Branching from Alachua County’s music history, GrassRoots has a contract to purchase 270 acres near Melrose to turn it into Wildflowers Music Park, a nod to Tom Petty’s 1994 album.  

The property, listed for $2.6 million, will remain under contract until the end of September as GrassRoots works to secure funding. The organization, a nonprofit based out of Trumansburg, New York, hopes to turn the site into a music venue for its winter festival while also opening the property to other events.  

The property is at 4115 NE 255th Drive, just southwest of Lake Melrose. 

GrassRoots started the four-day Finger Lakes GrassRoots Festival of Music & Dance in 1991. The annual summer festival now attracts 15,000 attendees per day. The organization founded the Shakori Hills GrassRoots Festival of Music & Dance shortly thereafter outside Chapel Hill, North Carolina. It’s grown to 7,500 attendees per day for its spring and autumn festivals.  

Jordan Puryear, director of the Finger Lakes GrassRoots, called the Melrose land a perfect property for a festival, surrounded by live oak hammocks. He said most attendees camp overnight and the Melrose property would work great for that.  

If purchased and established, the Wildflowers Music Park would host GrassRoots’ winter festival. GrassRoots originally used Virginia Key Beach, just off the coast of Miami, for the winter festival. 

The Virginia Key Beach GrassRoots Music & Dance lasted for 10 years before closing shop after the 2023 festival. Puryear said the organization ran into issues as the local government changed plans for the park.  

“We are eternally grateful for all of the good times and new friends made, however, due to a number of circumstances, it is time for a change,” the Virginia Key Beach GrassRoots Festival page said on Facebook. 

In North Carolina, GrassRoots owns the property, and in New York, the organization rents the county fairgrounds with a recently purchased tract across the road serving as campgrounds. Those festivals are also more rural compared with 10 minutes from downtown Miami.  

Puryear called it a unique festival because of the history of the beach, the urban nature and the different musical influences of Miami.  

“We were kind of very sad at the end of that 10 years to lose our home there, though, honestly, it was also a very difficult financial endeavor,” Puryear said.  

In searching for a new home, the festival found the land in Alachua County, bordering Putnam County along the property’s eastern boundary.  

If purchased, Puryear said the festival would leave the property largely untouched. Installing permanent stages and permanent infrastructure needed for the event, while managing the rest of the property in its natural state. He said the land would almost be like a natural park with trails shown in a rendition.  

The goal, as stated in a GrassRoots proposal, is “to establish a community-owned and operated music and arts festival that serves as a platform for musicians, artists, craftspeople, foodies, teachers, healers and builders to showcase their talents and skills.” 

The ideal path forward, Puryear said, would be to raise $2.1 million to acquire the property while paying off the rest of the cost over time—an agreement reached with the owners. He said the festival could then start using the property and looking for revenue opportunities, like rentals.    

Puryear said the festival would likely start a nonprofit that deals with the management and preservation of the property. He’s spoken with other music groups, like the Florida-based Afro Roots Festivals, about using the space.  

Informal talks brought up the possibility of hosting the Hoggetown Medieval Faire at the sight. Mayor Harvey Ward said Gainesville would like to have the faire within city limits, but with land constraints, he said the city might look further afield.  

While far from city limits, Ward said at least the property is in east Alachua County instead of another event on the western side, but he said discussions haven’t started with the city about the property.  

Gainesville’s Eli Collins said he thinks the local music community would embrace the festival. Local music also needs a boost that the festival might provide, he said.  

Collins started playing the bass guitar as a kid, dreaming of rocking on stage. He got the chance to play with The Wailers, Yellowman, Kevin Batchlor and other groups. In Gainesville, he helped start community music events before the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“The town is just dying for some culture and some music and some art,” Collins said. “As much as we pride ourselves in being that, we’re just lacking in so many directions.” 

He called the “once huge” local music scene very limited, with the Heartwood Sound Stage as the main local support. He said a lot of the community members he’s spoken to are excited about the festival’s possibility.  

The festival still has decisions around how to manage the property, but it starts with the purchase contract this month and finding funding partners. Then, Alachua County could have a new festival to call its own.