The Archer Historical Society held its first Train Day celebration Saturday at the town’s historic depot, drawing families and railroad enthusiasts to tour the Depot Museum and view a new model train exhibit showcasing the Florida Railway line that once connected Amelia Island and Cedar Key in the mid-1800s. The event also featured local vendors, live music, and children’s train rides. Organizers said the celebration was designed to honor the depot’s heritage and raise money for its ongoing maintenance and repairs.
Sources: Mainstreet Daily News · WCJB TV20
Communities across Alachua County marked Mother’s Day weekend with a range of free events, including a pampering event at Legacy Park in Alachua organized by Pepine Gives, an early-morning breakfast and downtown store crawl in High Springs, and a barbecue and jazz festival at the Oaks Mall in Gainesville. The High Springs breakfast, hosted by the New Century Woman’s Club, directed all proceeds to a local nonprofit. Events were designed to bring families together and ensure mothers without nearby family had a place to feel welcomed and appreciated.
Sources: WCJB TV20
With hurricane season drawing near, local and national forecasters are encouraging Floridians to take preparedness steps before any storm threatens the region. Early action — assembling supplies, reviewing evacuation routes, and making household plans — can reduce both risk and stress when an actual storm develops. NOAA and local weather outlets are highlighting Hurricane Preparedness Week as the right moment to get ready.
Sources: WUFT News · The Gainesville Sun
The Cotton Club Museum and Cultural Center will anchor Gainesville’s sixth annual “Journey to Juneteenth” series with an Emancipation Day commemoration on May 20, running from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The day marks the 1865 reading of the Emancipation Proclamation by General McCook in Florida, and will open with a heritage march from Depot Park to the museum accompanied by freedom songs. Activities throughout the day will include choir and drum performances, spoken word, children’s programming, food vendors, and a flower-laying ceremony honoring formerly enslaved Union Army soldiers.
Sources: The Gainesville Iguana
After 22 years in temporary spaces, the Pride Community Center of North Central Florida voted at an April 19 board meeting to purchase a 4,500-square-foot commercial property at 1204 NW 10th Ave in Gainesville. The decision, passed by a strong majority, was made possible partly through a bequest from the late Chuck Woods and a capital campaign that has already raised approximately $60,000. The new facility will house the organization’s offices, meeting rooms, program space, and the 1,500-volume Audre Lorde Memorial Library.
Sources: The Gainesville Iguana
