The Weekend Roundup: Stuff to Do

Whether you are staying in town or going to Atlanta for the SEC game, there will be nothing dull about this pre-finals weekend. Just to make sure you don't miss out on your much-deserved kicks, we've compiled of a list of the thunderstorm of entertainment taking over Gainesville this weekend.

First thing is first: have you checked out our Kid Cudi and Common show. Popular among the hip-hop and indie communities you can expect a wild, widely ranged crowd and lots of superstar hype. Did we mention it's free?

We hear Rue Bar is proceeding the show with a Winter Wonderland party complete with a sno-cone machine. Yum. Before Rue Bar and after Common, make your way over to Common Grounds to continue on your live music high. With the Shoddy Beatles and Morningbell rocking CGs its sure to be a good old kickback-to-the-60s time.

Make your rounds around the Gator Stompin' venues for some free/super cheap drinks, and a chance to help Toys for Tots. If you don't have your Gator Stompin' pass, make like Santa and lug around a bag of gifts tonight, many of the venues will offer free cover with the donation of a free unwrapped gift.

Ok, now drink lots of water, take a power nap and prepare for Saturday. Wake up early for the Craft Festival 2009 starting at 10am at the O'Connell Center. With over 300 vendors, it's a great chance to get your holiday shopping out of the way.

The game's at 4pm, so you know your friends are going to start gearing up early. Many of the bars around town will be offering drink specials for the game. We recommend Stubbies and Steins for its dense menu of specialty beers.

If you can pull yourself together after an afternoon of game-cheering and beer drinking, check out the Thomas Center for the annual tree lighting ceremony at 7pm. Before and after the tree lighting, Duckpond will be offering up horse-and-wagon tours of the area's luminaries, a super sweet way to precede a romantic date.

Now it's back to Common Grounds for Umoja Orchestra's first show since April, the latin-infused band of unity is reuniting for a widely awaited and much-appreciated show.

Sunday's the day for rest, so go ahead and sleep in. Try to be up by 3pm for the Bela Fleck and the Flecktones show though. The award-winning "blu-pop" band will bring its Holiday Tour special to the Phillips Center.

The day of cultural reckoning continues with the Acrosstown Repertory Theatre's hosting of "An Evening with William Shakespeare: Or I'm in the Mood for Love," a performance of some of Shakespeare's greatest love scenes at 8pm.

To take the energy back up again, the 90s Omaha, Neb., indie-rock band Cursive is making a stop in Gainesville as part of its tour. With its progressive, instrumental arrangements Common Grounds is in for great show Sunday.

Feel like a Sunday showing? Go the the Reitz Cinema for a free screening of "500 Days of Summer," at 8 and 10:30pm. This quirky romance comedy is much better than Zoey Dechanel's earlier attempt this year at a quirky romance comedy with Jim Carrey in "Yes Man." At least in "500 Days of Summer," her character is not asked to ignore the fact she's having a carefree tryst with a man old enough to be her grandfather.

-Stephanie Granada

A Gator's Guide to Atlanta

Heading north for the SEC Championship game? Read our Gator's Guide to Atlanta on INsiteMagazine.com!

Homecoming Weekend: It's Time

T-minus one day until the mother of all pep rallies kicks off. This year promises to be even bigger than last in honor of the stellar graduating seniors from the team. If you haven't run to Lowe's and stocked up on your buckets of orange and blue paints, get there fast.

You won't make it through the weekend bleeding enough O&B to keep up with the rest of the fervent Gator fans otherwise. With Gator Gallop starting at 11:15am, followed by the three-hour Homecoming Parade at noon and Gator Growl at 7pm, tomorrow promises to be a day full of Gator spirit. The festivities don't end there.

Saturday we continue to get warmed up for the Arkansas game with the Homecoming Carnival (starting two hours before kick off) and an alumni barbecue at noon. The game is set for 3:30pm kickoff, after which we expect plenty of partying and downtown rowdiness - sorry GPD.

In the meantime check out what's in store this weekend with our photo recap of last year's festivities.


--Stephanie Granada; Photos by Rodney Rogers

Let Your Inner Gator Growl!

This year’s University of Florida Gator Growl, the largest student-run pep rally in the world, will honor what’s called “the greatest senior class in college football history.” It’s only fitting that this year’s theme is “Legends of the Swamp.” The event, which is in its 86th year, is tomorrow (Friday, Oct. 16), at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, and is the culmination of many Homecoming events leading up to the annual Homecoming football game on Saturday.

In planning for the event this year, the Gator Growl Production Team implemented an e-mail address for ideas and suggestions. The e-mails helped determine this year’s talent acts, including comedian Dana Carvey and musical act O.A.R. Another twist includes a performance by the winners of MTV’s America’s Best Dance Crew, the JabbaWockeeZ.

“It’s the first time we’ve ever had three acts,” says director of public relations Bryan Griffin. But what senior Becky Schneider looks forward to are the student skits, which are generally based on campus jokes and rivalries.

“I like how they make it so personable to UF students,” she says, “like last year when they joked about the Turlington preachers.”

Student, faculty and staff tickets cost $15, and all others are $25. And don’t forget to watch the Florida football team play Arkansas on Saturday, Oct. 17.

—Kate Ashby

Win a Copy of "Historic Photos of University of Florida Football"

This month we talked with Dr. Kevin McCarthy, a UF English professor for 37 years and author of more than 40 books. His latest, Historic Photos of University of Florida Football, came this month and to celebrate, INsite is giving away a copy of his book!

Check out a clip from our interview below, and read the rest on our Web site:

How did you learn so much about Florida football? I taught a course for about 10 years on writing about football (in the fall), and writing about baseball (in the spring). So I came to know about the history of the SEC football and football at the school. Now I’m writing about the city of Lake City, where the university used to be, and I’m now discovering that there was a football team there in the 1890s.

Many of the photos haven’t been seen in a long time, or at all. How did you get access to all the pictures and research? From two sources—my own collection of photographs, which I’ve collected from the sports info archive on campus and the Florida archive in Tallahassee. I also collected pictures from UF archives and old yearbooks.

Any predictions for this year’s season? It much depends on injuries. If the Gators can stay injury-free, they can win the SEC championship. Then it depends on what other teams do.

**To win a copy of Historic Photos of University of Florida Football, follow INsiteMagazine on Twitter!**

First Gator Football Game 2009

For the first Gator football game of the season (Sat., Sept. 5), the Gators beat the Charleston Southern Buckaneers 62-3. Here's a view of University Avenue before the game--the second largest crowd in school history!
(Photo: Rodney Rogers)

More Football Practice Pics!

Photos by Rodney Rogers

First Gator Football Practice of the Season

AJ Jones and the defense run plays at the Gators first football practice on August 6.


Left: Wide receiver Paul Wilson makes a catch. Right: We got up bright and early to check out our Gator boys.

Our excellent offense running some plays.

Looks like Tebow's been busy this summer...working on his bod AND his beard!
Photos by Rodney Rogers

Gator Charity Challenge

Despite the dismal weather, the second annual Gator Charity Challenge drew more than 2,500 fans to Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on Friday, July 31.

The Florida Football team took the field for the 2009 Gator Charity. The players were divided into six teams (different colors) that represented the six charities: American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, Children's Miracle Network, March of Dimes, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

The teams went head-to-head in three strength competitions, including the tire flip, sled push and obstacle course. The event was cut a little short due to the weather, but Cade Holliday and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation team pulled out the win in the strongman challenge.


Photos by Sarah Hsu