Gainesville hunts for golden babies at The Top’s 24th anniversary event

Restaurant tradition remains staple in the community

The Top filled with balloons July 13 as a crowd of people waited outside to be let in for the 24th anniversary of the restaurant’s opening.

General manager Callie Seip greeted customers as doors opened at 4 p.m. People dined at wooden tables, couples conversed at the bar and staff tended to diners.
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Birthday festivities included an annual hunt for tiny plastic golden babies.

“We hide little golden babies all around the restaurant as a scavenger hunt for people to find,” Seip said.

Unveiling Gainesville’s tolerance in the face of the AIDS pandemic

Research project reflects area’s historical pattern of acceptance

When 20-year-old UF anthropology major Fiona Garber and a group of their peers were tasked with a research project as a part of UF’s ​​Alexander Grass Scholars Program, they chose to delve into the impact of the condition and the effect of the AIDS pandemic on a local scale.

“Some of us knew a lot about the AIDS epidemic and some of us knew very little,” Garber said. “We all wanted to get a more personal history of Gainesville Pride and the organizations here.”

DIY venue The Roadhouse closes after four years

Its name will continue, but the space will cease to exist

On a typical street lined with ordinary houses, one home offers more than meets the eye. 

​Inside, musical instruments, vibrant decorations and electric crowds can be found. This is The Roadhouse, a DIY music venue that has hosted regular live music performances for the past four years. 

The venue, located in Grove Street, announced in an Instagram post it will host its final show this summer, July 27.​

​Hammer time: Gainesville’s Thor brings joy through weekly runs

The runner is another addition to Gainesville’s growing list of superheroes

When faced with the trials and tribulations of midlife monotony, middle-aged adults find their ways of coping. Some people buy Corvettes. Others may get a new tattoo. But Robb Eggleston took a different approach. 

Donning a winged helmet, a lightning-decorated fanny pack and a toy hammer, Eggleston embarks on a weekly run every Thursday — or as he calls it, “Thorsday.”

​When Eggleston, 53, took up the mantle of the Norse thunder god, he said he did it to serve his community.