What's Happening: World Tree Kangaroo Day, 'Fire and Ice,' Emancipation Celebration, more
MAY 18
WORLD TREE KANGAROO DAY: It’s a bear! It’s a monkey! No — it’s a tree kangaroo! The Santa Fe College Teaching Zoo is home to the Matschie’s tree kangaroo, an endangered species native to a small area of Papua New Guinea. The zoo will host a family friendly celebration of World Tree Kangaroo Day from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. May 18 to see these rare, majestic animals and learn how you can help them in the wild. Zookeepers will be out in full force to give keeper talks, introduce attendees to some of the zoo’s animal ambassadors, and host tree kangaroo-themed crafts and games. Tickets are only available at the gate the day of the event. All credit cards, cash, checks and Apple/Samsung Pay are accepted. Tickets are $10 for general admission; $6 for ages 4-12, ages 60 and older, active military and veterans, teachers, police, firefighters, first responders, EMT/EMS, health care workers (all with valid ID), UF students and staff with current Gator1 ID; $3 for Electronics Benefits Transfer recipients (up to four total tickets with card, any combination of adults/children); and free for ages 3 and younger, SF Students, staff and retirees (with current SFID), and zoo members. The Santa Fe Teaching Zoo is located at 3000 NW 83rd St. For more information, visit sfcollege.edu.
MAY 18
JOURNEY TO JUNETEENTH: FLORIDA EMANCIPATION CELEBRATION: The Cotton Club Museum and Cultural Center invites the community to celebrate “Emancipation Day in Florida” all day May 18. The festivities will begin at 9 a.m. with a walk from Depot Park to the Cotton Club Museum and Cultural Center. The procession will be led by Vivian Filer and Mayor Harvey Ward. This event kicks off the city of Gainesville’s “Journey to Juneteenth” programming and is in partnership with the historic neighborhoods of Fifth Avenue, Lincoln Estates, Pleasant Street, Rochelle, Rosewood Porters, Springhill and Sugarhill. The event is free and open to the public. After the march, there will be music, dance, exhibits and educational activities, and a variety of vendors and food trucks 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Among the celebrations, organizers say they will have the plaiting of a maypole and a memorial service honoring the fallen African American Civil War soldiers. In addition, on the actual day of Emancipation Day in Florida, May 20, there will be a free screening of "Before Juneteenth: Emancipation in Florida," a mini-documentary, at 7 p.m. at the Cotton Club Museum, 837 SE Seventh Ave. Depot Park is located at 200 SE Depot Ave.
MAY 18
“FIRE AND ICE”: Dance Sun Country is set to present their 17th annual recital, featuring the theme “Fire and Ice.” This year’s program, held at 1 p.m. May 18 at the Phillips Center, features approximately 45 dances and includes performances by all students and classes, from the youngest “Dance Tots” through the advanced-level dancers. Many dance styles will be featured, including classical ballet, pointe, tap, jazz, hip-hop, modern, musical theatre, lyrical, contemporary dance and clogging. Dance themes featured include “Ice Age,” “Firebird,” “Ice, Ice Baby,” “Great Balls of Fire,” “Frozen,” “Dynamite,” “Waltz of the Snowflakes,” “Dracarys,” “Icicles,” “Fireflies,” “Stone Cold,” “Fire Burning,” “Freeze Frame,” “Fire and Rain” and “Shiver Me Timbers” as well as many others. Tickets for the show are available through the Phillips Center Box Office only. Tickets are $23 for general admission, $20 for ages 3-11, and free for ages 2 and younger. They can be purchased online at performingarts.ufl.edu. The Phillips Center is located at 3201 Hull Road. For additional information, contact Sun Country Sports Center at 331-8773.
MAY 18
HOGTOWN OPRY: The second annual Hogtown Opry kicks off at 7 p.m. May 18 at the historic University Auditorium, located at 333 Newell Drive next to the bell tower on the University of Florida campus. Gainesville actor Gregg Jones will return as Master of Ceremonies, and two of last year’s supporting artists, Robert Bowlin and Wil Maring, will take the lead with offerings of bluegrass, old-time tinged originals, twin fiddling and even some old-time swing music. This year’s Hogtown Opry is leaning on its roots in the Music City — Nashville. The Music City Ramblers are, in fact, four Nashville recording, touring and award-winning artists and songwriters who have collaborated in various ways for more than 30 years. As Bowlin puts it, the way magic happens in Nashville, “you meet up with someone by sheer accident and you’re both there, never met each other and you’re working on a project together for another artist.” That’s what happened with Bowlin and Shad Cobb more than 30 years ago. Cobb, who first picked up the fiddle at the age of 13, is now one of the most sought-after fiddle players in Nashville. As for Maring, her surprise guest is longtime collaborator and Nashville-born mandolinist, guitarist and singer/songwriter Forrest O’Connor, whose legacy has earned him many accolades, including a Grammy and a Billboard No. 1 Bluegrass Album. Opening the Opry is the ever present but always surprising Hogtown Opry Band under the direction of maestra Cathy DeWitt. This year, longtime Gainesville musician and music teacher David Cook will return to the fold and bring his fiddle-playing son, Andrew, along. The father and son also will share some harmonies during the opening set along with players Jolene Stone Jones on the mandolin, Annie McPherson on bass, Janet Rucker on banjo/guitar and Rob Rothschild on drums. Tickets run $40 to $100, and can be purchased online at hogtownopry.com or by calling 392-2787.
MAY 19
WATER PARK COMMUNITY DAY: Camp Kulaqua opens its River Ranch on specific Sundays during the spring and summer at a discounted rate with no reservations required, and it will be open to the public from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. May 19. The venue features a 15,000-square-foot wave pool as well as a lazy river, water slide and volleyball courts. The public is allowed to bring food and coolers, but no glass containers or alcoholic beverages are permitted in the water park. Camp Kulaqua requests that modest swimsuits be worn. The water park is located at 23400 NW 212th Ave. in High Springs. The discounted rate is $18 per person; free for children ages 3 and younger. Future community days are planned for May 27 and July 14. For more information, visit kulaqua.com.
MAY 19
SUNDAY ASSEMBLY: Sunday Assembly will host Rick Gold, who has participated in and provided leadership to the Humanistic Judaism movement for 25 years. He is a board member of the Society for Humanistic Judaism. After moving to Gainesville in 2014, Gold has served as lead volunteer for the Gainesville Humanistic Judaism Community and Florida Jews for a Secular Democracy. The title of his talk will be “The Institutions of the Humanistic Judaism Movement.” Music will be provided by Sunday Assembly musicians with the opportunity to sing along. Sunday Assembly Gainesville is a secular congregation that celebrates life at 11 a.m. the third Sunday of each month. The group will meet at the Pride Center located in the Springhill Professional Center, 3850 NW 83rd St., Suite 201. It also is possible to attend via zoom. Sunday Assembly Gainesville is a chapter of the Global Secular Sunday Assembly Movement. For more information, visit sagainesville.weebly.com or email SundayAssembly32601@gmail.com.
MAY 24 THROUGH MAY 26
“DRIVE A LITTLE; LAUGH A LOT”: An award-winning singer-songwriter and a Disney star are producing a comedic cabaret at The Chief Theatre. Bailee McQueen, a Dixie County local who has won awards for both singing and screenwriting at the state and national levels, and AJ Cali, a Florida native with the distinction of having starred in a musical produced at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom, will both be centerstage at the end of the month. The cabaret is a 90-minute program running 7 p.m. May 24-25 and 2 p.m. May 26. The program is described as featuring Broadway’s most bitter and beautiful love songs. For tickets, visit chief-theatre.org. Tickets are $15 with discounts available for select groups. The Chief Theatre is located at 25 E. Park Ave. in Chiefland. Call 352-493-2787 for more information.
MAY 24 THROUGH JUNE 9
“TREASURE ISLAND”: Picture a world where pirates rule what we call Earth. Humanity’s desire to find hidden treasures will take them to heights they never imagined. Based on the masterful adventure novel by Robert Louis Stevenson, “Treasure Island” — the newest production from Gainesville Community Playhouse — is an epic adventure from Ken Ludwig. It begins at an inn on the Devon coast of England, and quickly becomes an unforgettable tale of treachery and mayhem featuring a host of legendary swashbucklers including the dangerous Billy Bones, the sinister two-timing Israel Hands, the brassy woman pirate Anne Bonny, and the hideous form of evil incarnate Blind Pew. Sail the vastness of space to find Captain Flint’s treasure in this coming-of-age tale that is out of this world! Join Jim Hawkins as he navigates the universe longing for adventure with the infamous Long John Silver, perhaps the most famous hero-villain of all time. Silver’s greedy quest for gold, coupled with his affection for Jim, cannot help but win the heart of every soul who has ever longed for romance, treasure and adventure. Catch a show at 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays plus 2 p.m. Sundays May 24 through June 9 at the Gainesville Community Playhouse, located at 4039 NW 16th Blvd. Tickets are $24 for general admission, $20 for seniors and $12 for students. For more information, or to purchase tickets online, visit gcplayhouse.org.
MAY 26
“TINKER BELL IN PIXIE HOLLOW”: With “Tinker Bell in Pixie Hollow,” Dance Alive National Ballet’s resident school, Pofahl Studios, will dance into spring and summer with students showcasing a year’s worth of work doing what they love. In this story, Tinker Bell learns that all of us need “to yourself be true.” Graduating seniors featured in the program include Lakshmi Garofalo, Anna Gleim, Madeleine Gurka, Kaylee Keller, Zoe Ladd, Gabrielle Luna, Kellyn Patton and Allie Schofield. Dance Alive National Ballet Principal Tales Ribeiro will partner with Gleim while soloist Stirling Kolb will partner with Schofield, who dances the role of Tinker Bell. DANB corps de ballet member Victor Mancuso also will be featured. Audience favorites promise to be the pre-ballet classes of 3- and 4-year-olds. Attendees can always expect the unexpected with this age group! Sure to be appreciated will be a young group of talented swans — ready for a “Swan Lake” when they are old enough! Another audience favorite, “The Family Dance,” is where dancers and family members take the stage — showcasing their talent and finishing with an enthusiastic kick line. The faculty, all members of DANB and dancers promise an entertaining show from beginning to end. Classical and neo-classical ballet, contemporary, acrobatics, hip-hop, tap, jazz — from pre-ballet to pre-professional — this show has it all. The show will be held at 2 p.m. May 26 at the Phillips Center, located at 3201 Hull Road. Tickets are $25 for general admission, $15 for ages 3-17 and free for ages 2 and younger. To purchase tickets online, visit performingarts.ufl.edu.
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: What's Happening: Hogtown Opry, Water Park Community Day and more
