The Avenue - The Independent Florida Alligator

THE AVENUE | FOOD

Your cookbook is more than simply your recipes

By Kelsi | Oct. 22, 2014

A cookbook can be considered an autobiography.

THE AVENUE | FOOD

Dixieland Music Park Fall Bluegrass Festival returns to Waldo

By Cody Smith | Oct. 22, 2014

The fall music festival season is kicking off strong in Central Florida in the coming weeks, and the small town of Waldo is once again bringing back bluegrass.

THE AVENUE | FOOD

Local food: Ward’s fall festival returns

By Lilianne Busto | Oct. 22, 2014

A locally owned Gainesville grocery store is celebrating its 63rd Anniversary Fall Food Festival on Saturday.

In this image released by Roadside Attractions, Tyler James Williams appears in a scene from "Dear White People." (AP Photo/Roadside Attractions, Ashley Nguyen)

THE AVENUE | MOVIES AND TV

‘Dear White People’ is relief from racial stereotypes in movies

By Bryan Faux | Oct. 22, 2014

Writer and director Justin Simien’s new film, “Dear White People,” is a hilarious satire of racial politics and a welcome breath of fresh air. While the movie has its flaws, it is funny, pointed, honest and something we haven’t seen in recent modern films.

THE AVENUE | MOVIES AND TV

Found Footage Festival back in Gainesville with more obscure clips

By Daniela Prizont-Cado | Oct. 22, 2014

The dramatic how-to videos of the ‘90s, such as a McDonald’s training video and a 1997 instructional video “How to Have Cybersex on the Internet,” will come alive this weekend.

Julian Casablancas + The Voidz will headline the Coral Skies Festival in Tampa and West Palm Beach this weekend. Tickets can be bought online on Live Nation’s website.

THE AVENUE | MUSIC

Coral Skies Festival brings big-name acts to Tampa, West Palm

By Cody Smith | Oct. 22, 2014

Gator Growl just brought two headlining musical acts to Gainesville, but concert addicts can see even more this weekend at the Coral Skies Music Festival.

THE AVENUE | MUSIC

Christian musical acts to perform tonight at local church

By Kelsey Jordan | Oct. 15, 2014

Contemporary Christian artist Jason Gray’s “With Every Act of Love Tour” will grace Gainesville tonight.

THE AVENUE | FOOD

Toasting to the holidays ahead

By Keri | Oct. 15, 2014

Now is the time to start preparing for the holidays ahead. No, we don’t mean shopping or menu planning, which are good ideas by the way, but preparing for the social events ahead. Ways to fine-tune your social etiquette are to know how to give good toasts, a universal practice of honoring a person or occasion with an expression of goodwill and a drink. The holidays present many opportunities to give toasts with gatherings of friends and family ahead, including parties, winter weddings and graduations.

“Slasher,” a behind-the-scenes spoof of the production of horror films, premieres at the Hippodrome State Theatre on Friday night. Tickets are $15 for students.

THE AVENUE | ART AND THEATER

Blood, a D-list film director, a drugged-up mom and more

By Jasmine Wildflower Osmond | Oct. 15, 2014

With a set that features bloody mannequins chained to walls and a bathtub full of bloody body parts and severed heads, the Hippodrome State Theatre’s Halloween play isn’t scared of getting a little messy this year.

THE AVENUE | LIFESTYLE

Dating website finds UF females more selective than UF males when dating

By Mahogany Brown | Oct. 15, 2014

A dating platform that makes finding love easier for students recently looked through its users from colleges in Florida to find out who were the pickiest when it came to dating.

THE AVENUE | LIFESTYLE

Raven-Symoné’s social media storm

By Rachel Welch | Oct. 15, 2014

Former “The Cosby Show” and “That’s So Raven” child star “set the Twitter on fire” Sunday night, according to Oprah Winfrey.

THE AVENUE | LIFESTYLE

A whole latte fall-flavored love

By Kelsey Jordan | Oct. 15, 2014

As the cool weather of autumn arrives, coffee drinkers are trading in their iced beverages for hot brews. Local cafe menus are filling up with flavors of the season, and while the pumpkin spice latte is a dead-set tradition, creative alternatives are emerging.

THE AVENUE | LIFESTYLE

Halloween at Universal: From witches, wizards and goblins to terrorizing zombies and Michael Myers

By Emily Cardinali | Oct. 8, 2014

Diagon Alley

THE AVENUE | LIFESTYLE

Pinktober awareness takes over

By Edwin Exaus | Oct. 8, 2014

Thousands of pink ribbons hanging in store windows, pinned onto pedestrians’ chest pockets and printed on campus fliers mean only one thing: Pinktober is in full swing.

THE AVENUE | ART AND THEATER

UF Symphony Orchestra presents Cinderella

By Aileen Mack | Oct. 8, 2014

Tonight, the UF Symphony Orchestra will bring “The Story of Cinderella” to life with narration from Amy Redford, the daughter of Academy Award-winning film director and actor Robert Redford.

THE AVENUE | ART AND THEATER