SEBASTIAN — Furry, feathered and four-legged critters of all kinds entertained young and old Saturday at the LaPorte Farms Fall Festival.
At closing time, the kids didn’t want to leave the farm packed with exciting things to do, from face painting to pony rides to the bounce house to feeding the swans in the pond. Children and adults waved good-bye to the hundreds of goats and horses and even a zebra who take up residence at Laura LaPorte’s down-home farm just off Roseland Road.
“Next year we hope it gets better and better,” LaPorte said. “I think my favorite thing about the event is just going around and seeing the smiles.”
Kristine and Sean Fleming of Sebastian brought their two boys, age 4 and 20 months to the Fall Festival and next year they plan to bring their new daughter, who is due to be born on St. Patrick’s Day.
“I just think every event they put on here is fantastic,” Sean Fleming said.
“It’s an excellent event, their favorite thing I think so far is the bounce house, but we’re still walking around and haven’t done everything yet,” Kristine Fleming said.
Amongst all the low-key festivities, there was some hot competition in the Scarecrow Contest. The creative entries that won the top honors depicted an elaborately costumed witch, a scarecrow dressed as a trick-or-treating Girl Scout and another dressed as a senior citizen in a chair knitting and reading AARP magazine. Winners took home a total of $375 in prizes, plus bragging rights until next year’s contest.
The scare factor took the day with team Sunnycalb taking first in the scarecrow contest. Girls Scout Daisy Troop 50175 took second with their “tickle factor,” and Jennifer and Barbara Amstutz took third with a witch themed scarecrow.
But the event wasn’t all about fun and games. The estimated 4,000 people who came through the gates brought hundreds of grocery bags full of non-perishable food to fill the shelves of the pantries at Safe Space and the Vero Beach Elementary School Backpack Buddies program.
A portion of the proceeds of the sixth annual Fall Fest also benefit the victims’ advocacy programs administered by State Attorney Bruce Colton’s office.
Though the farm’s calendar is always packed with birthday parties and other private events, the next big public event at LaPorte Farms will be Cowboy Christmas on December 17. LaPorte and her staff say the event has been so popular that they’re considering expanding it to two days. If so, it would be Friday, Dec. 16 and Saturday, Dec. 17. Check the website for details at www.laportefarms.com.