You may not be ready for this, but the holidays are quickly approaching. So get your happy hat on and start your shopping.
Four days of carnival fun, complete with rides, food, games and vendors, are on tap at the 56th annual St. Helen’s Harvest Festival. The festival is cashless, so you need to purchase wrist bands for food and rides. You can get unlimited rides with a wrist band starting at $30, and $22 worth of food and games starting at $20. There will be a raffle for a $10,000 grand prize, $2,500 second prize, plus a mountain bike, big-screen TV, and gift cards to local restaurants and stores. with tickets selling at $20 for one, $50 for three and $100 for six. Vendors include the Ladybug Boutique which will offer up crafts, baby items, Christmas decor, and raffle tickets for a Raggedy Ann and Andy and three quilts. Food booths will serve up cotton candy, sausage and peppers, and chicken parm, Millie’s Soup Pot, jerk chicken and hamburgers. There will also be game booths galore, including baseball and basketball games, a cake walk, a “gone fishing” game, face painting, and much more. The St. Helen’s Harvest Festival runs 5 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 17, 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. Friday, Nov. 18, noon to 11 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 19, and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 20. The location is at the Jackie Robinson Training Complex, 3901 26th St., Vero Beach. For more information, visit StHelenVero.org or call 772-567-5129.
Hear the melodic and melancholy tunes of Scottish, Irish and American cultures when the Vero Beach Pipes and Drums performs in its 2nd Annual Fundraiser Concert Friday evening at the First Presbyterian Church in Vero Beach. The concert is a fundraiser for the organization, which strives to promote interest and excellence in this musical genre. The group teaches both piping and drumming and performs in parades, concerts and competitions. It was founded in 2015 by Drum Master John Thompson and Pipe Master Jacob Craig, who is also the director of music and arts at the First Presbyterian Church of Vero Beach. If you are interested in joining, rehearsals take place 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays. The 2nd Annual Fundraiser Concert begins 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 18, in McAfee Hall at the First Presbyterian Church, 520 Royal Palm Blvd. Get there by 6:30 p.m. and you can enter multiple raffles. There is free admission to the concert, but a $10 donation is suggested. For more information, call 772-562-9088 or visit VeroBeachPipesAndDrums.org.
Enjoy beautiful, romantic music at the Flute & Piano Concert held Sunday afternoon at Christ by the Sea United Methodist Church. The concert features flutist Nora Lee Garcia and pianist Marcos Flores performing Claude Debussy’s haunting “Syrinx” and “Clair de Lune.” Also performed will be sonatas by Poulenc and Gnatalli and works by Taffanel and Foote. The concert begins 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 20, at Christ by the Sea, 3755 Highway A1A, Vero Beach. Tickets are $25 general and $10 youth. Call 772-231-1661 or visit CBTSUMC.org/Concert-Series.
The Coastal Conservation Association will have its Florida Treasure Coast Banquet & Auction Thursday evening at the Indian River County Intergenerational Center. The evening includes an open bar, a 14 Bones dinner and an auction. This is the organization’s 17th annual banquet/auction fundraiser. Funds raised will help the CCA in its support of Florida’s marine resources. The evening starts at 6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 17, with an open bar and appetizers. Dinner follows. There will also be extensive raffles and auctions for trips, artwork and more. Tickets start at $150 for adults and $55 for youths. The Intergenerational Center is at 1590 9th St. SW, Vero Beach. Call 772-473-8475 or 772-216-3890.
The Vero Beach Fall Boat Show runs this weekend at Riverside Park. There will be boat dealers and suppliers displaying products, answering questions and probably whetting your appetite for all things nautical. You can see a range of products, including standup paddleboards and kayaks, deck boats and pontoon boats, shallow water skiffs, personal watercraft and cruisers. There will also be fishing machines, marine accessories, services and plenty of goodies you can pick up as gifts for your nautically inclined sweetie. Food and refreshments will be available. The Vero Beach Fall Boat Show runs 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 19, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 20, at Riverside Park in Vero Beach. Both parking and admission are free. For more information, call 772-562-7922 or visit VeroBeachBoatShow.com.
