What's Happening: 2023 Holiday Invitational, 'Antarctic Dinosaurs'

DEC. 29 THROUGH DEC. 30

2023 HOLIDAY INVITATIONAL: Melrose Bay Art Gallery will hold its 2023 Holiday Invitational through Dec. 30. Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays and 1 to 5 p.m. Sundays or by appointment. It is located at 103 State Road 26 in Melrose. For more information, call 475-3866 or visit melrosebayartgallery.com.

DEC. 29 THROUGH APRIL 21, 2024

“ANTARCTIC DINOSAURS”: Step back in time and discover life beneath the ice in “Antarctic Dinosaurs.” Today, Antarctica is a forbidding land of snow and ice, but 200 million years ago it was a lush, wooded habitat where dinosaurs thrived. Uncover the history of the world’s southernmost continent and the unique species that have called it home in this interactive, family friendly experience at the Florida Museum of Natural History. Rare fossils, touchable casts and interactive models bring the past to life while showcasing Antarctica’s distinctive dinosaur species. Examine a reconstructed forest, and encounter the early plants and animals that flourished in the once-green environment. Experience the extraordinary work that goes into digging for fossils with real equipment and a recreated quarry. Learn about the important research taking place in this frigid landscape and how it informs future changes to the world’s climate. This is a bilingual exhibit available in English and Spanish. Tickets are $10 for adults; $9 for Florida residents, seniors and non-UF college students; $7 for ages 3-17; and free for ages 2 and younger, UF students and museum members. Museum hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday. It is located at 3215 Hull Road. For more information, visit floridamuseum.ufl.edu or call 846-2000.

DEC. 30

NEW YEAR’S EVE EVE: Ring in the new year — one day early — with Tioga Town Center’s New Year’s Eve Eve celebration. Running from 7 to 10 p.m. Dec. 30, the event will feature a live performance from Elio Piedra under the stars. Piedra is a musician, drummer, entertainer, singer, arranger, composer and voting member at LARAS & NARAS Academy. He was born in Cuba and began his musical career at the age of 10 at the Arts Conservatory Raul Sanchez. At 15, he gained entry into the National Conservatory of Music Carlos Hidalgo, where he continued to hone his craft, even touring Cuba with the symphony orchestra. Piedra immigrated to the United States at the age of 20 and began playing with many notable musicians in Miami. He eventually relocated to Gainesville, where he lives with his wife. Highly in demand, Piedro splits his time between live shows, drum instruction and touring with his group, Elio’s Quartet. Visit the Town Center restaurants for dinner before the show, or to grab take-out to enjoy during the concert. Tioga Town Center is located at 13085 SW First Lane in Newberry. For more information about the free event, visit bit.ly/nyee23.

DEC. 31

NEW YEAR’S EVE PARTY: Celebrate the coming of 2024 beginning at 8 p.m. Dec. 31 at Amvets Post 444, 13751 NE 52nd Place in Williston. The free event will feature live music by Hiredguns. For more information, visit bit.ly/avny23.

ONGOING

“WE ARE HERE: STORIES FROM MULTILINGUAL SPEAKERS IN NORTH CENTRAL FLORIDA”: Immigrant inclusion requires us to think about languages other than English, and to listen to the stories that people carry through their languages and their cultures. “We are Here” — the newest exhibition at the Matheson History Museum, 513 E. University Ave. — highlights stories from 60-plus people who speak multiple languages in North Central Florida. Through visual collages that centralize cultural images, “We Are Here” illustrates the immigration journeys of the North Central Florida community through stories that hold power in multiple languages. These stories include examples of successes, struggles, hopes, injustices, and dreams of a more inclusive and just community. The goal is to showcase these stories, make visible the language diversity present in the community, and advocate for all neighbors’ right to access information in their preferred languages. The Matheson has partnered with curators and designers Valentina Sierra Niño and Laura Gonzales, the Rural Women’s Health Project, Gainesville Immigrant Neighbor Inclusion Initiative, Language Access Florida, and UF’s Center for the Humanities and the Public Sphere with support from the Humanities Fund for this original and exciting exhibition.