My UF Family Weekend story – in the Gainesville Sun.

We drove up from Key Largo to see Mira, our UF freshman, for the first time since we dropped her off in August. I spent Sept. 26 with my camera and notebook, from the packed UF Bookstore to the North Lawn tailgate, Gator Walk and inside ‘The Swamp,’ where the board put the crowd at 90,683.

The people made the day: Amanda Ortiz calling out Kyle Trask’s autograph time in the bookstore, a boy named Tate holding a football for Trask to sign, Nina Davis of the UF Association of Asian Alumni handing out swag in full sun, a truck driver named Bryan writing a book about growth and hope, and the Murphy family from Stuart at our breakfast table at Herlong Mansion.

UF Family Weekend in Gainesville: Beyond ‘The Swamp’

A few moments that made the column:

• By 10:20 a.m. the UF Bookstore was wall to wall with parents and kids buying clear bags and stadium cushions. Amanda Ortiz worked the aisles calling out Kyle Trask’s 12:30 autograph time. “I’m really happy here, using my loud voice,” she told me. “I am a teacher.”
• On the North Lawn, thousands of parents and students lined up for the Family Weekend tailgate while a funk rock band played. Smoke from the grills filled the air, and a Palm and Pine Catering chef stood over a flat-top full of patties. “Burgers, burgers, burgers,” he said. “All day long.”
• On Gator Walk by Emerson Alumni Hall, Nina Davis of the UF Association of Asian Alumni was out there by herself in full sun, offering gym bags and Chomp sticks. “We’re so excited to bring visibility to our Asian community,” she said.
• Inside The Swamp, the board put the crowd at 90,683. I’ll be honest: I’m not a good fan. I slipped out in the first quarter, and Florida went on to beat Ole Miss 51-28.
• Farther up West University Avenue, at the Miskie Peruvian food truck, Maya Erlen Contreras told me Miskie means “delicious” in Quechua. I had the lomo saltado with rice.

The column has much more, from the sponsor tents on Stadium Road to the people we met on the way.

Read the full column: “A UF Family Weekend journey beyond ‘The Swamp’” in The Gainesville Sun