Best bets: Tail Gator, Chomp the Block, 'Free Fridays,' 'Fahrenheit 451' and garden tour
TAIL GATOR: Throw on your best Gator gear and head out to Tail Gator, a pre-game party set for 5 to 8 p.m. today at Diamond Deck at Condron Family Ballpark, 2800 Citrus Road. The family friendly event will feature current Gator athletes, former Gator legends and current Florida coaches plus finger foods and appetizers. A cash bar also will be available for patrons 21 and older. Gator guests will include men’s basketball’s Colin Castleton; baseball’s BT Riopelle, Colby Halter and Wyatt Langford ; women’s basketball’s Nina Rickards and Jordyn Merritt; track and field’s PJ Austin and Jasmine Moore; gymnastics’ Trinity Thomas; and softball’s Charla Echols. Tickets to the celebration are $50 for Gator Collective members, $65 for non-members, and $20 for ages 12 and younger. One Gator Collective membership is authorized to purchase up to two adult tickets. Children’s tickets are not limited or tied to a membership. For more information, or to purchase tickets, visit gatorcollective.com.
CHOMP THE BLOCK: Celebration Pointe’s Chomp the Block events have returned for the 2022 season! The official block party of the Florida Gators will be held every Friday before home football games. The events, starting today, feature food and drinks from onsite restaurants and food trucks, live music, giveaways and games along with special appearances by the Gators’ Spirit Team. Celebration Pointe is located just off of Interstate 75 and Archer Road. A Chomp the Block party is held each home-game Friday from 6 to 10 p.m. with a kids’ zone with child-friendly games such as a bounce house, face painting and balloon animals. The band Chillula will be on hand to play live music for this first event of the season today. This year’s Chomp the Block schedule includes more live performances by Whiskey Jones on Sept. 9, Benny and the Band on Sept. 16, Heavy Pedal on Sept. 30, Jamie Davis on Oct. 7, You’re Gonna Get It! on Oct. 14, and Gainesville Retro Society on Nov. 11. The exclusive block parties are part of a comprehensive, ongoing partnership program with the Florida Gators. In addition to Chomp the Block parties, the agreement includes Celebration Pointe hosting Gator Talk Radio with Florida Athletics coaches, which is held at 6 p.m. on most Mondays at The Keys Grill & Piano Bar inside Celebration Pointe. For more information, visit celebrationpointe.com.
“FREE FRIDAYS” CONCERT: Catch the next performance of the city’s popular “Free Fridays” concert series from 7 to 9 p.m. today at the Bo Diddley Plaza downtown amphitheater, located at 111 E. University Ave. The free concert series highlights a different act each week, with the Fest 20-year anniversary showcase today. Attendees are encouraged to bring their blankets and lawn chairs to Bo Diddley Plaza to enjoy the concert under the stars. For more information, including a list of upcoming performances, visit bodiddleyplaza.com/upcoming-events. Future dates include Pet Detectives performing ’90s rock and alternative covers on Sept. 9; Wax Wings with special guests performing original folk rock on Sept. 16; The Late Night Losers with special guests performing alt-rock on Sept. 23; RC and Showtime performing R&B and soul on Sept. 30; The Last Waltz, a The Band tribute band, performing Oct. 7; Morningbell performing psychedelic rock and soul on Oct. 14; and The Imposters, a The Beatles tribute band, closing this year’s series on Oct. 21.
“FAHRENHEIT 451”: The Hippodrome Theatre is taking on Ray Bradbury’s classic, “Fahrenheit 451,” exploring a dystopian world turned away from science, art and individuality. In this futuristic world, the written word is forbidden, and firemen burn books instead of fighting fires. Society is forced to choose between a regimented existence or risk everything for the right to think. Originally published in 1953, this science-fiction classic reverberates even more today. Catch a showing at 7 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays plus 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays through Sept. 18. Tickets are $20 to $50. The Hippodrome Theatre is located at 25 SE Second Place. For more information, or to purchase tickets online, visit thehipp.org.
GUIDED WALK THROUGH THE GARDENS: Take a guided tour of the grounds at Kanapaha Botanical Gardens from 10 a.m to noon Saturday. The monthly event allows visitors to get more insight into the plants and blooms that they see. Kanapaha Botanical Gardens is located at 4700 SW 58th Drive. Admission to the event is $10 for adults, $5 for children ages 5-13, and free for children 4 and younger as well as members of Kanapaha Gardens. For more information about the tour — and for dates of upcoming guided walks — visit kanapaha.org or call 372-4981.
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Best bets: Tail Gator, Chomp the Block, 'Free Fridays' and more
