I have been away from Gainesville a lot lately.  On a weekend trip to St. Pete Beach and this week attending the Equity Summit in Detroit while getting in some much needed time with friends and family in the chilly Midwest.  Mister Rock Star has come along for the ride and has been enjoying the change of pace, and doting relatives, as well.  But it means missing some great events around town.  So here is another blind date recommendation, the 30th Annual Downtown Festival and Art Show, which is happening this Saturday and Sunday (11/12 & 11/13).  Check it out and tell us how it is!

Roger's Farm is a true working farm on the north side of Gainesville that celebrates the Halloween season with a huge corn maze, a mini corn maze, petting zoo, pony rides, hay rides, a large bouncy thing (?), a vortex tunnel, a tractor-pulled mini-train, play house, pretend horsey races, a spooky forest walk, slushes, and deep fried oreo cookies.  $10 for all of the above with the large maze (except the slush and cookies).  $8 for everything with only the mini maze.  We'll be back for pick your-own-strawberries in April!

We have had a great summer in Gainesville, and the constant temps in the 90s have not really bothered us, but now that the heat and humidity have finally broken we are excited to explore the town with high temps in the 80s (F) and lows in the 60s (F).  We've heard that things won't get chilly until Thanksgiving, but by our northeastern climate standards we expect that Gainesville's "chilly" will be nice and comfy to us.  

Fall in Gainesville means riding our bikes more, walking more, mid-afternoon trips to parks, and an onslaught of community events.  October and November are packed with festivals and fairs around Gainesville and the surrounding towns including:

- Rogers Farm Corn Maze
- Kanapaha Botanical Gardens Orchid Show & Fall Plant Sale
- Florida Museum of Natural History Butterflyfest
- The Fest  
- Friends of the Library Fall Book Sale
- Gainesville Downtown Festival and Art Show

We're looking forward to going out to as many of them as we can!