DINNER FUNDRAISING: Join the GFWC High Springs New Century Woman’s Club for a spaghetti dinner takeout fundraiser benefiting the High Springs Community School science department. Due to COVID-19, this event is being held in lieu of the annual Real Men Make Soup fundraiser, which is usually organized as a sit-down affair. The spaghetti dinner comes with meat or marinara sauce, Caesar salad, bread and butter, and dessert. It will be served today from 5-7pm at the High Springs Woman’s Club, 23674 WUS 27 in High Springs. Each plate is $10. Masks are required. For more information, visit gfwchighspringswomansclub.org or call 386-518-3276.
HOGGETOWNE MEDIEVAL SCHOLARSHIP: The annual Hoggetowne Medieval Faire returns to personal fun after a hiatus due to COVID-19. Join the action this weekend from 9am-5pm on Saturday and Sunday January 22-23 and January 29-30, as well as 9am-4pm on January 28 for ‘Family Friday’. The event transforms a small part of modern Gainesville into a medieval marketplace filled with hundreds of craftsmen and entertainers, and features armored jousting knights, children’s rides powered by men and women rather than machines, groups of actors, food vendors and magical acts. Enjoy nine entertainment stages where the forgotten skills of full-scale falconry, gripping aerial acrobatics and old-fashioned magic come to life. Jugglers, knife throwers and gypsy dancers add to the excitement as they fill the streets of Hoggetowne. The event has moved to a new location this year: 9409 SW Archer Road. Tickets for the weekend editions are $20 for general admission, $17 for military and seniors, $10 for ages 5-17, and free for ages 4 and under. Tickets for January 28 are $10 for general admission, $5 for ages 5-17, and free for ages 4 and under. For more information, visit hoggetownefaire.com.
WILLY PORTER: Willy Porter, a contemporary American rock musician and singer-songwriter from Mequon, Wisconsin, will perform Saturday at 7 p.m. with special guest Cat Bratten at Heartwood Soundstage, 619 S. Main St. According to concert organizers, Porter will continue with a musical and personal odyssey of over two decades, 11 albums and multiple continents. His journey was defined by an inquisitive love for humanity and the language that describes what we all hold to be true. Porter’s songs weave a universal perspective on the questions, struggles and triumphs of human existence. His live shows are guitar-driven grit, soul, silence and muscle – at times exhilarating, dynamic and unique in the way Porter’s voice blends and melds with his fretwork. All attendees are required to wear face masks in the hall. Tickets are on sale at heartwoodsoundstage.com.
SUNDAY MEETING BIRTHDAY: On Sunday Assembly Gainesville will be guest speaker Heaven Campbell, the Florida program director for Solar United Neighbors, a national nonprofit that helps educate people about solar energy. Campbell will talk about “Solar Energy 101” and how to advocate for solar rights. After her presentation there is time for discussion. Music is provided by musicians from the Sunday Assembly. The group will also organize a short celebration during the meeting in honor of the six-year anniversary. Sunday Assembly Gainesville is a secular congregation that celebrates life every third Sunday of the month at 11 a.m. The group meets online via zoom. Sunday Assembly Gainesville is a branch of the Global Secular Sunday Assembly Movement. For more information, visit sagainesville.weebly.com or email SundayAssembly32601@gmail.com.
GREG TAMBLYN: “A Healthy Dose of Comic Relief” comes to Unity of Gainesville on Sunday with multi-award-winning singer-songwriter Greg Tamblyn. Get a comical hangover that lasts all week as Tamblyn helps his audience celebrate the best of themselves and laugh at the rest of themselves. During this unique Sunday service, Tamblyn will serve as a guest speaker while interweaving a sacred teaching experience with fun, award-winning songs and stories, a meditation, and powerful group meditation music. The event kicks off with the free service at 11 a.m. entitled “A Brief Mystery of God,” explaining how the healthiest and most helpful attitude to life’s unanswerable questions and great mysteries is what the best mystics and scientists have in common. have: a sense of wonder and sense of humor. The comedy concert follows at 1:00 PM with “A Healthy Dose of Comic Relief,” which costs $15 per person at the door. Enjoy an afternoon of hilarious, heartfelt musical musings and deliberate mischief. Organizers say Tamblyn’s songs and stories are like WD-40 for our relationships, our moments of confusion, the things we want to achieve in life, and our connection to the Great Mystery. They deliver powerful life messages and spiritual insights through the right brain door of music and laughter. Take a musical joyride in mystery and merriment, the deep and the absurd, the strange and the wonderful, the psychological and the spiritual, the sacred and the crazy. It’s “ha ha” with an “aha!” For More For information about Tamblyn, including free songs and videos, visit GregTamblyn.com. Unity of Gainesville is located at 8801 NW 39th Ave. For more information about the service and/or the comedy concert, call 373-1030 or visit unitygainesville.org.