| High Spirits and Hijinks at Family-Friendly Events in Historic Havana |
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| October 06, 2009 |
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Havana, which is considered one of the most beautiful small towns in Florida, has 100-year-old brick buildings and lovely tree-lined streets. In fact, Havana's twice been voted Florida's Friendliest Small Town by the 250,000 readers of Florida Monthly magazine. Located in North Florida, the residents enjoy the seasons with enthusiasm.
The downtown area Merchants Association hosts some unique and fun events. Coming up on Oct. 17 is the annual Pumpkin Festival, Havana’s signature event. They welcome autumn here on streets lined with art, crafts and food vendors. The family-friendly event includes pumpkin decorating, hay rides, pony and obstacle courses, games, face-painting, magicians and, of course, costume contests.
The décor is where the merchants go all out with creative displays of pumpkins, Halloween and fall colors. Smiling is easy when you view these neat photos of last year’s fun.
Two months later, creativity takes a wacky turn with the Holiday and Lawn Mower Parade on Dec. 12. Antique and classic cars are joined in this procession by a Vietnam-era Huey helicopter filled with veterans, antique tractors with Santas, and dressed-up lawn mowers and golf carts. The best dressed vehicles compete for prizes!
Stroll through the historic downtown to dine and shop at one of the 30 stores filled with antiques, bric-a-brac, gifts, and gourmet foods. Mirror Image Antiques is owned by an enthusiastic resident. Stop by the store to shop and get the scoop from Sandi Beare Schenker of what’s going on.
The Little River General Store has a nostalgic section of ever-wonderful toys, including jacks, marbles, pick-up sticks, wooden puzzles, tinker toys and jack-in-the-boxes. If you're there during one of the town's events, look for author Regina Lewis signing copies of her story/picturebooks, "The Smallest Toy Store," "The Smallest Schoolhouse."
While you're in North Florida, head to one of the exquisite museums in Tallahassee. One of my colleagues wrote a good story about the abundant culture in our state Capitol. And there's also the natural beauty of state parks such as Florida Caverns, where you can walk through rooms with formations of limestone stalactites, stalagmites, flowstones and draperies.
I think I'll go check out the Florida reindeer first. I might just get the scoop on that news report! |
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| Celebrating fall with pumpkins and hay is at the heart of the October events. |
| Credit: Town of Havana |
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