77th Annual Alachua Harvest Fest

Busy, Sleepy Town

This was the 77th annual Harvest Festival. Main Street was sectioned off so that only walking traffic was allowed in. The street was lined with vendors, and filled with revelers.

From the website:

Historically, there are over 160 vendors providing everything from handmade quilts to wood carved roses to temporary tatoos and unique jewelry! The Festival encourages artisans to display their hand crafted items.

The afternoon is a warm, friendly venue for local entertainers who keep the crowd singing along all afternoon from two stages. Friends, neighbors, relatives and visitors find themselves smiling and exchanging greetings and ideas. Local service organizations provide child-friendly free activities as they dispense their educational and informational materials.

Scarecrow Row decorates the streetlights all along Main Street and provides a festive fall atmosphere complete with the brisk scent of autumn.

Bounce House Row

Bounce House Row

My favorite thing at the festival was the large selection of bounce houses. Rounding a corner at the end of Main Street, I saw three or four large & colorful inflated things: a standard blow-up castle, a caterpillar that kids entered through it’s mouth, a tall slide, and something that looked a little like Legos.

The sight made me wish that I came in under the weight limit so I could tear off my shoes and join in the fun.

Live Music

Two Stages on Main Street hosted the music all afternoon, bands included:
Alley Cats – Emmet Carlisle – County Road – Santa Fe jazz Band – Jana Horton

This year’s event was sponsored by:
Alachua Business League, Inc.
SunState Federal Credit Union
Gator Domino’s Pizza
City of Alachua

Give Me Some of That

If you are falling in love with Alachua and have decided to move in, here are some houses for sale and here is one of our own listings just a few minutes from downtown Alachua.