WUFT News News and Public Media for North Central Florida from the University of Florida in Gainesville
“Here is Home: Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings and Cross Creek” paints the vivid memories the elders of Cross Creek hold of Rawlings.
Read More »New Documentary Film Celebrates Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings’ Close Connection To Cross Creek
Significant Arts Funding Cuts Affecting Local Organizations
Arts funding across Florida has been significantly cut from the 2018-19 state budget, and some organizations in Alachua County are seeing up to 80 percent reductions in grants in comparison to the previous year.
Read More »Ocala’s Royal Guardsmen Just One Of Many Success Stories In Bill DeYoung’s New Biography Of Forgotten Florida Music Mogul
Bill DeYoung on Phil Gernhard: "They say he could hear a hit on first listen. I don’t know if that’s particularly true because he recorded a lot of pretty bad records, too, but he had a pretty good track record for good ones, so I think maybe he did have a talent."
Read More »Two Weekend Events In Gainesville Highlight Florida Soul History
Gainesville soul singer Little Jake Mitchell is a featured chapter in John Capouya's book, 'Florida Soul: From Ray Charles to KC and the Sunshine Band.' "Jake, as I say in my book, is basically, he’s the living history of Florida soul music and he continues to keep soul music alive."
Read More »Gainesville Resident’s Idea Brings Local Community Together To Clean Up Sweetwater Branch Creek
In the recent years Sweetwater Branch Creek along University Avenue and 4th Avenue has become a forgotten park and littered waterway. Now volunteers are trying to clean up the creek that flows through the downtown area of Gainesville, located between the Matheson History Museum Complex and the Alachua County Library District Headquarters.
Read More »Find Out Florida: When Were There Cattle Drives Along Main Street in Gainesville?
Back in the late 19th century and early 20th century, cattle used to roam freely on ranches around Florida, grazing on thousands of acres of public and private land.
Read More »Find Out Florida: Where Was Paradise In Alachua County?
Today, Paradise is a mix of intersections, buildings, and paved parking lots.
Read More »The Ocklawaha River: Home To Rich History, Diverse Ecosystems
Florida's Ocklawaha River has a rich history, from being a place for Native Americans burial mounds to helping in logging transports to kayak tours today. See a gallery of a recent tour at WUFT.org.
Read More »Matheson No Longer An Option For “Old Joe”
"Old Joe" is staying put, for now. After months and months of negotiations, Alachua County is no longer considering moving the confederate statue to the Matheson History Museum.
Read More »Gainesville Music History Book Wins Florida Book Award
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, two Eagles (Bernie Leadon and Don Felder), and Stephen Stills: all in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and all started making music in Gainesville in the 1960s. Musician Marty Jourard (The Motels) was there and tells the story in his award-winning book, "Music Everywhere: The Rock and Roll Roots of a Southern Town" (2016, University Press of Florida).
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