Backyard BBQ returning to East Gainesville 

The second annual East Gainesville Backyard BBQ will be held on Saturday, July 1.
The second annual East Gainesville Backyard BBQ will be held on Saturday, July 1.
Courtesy of Chanda Mayes

The East Gainesville Backyard BBQ will be returning for a second year to bring together the community in a fun-filled event.  

The BBQ will take place from noon to 5 p.m. on Saturday, July 1, at the Martin Luther King Jr. Multipurpose Center (1028 NE 14th St.) 

Event planner Chanda Mayes said the BBQ was designed to promote community in East Gainesville.  

“It started from a conversation basically based on the troubling issues that the east side of Gainesville has had,” Mayes said. “We wanted to bring back a positive connotation to let people know that the east side of Gainesville is not what news makes it or portrays it to be and that there is still good on the east side of Gainesville that can be done.”  

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Mayes expects a big turnout based on last year’s initial event.  

“It was about 250 to 300 people,” said Mayes of the inaugural event. “It was very diverse. It was family friendly. We had people of all ages and different ethnic backgrounds. So we want to make this one bigger and we just want people to come out and have fun, support the local vendors who are entrepreneurs in Gainesville.” 

The community event is to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in the Eastside of Gainesville. Activities will include arts and crafts, food trucks, BBQ, live music, an open mic, live DJ, raffles and informational tables.  

There will also be free access to Dwight H. Hunter Pool.  

For more information, visit the website.  

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