Fall harvest season kicks off with Punkin’palooza: Fleamasters’ 5th Annual Great Pumpkin Festival
Special to The Breeze
The fall harvest season kicks off the weekend of Oct. 9-11 with Punkin’-palooza: Fleamasters’ 5th Annual Great Pumpkin Festival. It’s the best of the hometown fall festivals you may remember: a pumpkin patch, pumpkin decorating, face painting and wagon rides.
The three-day event features family-friendly activities, shopping and free entertainment.
Punkin’palooza rolls into Fleamasters Fleamarket, 4135 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Columbus Day weekend. Parking and admission are free.
“At Fleamasters, we have a Music Hall with a big 32-foot stage,” says Linda Steele, Fleamasters’ marketing director. “So there’s a great place to enjoy the festival bands and performers. These live shows will get your toes tapping, maybe even your feet dancing. They capture the essence of a fall celebration.”
Musicians will stroll the main market, others will perform on the Music Hall stage. Among the performers will be the Cape Coral’s Hafenkapelle Band, country artist Colton James, The Dixielanders and Blue Dirt Dixie Strollers.
The Pumpkin Festival also welcomes local dance teams, The Hot Flashz Dancers, The Calendar Girls and Lariats and Lace.
Fleamasters has partnered with Five Star Talent and Productions for the Punkin’palooza Pageant Saturday morning. Young contestants may compete in the Royal Miss Pageant for the additional Pumpkin Festival crown. For registration information, follow the links on the Punkin’palooza page on fleamall.com.
Adopt a pumpkin at the Pumpkin Patch ($5 to $15 per pumpkin) to personalize and take home. And you can create a special Pumpkin Festival memory at the “Pumpkin Farmer’s Family Photo Spot.”
Look up, and you’ll see one very tall scarecrow. The amazing Way Too Tall Torrie will navigate Flea-masters’ aisles on stilts, and the talented face-painter, Giggles the Clown, will entertain Saturday and Sunday.
Guest can also enjoy a wagon ride from the Whispering Pines Clydes-dales on Saturday.
Fleamasters Fleamarket is open for shopping 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Friday, Saturday and Sunday, rain or shine.
The market offers food and craft vendors and hundreds of unique, owner-operated stores. If you have something to sell (especially if you’re an artist or crafter, or have holiday gifts) Fleamasters’ Pumpkin Festival is a great place to display your wares.
Rental space starts at only $5 per day. Estimated weekend attendance is 15,000+ (historically based), according to Fleamasters officials.
Find information about Fleamasters Fleamarket and Punkin’palooza at fleamall.com.