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Sarah's Sweetwater Greenway Loop Festival

Festival February, 2023

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  • Festival Schedule
    • Day 1- Springhill
    • Day 2- Power District
    • Day 3- Pleasant St. / 5th Ave.
    • Day 4– S.E. Historic District
    • Day 4– Duckpond
    • Day 5- Grove St.
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Festival Schedule

We believe Ms. Sarah McKnight exemplifies what this proposed loop should represent. The locally-produced documentary “Sarah’s Place” will be screened each night of the festival, highlighting the talent, resolve, and vision of one of Gainesville’s historic Black businesswomen. The Festival includes a series of mini-festivals open to the public over five days in February:

Day | Date |  Neighborhood Festival Locations

Day 1. Thursday, February 16, Springhill
Celebration Kick Off at the Cotton Club Museum
4pm – 9pm

  • Live music and choir
  • Collaborative oral histories
  • Creative Community Input Station
  • Q+A of neighborhood history, landmarks, and future plans
  • Collective family style dinner
  • Guest Speaker Dr. Gloria Jean Swopes to speak about her mother, Ms. Sarah McKnight
  • Screening of “Sarah’s Place”

For a full schedule of Day 1’s activities, click here


Day 2. Friday, February 17, Artist Exhibition in the Power District
4pm – 11pm

  • Chalk Avenue down SE 5th Ave
  • Em[POWER]ed Market Vendors
  • Rastafarice Snowcones, Radha’s Kitchen, Germains, and Dominisoul Empanadas
  • Meet the Festival Artists! Loop Renderings + Community Input Board
  • Live character performances and creative installations
  • Mural Walls Main Stage music, dance, and storytelling
  • Screening of “Sarah’s Place” at the Cade Museum After Dark (21+)

For a full schedule of Day 2’s activities, click here


Day 3. Saturday, February 18, Pleasant St. / 5th Ave.
2pm – 8pm

  • Porter’s Folk Artist Live Painting with Alyne Harris
  • SF College Blount Hall Art Gallery Open House
  • Live theatre and poetry in the park
  • Caribbean Queen Jamaican Patties
  • 2 Historical tours of Pleasant St. and 5th Ave neighborhood
  • Local Authors Book Table
  • Screening of “Sarah’s Place” at Old Mt. Carmel

For a full schedule of Day 3’s activities, click here


Day 4. Sunday, February 19, Duckpond & SE Historic District
9am – 8pm

  • FUN RUN and maps for self-guided walking tours – sign up for the Fun Run here!: https://runsignup.com/Race/FL/Gainesville/SweetwaterGreenwayLoopRun
  • Coffee, tea, and picnic lunch
  • Nia Dance and exercise, live music, and Friends of the Library free books at Roper Park
  • Presentations by the Duckpond Neighborhood Association Environmental Stewardship Committee on The Boulevard
  • Guided tour of the Matheson Library and Archives with refreshments
  • Historical presentation about the SEHD at Alachua County Library, and talks on invasive plants in the area by guest speakers
  • Southern stewed collards by Sweetwater Branch Inn
  •  Live storytelling and music in Sweetwater Park
  • Screening of “Sarah’s Place” at the Matheson History Museum

For a full schedule of Day 4’s activities in the DUCKPOND, click here

For a full schedule of Day 4’s activities in the SE HISTORIC DISTRICT, click here


Day 5. Monday, February 20, Grove Street
4pm – 10pm

  • Grove Street Farmer’s Market
  • Brewery Tours at Cypress & Grove
  • Flowspace + HOWL Tea Zen Zone, firepit, ecstatic dance and more
  • Wine + Wildlife Guest Speakers at Superette and Sweetwater Branch Trailhead with Florida Trail Association and the Alachua Conservation Trust
  • Post-farmer’s market DJ sets and live performance art installations to light up the bike trail
  • Final Screening of “Sarah’s Place” at Cypress & Grove at 7pm
    • free C&G drink ticket for attending!

      For a full schedule of Day 3’s activities, click here

 

Depictions of Sarah’s Place and Sarah’s Restaurant- Sarah McKnight’s diner and jazz club. Credit: Denis Pellerin
info@sarahsgreenwayfestival.com