Bring Avon Park Festivals & Parades Back To Life!!!

Bring back the good times that made Avon Park such a beautiful community.

The Mall Festival the first weekend of May on Main street, The Halloween Festival & Parade in the fall, The Christmas Parade in December, and so many more events that have disappeared over the years. There were pie eating contests, greased pig chases, mock jail house, needles [bottle caps] in a haystack, 5k run, hot air balloon races, Mello Yellow chug contest, the bubble gum drop at Donaldson Park, the "homemade, ridiculous, if it floats" boat races across the lake that had everyone laughing until they dropped, town-wide Christmas Carolers, pictures with Santa at the gazebo on the mall at Christmas time, We need to bring all this back and we need a lot of support to make it happen.

Since Main Street is also a state road, we would plan to simply do like we did back in the day, close the inside lane on both sides of the mall and leave the outside lanes open for traffic. All directed by cones. We would want food trucks and food vendors of all kinds, silent auctions for theme baskets, handmade crafts, jewelry, art, sunglasses, purses, Avon Park shirts, hats, jackets, sweatpants, etc., bake sales, car wash, mock jail where you pay $5 or $10 to have someone arrested on a mock warrant and then they must pay $5 or $10 to bail out of jail, we could collect food donations for local food banks, have cook-offs and bake-offs and grill-offs. Fun relays for the kids, face painting, hayrides, and so much more. This is what we had back in the 80's and it was such a huge deal. People came from all over Florida to participate. Even the schools let the kids out early that Friday so they could attend. There were cloggers, music concerts, and dance-offs for entertainment. If it was fun, chances are, we had it at the Avon Park Mall Festival or the Halloween Festival.

If the "Flywheelers" can get 50,000 + people involved twice a year for 3 days out in the middle of no-where, there's no reason we can't get our good old fashioned community festivals and downtown mall festival fired back up again for 2 days, with great success. Our kids need to be exposed to community fellowship. It's good for them. It gets them off their computers and video games and outside being a part of the community and tradition.

The Avon Park Mall Festival was always greatly beneficial to the local small businesses and a major boost for the local economy. It could even help encourage more small businesses to open on Main Street like we had back then. We have several people willing to do the leg work to make this happen. Myself and my husband included. Now we need your support. Let's stop talking about it and start working to make this happen.

If you would like to see the Avon Park Mall Festival, the Fall Halloween Festival and parade and the Christmas Parade and pictures with Santa at the gazebo and other exciting town events brought back to life in our little treasured town, please sign this petition and show your support. We would also ask that you share this with your friends and family to help spread the word.

Although a petition may not be necessary to present to the Avon Park City Council, we encourage all of you to sign so we have an idea of how much support and participation we have behind us in making this happen, whether you want to help make it happen by working with us or just attend and enjoy the events as they happen, we need your support.

We thank all our community members, near and far, and we ask you to please helps us make this happen. Help us bring Avon Park back to life the way it used to be.

Many blessings and thanks,
Sherri & Shane Eason

For questions, comments or if you would like to help, please message Sherri or Shane Eason on Facebook Messenger and if needed, we'll provide you with our mobile number.

Sherri's Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SherriLynnDoane/

Shane's Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TAZZ2009