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TALLAHASSEE ‒ The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) invites Florida residents and visitors to go fishing during two license-free weekends: June 3-4 for saltwater and June 10-11 for freshwater.

License-free fishing weekends offer a great opportunity to enjoy the outdoors and experience the many fishing opportunities the Fishing Capital of the World has to offer. The FWC encourages everyone to take advantage of these weekends to spend time enjoying the beautiful Florida waters.

“Fishing is a great way to enjoy the outdoors and experience Florida’s abundant fishing opportunities,” said Roger Young, FWC’s Executive Director. “License-free fishing weekends allow Floridians and visitors to get outdoors, connect with nature and create lasting memories with family and friends.”

During the license-free weekends, all bag limits, size limits and fishing regulations still apply. Anglers must also follow all other fishing rules, such as gear restrictions, seasons and closures. To help ensure a fun and safe fishing experience, the FWC encourages all anglers to review the regulations before heading out on the water. For current recreational fishing regulations, visit MyFWC.com/about and click on “Rules & Regulations” or download the Fish Rules App to stay up to date on saltwater and freshwater regulations in your area.  

Find a location to go fishing through the pier finder tool or visit a Fish Management Area. Launch your vessel at a local boat ramp or access point. View the quarterly FWC’s Freshwater Fishing Forecasts by region.

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Gainesville, Fla. - The Alachua County Library District is kicking-off Summer at the Library with Reader Palooza! Join in the fun Saturday, June 3, from 10 a.m. until noon at Depot Park.

Get the summer started off right with fun activities and informative vendors. Support literacy in our community and encourage summer reading. Patrons can sign up for the Summer Reading Challenge for chances to win a free tablet from PDQ restaurant. The ACLD will have a free goodie bag for kids, teens, and adults who sign up for summer reading.

More the 20 vendors will be on hand at Reader Palooza, including Fun 4 Gator Kids, Escapology, UF CARD, Florida Museum of Natural History, REI, Matheson Museum, Santa Fe College Teaching Zoo, Children’s Home Society, United Way, and many more.

Enjoy roaming performances from Gainesville magician Magic Mike, the Gainesville Circus Center and Bubble Man. Marc Radio and Classic Hits 100.9 will be broadcasting live from the event.

Our popular kids’ reading program, Read with a Dog, will have a station at Reader Palooza this year. Sit and stay a while to read with a very good dog.

Come out and support community reading and kick off Summer at the Library during Reader Palooza.

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GAINESVILLE ‒ HSNCF, ACAR, and Puppy Hill Farm Animal Rescue team up to offer free pets June 10 and 11. Hundreds of pets from two local animal welfare organizations will be sterilized, vaccinated, microchipped and free to adopt the weekend of June 10 and 11. The 10th Annual North Florida Pet Adoption Days will take place across North Central Florida that weekend.

Founded in 2013 and formerly known as Maddie’s Pet Adoption Days, the two day adopt-a-thon seeks to find forever homes for hundreds of puppies, dogs, cats and kittens. The participating agencies include Humane Society of North Central Florida and Alachua County Animal Resources this year.

Over 200 adoptions were conducted during the 2022 event. “We are so pleased to be part of this life-saving effort and are proud to work alongside so many rescues and municipal shelters across North Central Florida to increase our life-saving abilities and create a region where no healthy or treatable pet is euthanized for lack of space,” said the Humane Society’s Executive Director, Chelsea Bower.

Adoptions will take place at Humane Society of North Central Florida on Northwest 6th Street, Alachua County Animal Resources on Northeast 53rd, Feline Good Cat Cafe on Southeast 2^nd Place, and PetSmart on Archer Road from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on June 10. Adoptions will continue at the Humane Society of North Central Florida from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on June 11.

Adoptable animals will be available free of charge with the exception of puppies and kittens under 5 months of age. There will also be free adoptions at Feeline Good Cat Cafe in downtown Gainesville. Check out all the available pets at NFPAD.org.

North Florida Pet Adoption Days Animal welfare organizations are aiming to find homes for hundreds of pets in North Central Florida in just one weekend.

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BY JENNIFER CABRERA/Alachua Chronicle

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Dance Alive National Ballet hopes to purchase a 5.5-acre parcel of land in northwest Gainesville that will eventually be the home of a new building with three dance studios, three music studios, an art gallery, a black box theater for rehearsals and rentals, and all the other miscellaneous spaces needed by a performing arts group.

Dance Alive, which makes its home in Gainesville, is the only professional ballet company in North Central Florida and has been a fixture in the world of performing arts for over 50 years. The Company has been sharing space with Pofahl Studios but has outgrown the space, and they will soon be raising money and applying for grants to build a 22,000-square-foot facility that will add to the cultural landscape of North Central Florida.

Dance Alive comprises an international roster of award-winning professional dancers who have full-time contracts and live in the local community; these dancers perform locally, nationally, and internationally and also teach at the resident school. The Company has toured 17 states, Costa Rica, Brazil, Cuba, and Russia, and it is the only arts organization in Florida to be on the State Touring Roster for 40 consecutive years. Dance Alive presents four annual mainstage productions at the Curtis M. Phillips Center, including The Nutcracker. The Company also has an outreach program for students in Alachua and Marion counties and programs to benefit veterans and persons with disabilities.

The proposed new building will include spaces for dance instruction, music instruction, rehearsals, and performances; it will also feature a physical therapy room, a kitchen, a laundry room, storage rooms, dressing rooms, and administrative offices. A large green space behind the building will be available for plein air painting, yoga and meditation classes, and other outdoor events.

Dance Alive National Ballet co-founders Kim Tuttle and Judy Skinner will continue to serve as Artistic and Administrative Directors during the transition to the new facility. Tuttle told Alachua Chronicle, “The arts are in us from childhood and as we grow, they make us better people, filled with humanity. A home for the arts celebrates this, with strength and love.”

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Senator Keith Perry looks on as Governor DeSantis signs the bill | Photo courtesy Office of Governor DeSantis

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on May 30 signed Senate Bill (SB) 478, sponsored by Senator Keith Perry, to convert the Early Childhood Music Education Incentive Pilot Program into a permanent program available to school districts across the state. The Early Childhood Music Education Incentive Program provides assistance to school districts in implementing comprehensive music education programs in kindergarten through second grade.

“Music education has been shown to help children with language development, brain development, and fine motor skills,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. “Florida has nation-leading early childhood and early literacy programs, and this bill will further help schools build a strong learning foundation for our youngest students.”

The Department of Education will be responsible for administering the program. Eligible schools will receive $150 per student enrolled in a comprehensive music education program. Schools must meet the following criteria to be program eligible:

• Includes all students enrolled at the school in kindergarten through second grade.
• Is staffed by certified music educators.
• Provides music instruction for at least 30 consecutive minutes two days a week.
• Complies with class size requirements under the law.
• Complies with the Department of Education’s standards for early childhood music education programs for students in kindergarten through second grade.

The Early Childhood Music Education Incentive Pilot Program was established in 2017 to assist certain school districts in implementing comprehensive music education programs in kindergarten through second grade. Pilot program schools were selected based on their proximity to the University of Florida and Florida International University. The universities were required to evaluate the effectiveness of the pilot program.

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