Weekend festival showcasing proposed plans for downtown Gainesville

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (WCJB) - Sarah’s Sweetwater Greenway Loop Festival is a weekend long event with activities in several different downtown neighborhoods.

Events kicked off Thursday in Springhill, continued Friday in the Power District and Saturday in Pleasant Street.

On Sunday, the festivities moved to Duckpond and outside the Matheson House in the Historic District.

“My organization facilitated some different charettes and gatherings for local leaders in the arts to use their unique skill sets for imagining how this greenway could best benefit their city,” said the festival’s project manager, Harley O’Neill.

The proposed greenway loop from the City’s downtown strategic plan would run through the multiple neighborhoods in downtown Gainesville.

“This loop has the vision to go through six or seven historic neighborhoods of Downtown Gainesville,” said O’Neill, “so we want to make sure that they are contributing their voices to the visioning process and make sure they feel welcome to contribute.”

The loop is named for Sarah McKnight, who organizers say was a visionary for downtown Gainesville.

“She was just this woman who really cared about good food, good community, good music, the arts,” said O’Neill. “We think she really exemplifies what this loop could do for downtown Gainesville, and that’s the point of the loop is to connect historic neighborhoods.”

The festivities will wrap up Monday with a festival that features a farmer’s market in Grove Street.

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