Can you believe it? The 2021 Holiday Season is upon us and Historic Springfield could not be more excited. There are so many events happening in our one-square mile over the next few weeks, and here is is your one stop shop to finding them all. If you have an event that you'd like to see added to our list, please send it to [email protected] . 

November 26th: Music on Main: Tree Lighting and DANKA - Join SPAR Council from 5:30 pm to 8:30 pm in Sesquicentennial Park for Music on Main featuring the return of DANKA, the SPAR Holiday Market, and the Holiday Tree Lighting

December 3rd to December 30th: Holiday Light Tours with Go Tuk'n - This 1-hour tour, offered for only a few weeks a year, is a favorite for the whole family. Guests of all ages love snuggling up in the furry blankets and heated seats to see the gorgeous lights in Springfield, Downtown, Avondale, and Riverside. Each tour is unique with Go Tuk'n drivers selecting the best light displays at the time of your tour.

December 11th: Santa at Strings Sports Brewery - Bring the kids to get their photo taken with Santa at Strings Sports Brewery from 11:30 am to 1 pm!

December 11th: Springfield Ugly Sweater Bar Crawl! - Wear your favorite ugly sweater and stroll between Historic Springfield's breweries, Main & Six Brewing Company, Strings Sports Brewery, and Hyperion Brewing Company, for this holiday themed bar crawl. Participating businesses will have special beer releases, drink specials, and an ugliest sweater contest at 9 pm.  

December 14th: Historic Springfield's Annual Holiday Bicycle Ride - Meet up at Sesquicentennial Park at 5:30 pm for an leisurely evening ride through the Historic District to enjoy the lights and spectacle of the holidays. All ages are welcome and bike decorations and costumes are encouraged. 

December 17th: A Very Special Christmas Dance & Talent Show! - Dare 2 Hire Different, Dabbs Productions, and The Sweet Spot & Urban Lounge are hosting a talent show and dance that allows individuals with different abilities to be themselves. Doors open at 4 pm, the Talent Show is from 4:30 pm to 5:45 pm, and the dance will follow from 6 pm to 8 pm.

December 18th: Winter Holiday Market at Main Street Food Park - Stop by the Main Street Food Park between 12 pm and 8 pm to shop with a variety of vendors, dine with some local food trucks, visit with Santa, listen to wonderful holiday music from the John Lumpkin Institute, and enjoy a holiday movie. 

December 18th: Run Santa Run 5K - 1st Place Sports is hosting the Run Santa Run 5K taking place at Henry J. Klutho Park. Hosting both a one mile fun-run, as well as a 5K, the whole family can dress up in Santa suits and run together! This 5K is after dark so participants can enjoy the full effect of the course's illuminations, inflatables, and music. 

Remember, you don't have to wait to join in on these events. You can alway walk, bike, or drive at any time throughout the month to enjoy the decorated porches throughout the neighborhood. 

North Main Street was opened on September 2nd, 2021. 

• The 30-inch & 36-36-inch water main installations completed on N. Main Street and progressed into E. 1^st Street. This work on E. 1^st Street will be paused for 3-4 weeks to complete the gravity sewer installation. Thereafter, the 30-inch & 36-inch water main installations will resume and progress east towards Ionia St. & Palmetto St. This work will be ongoing in this E. 1^st Street area for 12-14 months. 
• Gravity sewer replacement/installation has begun on 1^st Street east of N. Main Street and will progress east towards Market Street over next approx. 3-4 weeks.
• 16-inch water main installation has resumed on 1^st Street between Market St. and Liberty St, and will progress east towards Ionia Street over next approx. 4 months.
• 36-inch water main installation that began on Beaver Street at Fair Grounds has progressed to APR & Albert Intersection.  It will continue to progress west down Albert St. towards Palmetto Street, where it will be joined with the segment of 36-inch water main that was just installed on Palmetto St. between Albert St. and Union St. The 36-inch water main installation on Albert St. and Palmetto St. will be ongoing for next approx. 5 months.
• Overall project completion date is anticipated to be May of 2023.

Throughout Historic Springfield, one of the most beloved installations to be found is the collection of Little Free Libraries. The Little Free Library program started in 2009 in Hudson, Wisconsin with a small handful of libraries. In the eleven years since the first library was built, the Little Free Library network has grown to include over 100,000 registered libraries in over 100 countries worldwide. An estimated seven of those make their home in our one square-mile.

The newest Little Free Library addition to Historic Springfield is now located at the SPAR Building (1321 North Main Street). Charter #50646 was donated to SPAR by our neighbors, the Breitmosers. It was then revamped and designed by our neighbor and friend, Heather Bishop. Devised to look like it belongs in our historic district, the library resembles a house and even has a solar light to illuminate the inside at night for easy book browsing. SPAR couldn't be more thrilled with this fantastic addition to our Main Street property.

Mrs. Weaver has pledged $50,000 to the effort if the community can raise $50,000 in a 1:1 match. 

Contact: Kelly Rich          

Phone: 904-353-7727

Email: [email protected]

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (June 10, 2021) –  Springfield Preservation and Revitalization, or SPAR, is excited to announce that Jacksonville philanthropist Delores Barr Weaver has issued a matching challenge to help the organization reach their fundraising goal for capital improvements of the SPAR Building located at 1321 North Main Street. The building, which SPAR acquired in 1994, was catastrophically damaged during Hurricane Irma forcing the nonprofit to move into a temporary space off Main Street shortly thereafter. 

Mrs. Weaver, a long-time supporter of many charitable causes in Jacksonville, has pledged to contribute $50,000 through a 1:1 match, challenging the Northeast Florida community to step forward with $50,000 to unlock her gift. This gift will be made through the Delores Barr Weaver Legacy Fund at The Community Foundation of Northeast Florida.  

Vaughn Murphy has been settling in to his new role as Marketing Coordinator with SPAR. Please give him a warm welcome when you see him! 

A little about Vaughn:

Vaughn was born and raised in Jacksonville, FL, and attended First Coast High School. By the 10th grade, he was the school’s band brass section leader and by senior his year, the band’s Head Drum Major leading over 100 members. In that same year, Vaughn dove headfirst into DJing when the DJ for the school’s band party got sick and Vaughn jumped in to save the day with his stack of CDs. Since then Vaughn (more famously known as DJ Stylez WorldWide) has grown to work with some of the biggest artists in the music industry. In 2003, he was the hype DJ for the “I’m Serious Mini Tour” featuring TI, Lil Wayne, Master P, Young Buck, Three Six Mafia and in 2004, the official DJ of the ten-city tour.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (May 6, 2021) –  Springfield Preservation and Revitalization, or SPAR, is excited to announce that Historic Springfield has been chosen as the host site for UF Health Week May 10–14. While much of the public honors health care workers daily, UF Health hosts a special celebration annually, which coincides with National Hospital Week. UF Health is the third largest employer in the city, and SPAR aims to introduce employees to the unique businesses in the Springfield Historic District. 

To show appreciation for UF Health’s role in the community, more than 14 local businesses have partnered with SPAR to offer discounts and incentives to UF Health employees. It is a prime example of the unique opportunities that SPAR looks for to promote Historic Springfield’s commercial corridors. Local business owners feel that UF Health employees who experience the personality of the neighborhood will become regular customers. Seeing more UF Health badges on Main Street and throughout the neighborhood will become an everyday experience. 

The City of Jacksonville and the Jacksonville's Sheriffs Office are teamed up to address blight in the urban core neighborhoods of Jacksonville, including the greater Springfield area. JSO's Blight Abatement Team (BAT) is coordinating with COJ's CARE system to remedy blight issues and conditions, giving residents of the urban core faster response times to reported problems.

For those not familiar, the CARE system is the City's program to eliminate blight. The CARE system can be accessed via online, telephone (904.630.CITY) or email. It can also be accessed via smart phone app, as well. 

Download the Trepass-Authorization Form. 

What kind of things can be reported as blight?

On Wednesday, January 6th, SPAR and the City of Jacksonville held a joint public meeting to discuss plans for the implementation of more bike infrastructure in Historic Springfield. This meeting focused on the future resurfacing of two streets: (1) 1st St from Main St to Palmetto St and (2) Boulevard St from 8th St to 19th St. The overall goal is a change in striping to add bicycle facilities and motorized safety improvements.

For more information on this upcoming 2021 project, please refer to the links below:

For Files presented at the meeting: view this page (this link expires 7 days from 1/7/2021)

To download the Pedestrian and Bicycle Master Plan, sign-up for quarterly newsletter updates, or request a bike rack see: https://www.coj.net/pedbike

For the Northeast Florida Regional Trails Master Plan, see here: North Florida TPO Regional Trails Report

If there are any other questions or comments, please reach out to Karissa Moffett, the COJ Bicycle/Pedestrian Coordinator, via email or phone (904) 255-7830. For PDFs of the full renderings, please email [email protected] .

Let us introduce you to our 2020 Candidates for the SPAR Board of Directors! The Board of Directors is presenting Benjamin Alcorn as a new candidate who would bring valuable skills, passion, and knowledge to our organization. In addition, Kelly Lezama (current Secretary of SPAR), Soner Acar, Janie Coffey, and Michael Montoya are all seeking reelection to the Board for a second and final term. 

Please learn more about the candidates by reading their bios below. If you have any questions for them prior to voting at the annual meeting, please submit them before December 3rd to [email protected] and the candidates will provide their answers at the Annual Meeting.

SPAR members will be able to vote on candidates at our Annual Meeting this coming Thursday, December 3rd at Uptown Kitchen & Bar. Doors open at 5:30 pm. Aside from voting, SPAR members will receive updates about on-going projects and have the opportunity to tour the SPAR office building right next door in the midst of renovations. 

Are you in the middle of your holiday shopping? Not quite sure what will make that certain family member's day or need to stick to a little closer to a budget? Don't you worry because our local SAMBA (Springfield Area Merchants and Business Association) members have plenty to offer with gift ideas that will show how much you care. You can find all the gifts below in Historic Springfield for under $50. 

Strawberry Cheesecake Pound Cake baked by 1FoxyLadyCafe // $45

1FoxyLadyCafe, 1837 N. Pearl Street

Strawberry Pound Cake infused with fresh strawberries with a cheesecake center. This scrumptious cake is topped with cream cheese icing, graham cracker crumbs, strawberry glaze, and fresh strawberries.