The Avenue

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THE AVENUE  |  MUSIC

Over thirty years of music packed up in 30 days: High Dive closes its doors

By Sydney Johnson | 8:00am

High Dive, a popular venue and staple in Gainesvilleu2019s music scene, is disappearing from its familiar spot on Second Avenue, as announced by owner Pat Lavery in an Instagram post.  The music hall, which hosted live events since the 90s, gained notoriety for giving local musicians a starting point.

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THE AVENUE  |  LIFESTYLE

Coterie Market ‘happy to announce’ store closure nearly one year after opening

By Noor Sukkar | 8:00am

Coterie Market announced the closure of its brick-and-mortar store on its Instagram, adding to the list of small businesses Gainesville will lose this month. However, unlike other closures, this is a happy announcement, Coterie said.

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THE AVENUE  |  FASHION

Avenue Roundtable: The 2024 Met Gala

By Avenue Staff | May 7

On a runway clad with whimsical florals and woodland imagery, decorated stars took to the stairs of the Metropolitan Museum of Art to attend yesterday’s 2024 Met Gala. Renowned as “fashion’s biggest night,” A-listers arrived at the coveted event donning unique haute couture inspired by “The Garden of Time” dress code. 

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THE AVENUE  |  LIFESTYLE

Blooms for butterflies: Florida Museum of Natural History hosts spring plant sale

By Molly Seghi | Apr. 22

The Florida Museum of Natural History hosted its 12th spring plant sale April 19-21. The Earth Day weekend celebration welcomed local gardeners and plant enthusiasts to peruse and purchase from more than 250 exotic and native species of plants. 

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THE AVENUE  |  ART AND THEATER

‘Survivors of Violence’ exhibit joins the Harn Museum for Sexual Assault Awareness Month

By Emilia Cardenas-Perez | Apr. 22

Hosted by the Alachua County Community Support Services and the Victim Services and Rape Crisis Center, the exhibit invited survivors of interpersonal violence to contribute original artwork, including performance pieces, as a means of reclaiming their narratives and advocating for change. 

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THE AVENUE  |  MUSIC

Gator Swifties ‘sink into the swamp’ at 'Tortured Poets Department' listening party

By Zoey Thomas | Apr. 20

If there was a better place than the UF football stadium to hear the lyrics, “in my mind, they sink into the swamp” for the first time, Gator Swifties say it has yet to be found.

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THE AVENUE  |  FASHION

E-retailer visits UF campus: Students flock to pink truck for fashion and freebies

By Emilia Cardenas-Perez | Apr. 15

On Saturday morning, hundreds lined up outside the Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, with some arriving as early as 9 a.m. to make the two-hour long wait. Although there was a football game later in the day, the students were not there for sports. Instead, they were crowded around a pastel pink truck, eager to win free merchandise from popular e-retail brand Edikted.

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THE AVENUE  |  MUSIC

Big: Culture and Arts Festival transforms downtown Gainesville into artistic epicenter

By Benjamin Miller and Alexandra Burns | Apr. 15

Gainesville residents and music enthusiasts gathered outdoors at a renovated lot between Porter’s Community and South Main Street Saturday to celebrate “Big: Culture and Arts Festival.” Produced by How Bazar and Dion Dia Records, the festival featured local businesses and more than 50 solo artists and musical collectives playing between two individual stages. 

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THE AVENUE  |  FASHION

UF psychology senior set to debut How Bazar’s first interactive runway

By Tanya Fedak | Apr. 15

The “Noah Aaron Sams Supernova Runway Extravaganza” is an interactive runway event hosted by Sams, a 21-year-old UF psychology senior and aspiring clothing designer, at How Bazar. Inspired by his time in Gainesville, the event will feature a culmination of Sams’ fashion creations he made during his time studying at UF. 

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THE AVENUE  |  FOOD

PrimoHoagies opened a Gainesville location in March, now hopes to attract college students

By Molly Seghi | Apr. 15

PrimoHoagies, specializing in Philadelphia-style Italian sub sandwiches, hosted a grand opening of its Gainesville location at 211 S Main St. March 21. The event attracted hundreds of people with its opening day special where more than 250 customers indulged in a free hoagie. 

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THE AVENUE  |  FOOD

Gainesville mourns closure of gourmet chicken shop Birdie Box Sando 

By Alexandra Burns | Apr. 15

The opportunity to eat a dripping hot chicken sandwich in a light pink double-decker bus has come to an end. After three years in Gainesville, Birdie Box Sando, located at 2216 SW 13th St., announced April 2 it is permanently closing its doors in Gainesville. The closure was effective immediately following the announcement. 

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THE AVENUE  |  LIFESTYLE

Hundreds of Florida Muslims gather in Gainesville to celebrate Eid al-Fitr

By Molly Seghi | Apr. 11

Hundreds of Muslim community members prayed and feasted at the Eid al-Fitr celebration at Skate Station Funworks.

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THE AVENUE  |  LIFESTYLE

First Gainesville Oddities Market offers unusual items 

By Bea Lunardini | Apr. 8

The market, the first of its kind in Gainesville, hosted more than 60 vendors offering jewelry, decorations and animal products. The items were unusual, falling outside the normal range of goods sold at markets.  

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THE AVENUE  |  LIFESTYLE

From fields to fork: A list of local farmers markets

By Molly Seghi | Apr. 8

As temperatures rise and flowers burst into bloom, farmers markets grow in product and patron size. This guide lists seven bustling markets in Gainesville and High Springs that invite springtime with open arms.

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THE AVENUE  |  LITERARY CORNER

Gainesville author Lauren Groff responds to statewide book bans by opening bookstore, The Lynx

By Bonny Matejowsky | Apr. 8

On April 28, The Lynx will become Gainesville’s latest independent bookstore. It’s the creation of New York Times bestselling author Lauren Groff and her husband Clay Kallman. 

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THE AVENUE  |  LIFESTYLE

Gainesville ‘Dancing With The Stars’ raises money for new local arts building

By Madilyn Gemme | Apr. 2

Some of Gainesville’s most accomplished residents danced, flipped and raised money at a  “Dancing With The Stars” competition Sunday. 

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THE AVENUE  |  ART AND THEATER

‘The conga you didn’t know you needed’: ‘On Your Feet!’ premieres at the Curtis M. Phillips Center

By Tanya Fedak | Apr. 1

From the electrifying rhythms to the show-stopping choreography, “On Your Feet!” captivated audiences with an emotional retelling of the stories of Gloria Estefan and Emilio Estefan, Grammy-award winning Latin-American musical artists.

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THE AVENUE  |  MUSIC

Uplift GNV: Benefit concert raises funds for free therapy to local musicians

By Emilia Cardenas-Perez | Apr. 1

Uplift GNV’s aim is to raise funds for Upbeat’s Musicians Therapy Scholarship, which covers mental health counseling costs for musicians. Recipients of the scholarship can use the funds to cover eight private therapy sessions at Gainesville Community Counseling Center, Klausner said.

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THE AVENUE  |  ART AND THEATER

ArtWalk in downtown Gainesville features mural artists from around Florida 

By Bea Lunardini | Apr. 1

Visitors at the ArtWalk venue at 714 S Main St. were greeted with the thick smell of spray paint and bold visuals across the concrete walls surrounding the lot. It featured shapes and colors central to the work of Erbriyon Barrett, a 30-year-old artist better known as ‘Cloud.’ 

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THE AVENUE  |  LIFESTYLE

‘Easter Bunny dump season’: Why this time of year poses a threat to rabbits

By Bonny Matejowsky | Apr. 1

Easter is a holiday known for sweet marshmallow chicks, pastel-woven baskets and, of course, the ever-mysterious Easter Bunny. But the impacts of this floppy-eared icon stretch beyond childhood memories of early morning egg hunts to a much more consequential extent — one that is particularly dangerous for domestic rabbits.