Fall Festival tonight at NFM Community Park
Each year, the North Fort Myers Community Park holds its annual Fall Festival in October around Halloween at its community center, drawing thousands of community members. It will be held tonight, FRiday, Oct. 28.
There are always costume contests, halloween fun and more.
This year, a Haunted Hayride has been added, according to Senior Recreation Specialist Christine Susterich. “Many of our top youth volunteers have been working on this new attraction,” she said.
Spearheaded by Team Leaders Zach LaPaugh and Robin Milke, it will prove to be a winning part of the festivities, she said.
“We’ve been working on the Haunted Hayride since this summer,” said LaPaugh. He is a student at Edison State College, and a youth counselor at the community center each summer. “We are expecting even bigger crowds this year (at the Fall Festival), and we have great props and plan to scare the daylights out of people at the new Haunted Hayride attraction.”
His co-leader is Robin Mielke, a PE Assistant at Oak Hammock Middle School. She is also a summer camp counselor at the center. “I love this event and we have a great team,” she said. “We have at least 15 volunteers working the hayride, and we’ll have a lot of surprises.”
Some members of their team include local students Tim Serano from the North Fort Myers Academy for the Arts, Alex LaPaugh from Diplomat Middle School and Derrek Connolly of North Fort Myers High, who are also helping to get ready for the big event.
“Besides the Haunted Hayride, we have two other new attractions this year – pony rides and Way Too Tall Torrie. Torrie is a stilt walking pirate who will intermingle with attendees,” said Susterich.
The Eleventh Annual Fall Festival is a free event for the community. Children in costume (up to 150) will receive a free bag of safe candy after a costume contest.
The festival itself also include a large children’s costume contest and business and organization set-ups for the park’s football field full of treat-or-treat booths.
“Miss Florida International Lorena Placencia will judge the costume contest, and every year we dedicate the event to fallen volunteer and Deputy Felix Romano,” said Susterich.
This year, residents can come to enjoy music, the costume contest, the haunted hay ride, horse and pony rides, bounce house, games, give-a-ways, a raffle and more.
The Fall Festival drew over 1,500 people in 2010, Susterich said, and attendance has steadily increased the past ten years.
The Eleventh Annual Fall Festival event will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. Pop Warner football concession stand will be open to purchase food and drinks.
“And most importantly, as always, it is a free community event.”
The only purchases will be at Pop Warner Concession and for raffle tickets, with raffle items already donated by Carrabba’s Italian Grill, Outback Steakhouse, Perkins and Athenian Greek restaurants, DiamondHead Beach Resort and Sun Splash. The Broadway Palm Dinner Theater, Alva Diner, Publix, Winn Dixie, Sun-N-Fun Lagoon, Papa Johns and Dominos have also donated items.
For information call 652-4512 or email to jsusterich@leegov.com.
The North Park Community Center is located behind the North Fort Myers Library.
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