you didn’t know you needed’: ‘On Your Feet!’ premieres at the Curtis M. Phillips Center

By Tanya Fedak | Apr. 1

From the electrifying rhythms to the show-stopping choreography, “On Your Feet!” captivated audiences with an emotional retelling of the stories of Gloria Estefan and Emilio Estefan, Grammy-award winning Latin-American musical artists.

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THE AVENUE  |  MUSIC

Uplift GNV: Benefit concert raises funds for free therapy to local musicians

By Emilia Cardenas-Perez | Apr. 1

Uplift GNV’s aim is to raise funds for Upbeat’s Musicians Therapy Scholarship, which covers mental health counseling costs for musicians. Recipients of the scholarship can use the funds to cover eight private therapy sessions at Gainesville Community Counseling Center, Klausner said.

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THE AVENUE  |  ART AND THEATER

ArtWalk in downtown Gainesville features mural artists from around Florida 

By Bea Lunardini | Apr. 1

Visitors at the ArtWalk venue at 714 S Main St. were greeted with the thick smell of spray paint and bold visuals across the concrete walls surrounding the lot. It featured shapes and colors central to the work of Erbriyon Barrett, a 30-year-old artist better known as ‘Cloud.’ 

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THE AVENUE  |  LIFESTYLE

‘Easter Bunny dump season’: Why this time of year poses a threat to rabbits

By Bonny Matejowsky | Apr. 1

Easter is a holiday known for sweet marshmallow chicks, pastel-woven baskets and, of course, the ever-mysterious Easter Bunny. But the impacts of this floppy-eared icon stretch beyond childhood memories of early morning egg hunts to a much more consequential extent — one that is particularly dangerous for domestic rabbits. 

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THE AVENUE

Kanapaha Botanical Gardens Spring Festival offers vendors and music

By Bea Lunardini | Mar. 25

Typically, visitors at the Kanapaha Botanical Gardens pay their admission fee and stroll through the Summer House into 68 acres of lush greenery. From March 23 to 24, though, they were greeted by more than 175 vendors from around Florida there for the annual Spring Festival. 

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THE AVENUE  |  FOOD

Gainesville celebrates Taste The World International Food Festival 

By Alexandra Burns | Mar. 25

Nestled beneath a canopy of trees and twinkling lights, Gainesville residents came together to indulge in a comforting taste of home from cultures around the world. More than 150 Gainesville residents and food enthusiasts gathered at First Magnitude Brewing Company March 23 to celebrate Taste The World International Food Festival. 

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THE AVENUE  |  ART AND THEATER

‘It’s a sitcom until it’s not’: ‘White’ approaches debut at Hippodrome

By Bonny Matejowsky | Mar. 25

Some say art imitates life. For other’s it’s vice versa. But “White,” the Hippodrome’s latest production, looks at it both ways. The 2018 play hits the mainstage at 8 p.m. March 29 and runs until April 14. 

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THE AVENUE  |  LIFESTYLE

Florida Museum of Natural History’s opens first freshwater exhibit 

By Tanya Fedak | Mar. 24

Saturday morning, the Florida Museum of Natural History opened its new permanent exhibit, Water Shapes Florida. The exhibit is centered on Florida freshwater and its shape on human life over time. The exhibit, with interactive projector screens and physical replicas of underwater wildlife, aims to illustrate the evolution of the state's aquifers, rivers and most famous springs just north of the museum’s location in Gainesville.

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THE AVENUE  |  MUSIC

Indie Night packs High Dive full of music and music-lovers alike   

By Benjamin Miller | Mar. 24

On Saturday night, local bands Half Gone, Quail Hollow, Rohna and Madwoman energized a colorful crowd of indie music fans in an exhilarating concert as part of the Indie Nights Florida tour. Indie Night, established in 2021 by Rohna bassist Andres Hernandez, seeks to bring local music together all across Florida. 

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THE AVENUE  |  LITERARY CORNER

Barnes & Noble hosts grand opening at Butler Plaza

By Molly Seghi | Mar. 20

Generations of book enthusiasts lined up down the block outside Barnes & Noble on Wednesday morning, some jumping for joy in anticipation. As the clock struck 9 a.m. and the ribbon was cut, more than 100 people rushed into the brand-new store and got lost in the rows of crisp, colorful books for sale.

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THE AVENUE  |  MUSIC

Big: Culture & Arts Festival brings creatives across the state to Gainesville 

By Benjamin Miller | Mar. 18

Big: Cultures & Arts Festival is set to take place in an empty lot between Porters Community and South Main Street, breathing life into the venue with Florida’s music, fashion, visual art and film scene. Musical artists based in Gainesville and cities across the state, including Orlando, Jacksonville, Tampa and Miami, are set to appear in numbers April 13.