What's Happening: World Tree Kangaroo Day and 'Fire and Ice' performance

MAY 18

WORLD TREE KANGAROO DAY: It’s a bear! It’s a monkey! No — it’s a tree kangaroo! The Santa Fe College Teaching Zoo is home to the Matschie’s tree kangaroo, an endangered species native to a small area of Papua New Guinea. The zoo will host a family friendly celebration of World Tree Kangaroo Day from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. May 18 to see these rare, majestic animals and learn how you can help them in the wild. Zookeepers will be out in full force to give keeper talks, introduce attendees to some of the zoo’s animal ambassadors, and host tree kangaroo-themed crafts and games. Tickets are only available at the gate the day of the event. All credit cards, cash, checks and Apple/Samsung Pay are accepted. Tickets are $10 for general admission; $6 for ages 4-12, ages 60 and older, active military and veterans, teachers, police, firefighters, first responders, EMT/EMS, health care workers (all with valid ID), UF students and staff with current Gator1 ID; $3 for Electronics Benefits Transfer recipients (up to four total tickets with card, any combination of adults/children); and free for ages 3 and younger, SF Students, staff and retirees (with current SFID), and zoo members. The Santa Fe Teaching Zoo is located at 3000 NW 83rd St. For more information, visit sfcollege.edu.

MAY 18

“FIRE AND ICE”: Dance Sun Country is set to present their 17th annual recital, featuring the theme “Fire and Ice.” This year’s program, held at 1 p.m. May 18 at the Phillips Center, features approximately 45 dances and includes performances by all students and classes, from the youngest “Dance Tots” through the advanced-level dancers. Many dance styles will be featured, including classical ballet, pointe, tap, jazz, hip-hop, modern, musical theatre, lyrical, contemporary dance and clogging. Dance themes featured include “Ice Age,” “Firebird,” “Ice, Ice Baby,” “Great Balls of Fire,” “Frozen,” “Dynamite,” “Waltz of the Snowflakes,” “Dracarys,” “Icicles,” “Fireflies,” “Stone Cold,” “Fire Burning,” “Freeze Frame,” “Fire and Rain” and “Shiver Me Timbers” as well as many others. Tickets for the show are available through the Phillips Center Box Office only. Tickets are $23 for general admission, $20 for ages 3-11, and free for ages 2 and younger. They can be purchased online at performingarts.ufl.edu. The Phillips Center is located at 3201 Hull Road. For additional information, contact Sun Country Sports Center at 331-8773.

MAY 18

HOGTOWN OPRY: The second annual Hogtown Opry kicks off at 7 p.m. May 18 at the historic University Auditorium, located at 333 Newell Drive next to the bell tower on the University of Florida campus. Gainesville actor Gregg Jones will return as Master of Ceremonies, and two of last year’s supporting artists, Robert Bowlin and Wil Maring, will take the lead with offerings of bluegrass, old-time tinged originals, twin fiddling and even some old-time swing music. This year’s Hogtown Opry is leaning on its roots in the Music City — Nashville. The Music City Ramblers are, in fact, four Nashville recording, touring and award-winning artists and songwriters who have collaborated in various ways for more than 30 years. As Bowlin puts it, the way magic happens in Nashville, “you meet up with someone by sheer accident and you’re both there, never met each other and you’re working on a project together for another artist.” That’s what happened with Bowlin and Shad Cobb more than 30 years ago. Cobb, who first picked up the fiddle at the age of 13, is now one of the most sought-after fiddle players in Nashville. As for Maring, her surprise guest is longtime collaborator and Nashville-born mandolinist, guitarist and singer/songwriter Forrest O’Connor, whose legacy has earned him many accolades, including a Grammy and a Billboard No. 1 Bluegrass Album. Opening the Opry is the ever present but always surprising Hogtown Opry Band under the direction of maestra Cathy DeWitt. This year, longtime Gainesville musician and music teacher David Cook will return to the fold and bring his fiddle-playing son, Andrew, along. The father and son also will share some harmonies during the opening set along with players Jolene Stone Jones on the mandolin, Annie McPherson on bass, Janet Rucker on banjo/guitar and Rob Rothschild on drums. Tickets run $40 to $100, and can be purchased online at hogtownopry.com or by calling 392-2787.

ONGOING “WEAVING A COMMUNITY: 30 YEARS OF THE MATHESON HISTORY MUSEUM”: In the late 1980s, Gainesville had a well-documented and researched history, numerous nationally-recognized historical sites, and multiple civic organizations centered around the preservation and proliferation of local history. What it did not have was a centralized place dedicated to that rich local history, where the accumulated knowledge and artifacts of the last two centuries could be housed and protected. This year, the Matheson History Museum will commemorate its 30th anniversary of meeting that need. To celebrate, “Weaving a Community” will take an all-encompassing view of the Matheson's history and its origins. The exhibition reveals the museum's roots through the history of the Matheson family, the American Legion Hall and the wider civil society. It presents its history in an unbroken tapestry, revealing interesting and intertwined threads that tie the museum, the history of Gainesville and the community together. The museum’s hours are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays and is located at 513 E. University Ave. For more information, call 378-2280 or visit mathesonmuseum.org.

ONGOING

HISTORIC HAILE HOMESTEAD TOUR: The Historic Haile Homestead is unique in the nation for its "Talking Walls." For a reason lost to time, the Haile family wrote on the walls of their home — more than 12,500 words in almost every room and closet. Visit the historic site Sunday and see this gem of history that has been frozen in time. Let the walls speak to you of joys and sorrows from more than a century ago. Visitors must wear face coverings while indoors. The venue is open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays and noon to 4 p.m. Sundays. Attendees also can see the videos in the Allen & Ethel Graham Visitors Center: "Beginnings" and "Enslavement to Freedom." The Historic Haile Homestead is located at 8500 Archer Road. Entrance to the site is $5 for ages 13 and older and free for ages 12 and younger. For more information, visit hailehomestead.org.

This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: What's Happening: World Tree Kangaroo Day and 'Fire and Ice' performance