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WORLD April 14, 2000 VNN5855 Related VNN Stories Srila Narayana Maharaja Visit To Alachua BY JALAKARA DAS  ALACHUA, USA, Apr 14 (VNN) — The 2nd Annual Alachua Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Maharaja Festival will take place this year June 18th through 26th at the home of Jalakara das and Anuradha dasi. Maharaja will give an arrival talk on the evening of Sunday June 18th and thereafter an evening lecture every night from June 19th through the 25th. There will be no evening program on Monday June 26th because Srila Maharaja will be leaving that afternoon. There will also be morning walks, morning program, morning lectures by Srila Maharaja or senior disciples of Srila Maharaja and Srila Prabhupada, daily private and small group darshans, as well as special darshans for young people, Prabhupada disciples, etc. Plus a whole lot of association with devotees. The main activities will take place under the gaily colored pandal tent erected in a forested area of the seven-acre site. There will be plays, kirtan, nightly lectures by Srila Maharaja and a maha feast every night. Breakfast and lunch prasadam will also be served. There will be several outside engagements.
There will be limited camping available at the main site and further camping available at a site three miles away. There are also a few places available at devotee homes in the area. There are four motels within two miles distance. We would like to book a block of them so all the devotees can be together and receive a reduced rate of around $40 per night. If you are planning on attending, please contact us with your accommodation preference so we can make arrangements in advance. You do not have to book in advance, and there will probably always be motel rooms available, so feel free to make up your mind at the last minute. Srila Maharaja and his party are arriving in the afternoon at Jacksonville (JAX) airport. We do not know the flight details or exact time right now. If you are planning to fly it might be a good idea to plan on arriving at JAX at the same time so you can greet Maharaja and catch a ride back to Alachua. Alachua is served by a number of airports. Gainesville Regional Airport (GNV) is a small airport 20 miles away. It is the best airport in terms of car time to Alachua, but it is not easy to get discount flights to it. Jacksonville (JAX) is about 85 miles if you take the shortcut and takes about 90 minutes to drive. Orlando (MCO) is the major international and domestic airport for the region and a good cheap-flight destination. It is 140 miles from Alachua and it takes 120 minutes to drive. The last airport is Tampa (TPE), which is 155 miles away and takes 145 minutes to drive. There are discount flights to this airport, but the driving time is the most of all four airports, therefore it is seldom used by Alachua residents. Our site is located one mile from US Hwy 441, just off West State Road 235 on NW 134th Drive. If you need exact directions contact us and we will provide them. We are in a quiet rural area and there is no public transportation, so make sure you know how you are going to get around. We will have day-time activities. One thing we have planned is an afternoon floating down the crystal-clear Itchatuknee River in inner tubes. It is very, hot and humid here in June, so you will want to bring swimming things. All the motels also have pools. We need some help with a few things. First of all, we need more cooks! It is going to be a big job! Second, we need help putting on the plays. We need actors, scripts and costumes. We are planning plays for just the weekend, but we would like to have one every night if someone could step forward to arrange it. If you are planning on camping out, you will naturally need a sleeping bag, but might also want a tent. We will have at least one large tent erected. Bath and toilet facilities will be rudimentary, so be prepared! This is the one and only program Narayana Maharaja is having on the East Coast this year, so for a lot of devotees, this will be the only chance to hear Srila Maharaja this year. If you work, you may want to book vacation time for that week! We are expecting a large crowd, in addition to the local devotees, and we will do everything possible to make your stay enjoyable. Following is the contact information: Jalakara das & Anuradha dasi (Alachua) Tel: 904 462-0569 Fax: 904 462-1156 e-mail: jala@cdoctor.com Radhakanti dasi (Miami) Tel: (305) 387-1692 E-mail: radhakanti@owplaza.com om tat sat Related VNN Stories  Comment on this storyContact VNN about this storySend this story to a friend
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