From Gainesville history to new advances in sports and neighborhoods, Mainstreet features put a spotlight on unique, local stories this year.

With more than 1,300 bylined stories throughout the year, there were a lot to choose from, but we’ve selected these as 12 of the best—and worth revisiting. Enjoy!

Last Mac’s Drive-Thru founding employee retires 

Jon McMillan’s retirement in June from a 37-year career behind the counter of Mac’s Drive-Thru ended the McMillan family era of owning and operating the iconic Gainesville restaurant. McMillan’s father Glen opened the drive-thru in 1987 and employed both his sons shortly thereafter. After working every position available at Mac’s, Jon’s favorite was behind the grill interacting with customers and serving up orders. 

Sonny’s BBQ celebrates founder’s birthday 

It’s hard to put Gainesville and barbeque together and not think of Sonny Tillman. Tillman founded Sonny’s Barbecue at 2700 NE Waldo Rd. in Gainesville in 1968, and the restaurant has since grown into one of the nation’s largest barbecue restaurant chains with more than 100 locations across the southeast United States. In August, Tillman celebrated his 95^th birthday, and the occasion prompted Tillman’s family and staff to reflect on what the founder’s career means to them. 

Gainesville’s Plotkin snags second in national crossword competition 

An entomologist at the Florida Museum of Natural History, and one of the fastest crossword solvers in the country, David Plotkin took home second place in the 46th American Crossword Puzzle Tournament in April. Plotkin began doing crossword puzzles to pass the time during college lectures, but in the last 13 years, has been an overall finalist six times, earning bronze every year until breaking through for silver this year. 

The Village at Gainesville resident shares ‘joy of woodworking’ 

Shortly after moving into The Village at Gainesville retirement community, 83-year-old Terry Morrow got a woodshop started up on campus. Having enjoyed the craft since learning it from his father while growing up on a farm, Morrow’s joy of woodworking followed him all throughout his life teaching in higher education. Morrow’s woodworking has become bigger than a hobby since he moved to The Village as he shares the joy by teaching others in the community.  

Local animal lovers catch Celebration Pointe dog after 4 years lost 

Four years ago, a little dog named “Salsa” bolted from his foster home, disappearing into the wooded area around Celebration Pointe. For months, the foster parents looked for him, and local animal lovers continued the search informally, but the little dog earned himself the name “Scrappy” by evading capture for four years, never leaving the area. Finally, one group got serious about Scrappy late last year, and after months of watching, luring and trapping, Scrappy was caught and placed with another foster family at the end of January 2024. 

From hotel to museum to offices: Gainesville’s Seagle Building starts next transition 

The Seagle building has stood as one of the tallest and most iconic buildings in Gainesville since it was built in 1926. The building was meant to be a hotel before UF purchased it in the 1930s, when it operated as the Florida state museum, and then later as condo and office spaces. Trimark Properties aims to keep the Seagle building’s historic footprint as it renovates the bottom six floors. 

‘Here I am, send me’: First Black graduate recounts integrating Gainesville High School 

After the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision found state-sanctioned segregation of public schools to be unconstitutional, the application of desegregation was slower to come. Historically white Gainesville High School’s first three Black students walked in for class in fall of 1964, and even then, there were fears, tensions and complications. LaVon Wright Bracy shared her story on the 70^th anniversary of Brown v. Board.  

‘Media Boys’ take opposite retirement approach 

Two Gator sports journalism legends take “retirement” to mean two different things. For Robbie Andreu, it is a respite after 40 years writing about the Florida Gators football team. For Pat Dooley, retirement as the Gainesville Sun’s sports columnist is just another opportunity to keep writing and talking about the Gators. The two men have a long history together—through prolific careers and now retirement. 

Synagogue marks 100 years amid threats, ‘pangs of loss’ 

Gainesville’s Congregation B’nai Israel celebrated its 100^th anniversary in 2024, while also dealing with the local impact of war in Israel, where most of the congregation has family. The congregation is wary of antisemitic expressions, from hurtful spoken words to vandalism at the Chabad UF Jewish Student Center, but Rabbi David Kaiman said B’Nai Israel is committed to participating in the community instead of cowering in fear. 

Aging Matters: More seniors working past retirement age 

Sometimes for enjoyment, and sometimes out of financial necessity, more seniors are working later in life, with workers over the age of 75 the fastest growing age group in the workforce. For employers, there are advantages to hiring older workers, and many find the social aspect of working to be beneficial, while others cannot stretch their Social Security payments to cover their cost of living, so employment is a stopgap. 

Building beyond ‘Victorious’ 

Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) deals have changed collegiate sports since entering the athletic scene. UF’s Florida Victorious works not only to help UF athletes secure NIL deals but coordinate community service for the contracted athletes with local organizations. 

Heartwood neighborhood to host inaugural block party 

In November, East Gainesville’s Heartwood neighborhood hosted a block party to celebrate both the building of the mixed-income neighborhood and the cultural reconciliation and growth it represents. The city began developing the neighborhood in 2007 after purchasing the former Kennedy Homes subsidized apartment complex and began building an economically equitable neighborhood in 2018, with most of the homes being at market rate and a smaller portion reserved for lower income buyers. Incentivizing home ownership is part of the strategy to build stability in the community.