Scoop is back, Streatery in GNV, Gators dogs to dawgs

October 30, 2024

Morning, Gville!

Some of you reached out and noticed I missed a couple of issues. My bad! I’ll spare you my excuses 🙂 I’m doing my best to keep this thing going - you all are sharing great feedback and I really enjoy doing it. I’m going to spend this week thinking about how I can best ensure it’s consistently delivered, and super high value! Stay tuned for more updates on the future of the Scoop!

For now, let’s get to it!

🌡️ Wednesday: High is 84°F and Low is 62° ☀️ with 5% chance of rain, Thursday: High is 84°, low of 64° with 4% chance of rain ☀️ A couple of beautiful, and weirdly identical days coming up! Hope your halloween costume isn’t too warm 😉 

📰 The General Scoop:

  • 💁 Rotary Club’s Big Grants for Local Good The Rotary Clubs of Gainesville Foundation is backing three big community projects! They just announced they’ll be dishing out over $100,000 in grants to:

    • Catholic Charities Bureau – expanding its emergency food pantry with new freezer space to keep up with growing demand.

    • Girls Place, Inc. – renovating their playground so more kiddos can enjoy outdoor fun by summer 2025.

    • Alachua County Veteran’s Memorial Committee – putting up a 50-foot flagpole at Veterans Memorial Park to honor local veterans.

    After sifting through 25 grant applications, Feast Master Matthew Braddy says picking the winners wasn’t easy, but these three groups stood out with their impact and diversity. The 40th Annual Rotary Wild Game Feast is happening March 6, 2025, and all funds raised will keep supporting projects like these.

  • 🏙️ Gainesville is getting a “streatery” SW 2nd Street will be transformed into a “streatery.” Wondering what that is? It’s a designated street that’s converted into a pedestrian-friendly space, often used by restaurants, food trucks, or for public events. It combines elements of a street and eatery hence “streatery”. The city just announced it’s moving ahead with the redesign to make the temporary pedestrian space between SW 1st Ave and S. Main St a forever streatery. Originally closed to cars during the pandemic, the area was left in limbo, looking more temporary than trendy. But after some back-and-forth the City Commission is going all in to turn it into a curbless pedestrian zone perfect for restaurants, food trucks, and special events. The $2.4 million plan is officially in the works, with JBPro leading the design. Next up: public meetings and a final City Commission vote in February 2025. Construction is expected to kick off late 2025. City COO Andrew Persons says the new Streatery will be “a true downtown gem.” We’re ready for those good vibes to roll in! 🌯🍔✨

📰 Business News

  • 🐟️ Blue Gill opens in Butler Plaza Blue Gill finally reopened in its new location in Butler Plaza. Blue Gill is known for great seafood, cocktails, and southern cuisine. It was previously tucked away in a shopping center on the bottom of a Shands parking deck. I know everyone’s excited to have a local restaurant join the ranks at Butler Plaza!

🏅 Sports News:

  • 🏈 Gator Football big dog to the Dawgs The Florida Gators are preparing for the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party when they take on the #2 ranked Georgia Bulldogs on Saturday at 3:30 PM. There are several story lines to follow… like the flip of ex-Florida star running back, Trevor Etienne who now starts for the dawgs. We’re eagerly awaiting kickoff, but the Gators are 16 point underdogs to the Dawgs as of now.

  • 🎾 New Coach for Gators Women’s Tennis Gator Nation, meet Per Nilsson, the newest head coach of UF’s women's tennis team! The Gators have gone 40 led by only two coaches—Andy Brandi and Roland Thornqvist—who have been nothing short of incredible! Nilsson now steps into the spotlight. With 7 national titles and 24 SEC crowns under the program’s belt, Nilsson aims to keep the wins coming.Nilsson, 52, arrives from Pepperdine, where his squads dominated the West Coast Conference and reached multiple NCAA finals. He’s no stranger to the SEC either as he had a stint at Mississippi State, and now plans to push UF back to the top, where the team hasn’t snagged an SEC title since 2016 or a national crown since 2017.

📆 Things to Do:

Wednesday October 30th:

Black Witch Beer Release Party at First Mag (5-8PM) The Florida Museum and First Magnitude are teaming up to release a seasonally relevant black rye ale called the Black Witch. Sales from the beer support butterfly conservation!

Line Dancing at Swamp Head (6-9 PM) Grab your boots and head to Swamp Head for a free line dancing lesson! All skill levels welcome.

🎃 Thursday October 31st:

Tipples Halloween Haunt (5-10 PM) Set a bowl of candy outside and head up to Tipples for a fun filled Halloween evening. Costume contest kicks off at 8:30!

Boos and Brews at Blackadder (6-9 PM) This will be Blackadder’s 8th year hosting this Halloween celebration. Similarly to Tipples, they will host a costume contest at 8 pm!

Art After Dark - Halloween Edition at the Harn (5-9 PM) Come enjoy complimentary food and beverages as you sip and stroll through the museum in your spookiest costume. DJ Wax Atom will be there for your entertainment!

Drop me a note if you’d like to feature your company in the Scoop! We’re growing quickly!

And please share the Scoop with friends!

Have a great day!
Lauren
Swamptown Scoop