ALACHUA COUNTY – The calendar may still say summer, but communities across the area are turning their attention to fall, with festivals, car shows, homecomings and Halloween celebrations stretching from September into mid-November.
The season gets underway in Waldo with an event centered on one of fall’s most familiar crops.
The second annual Waldo Sweet Potato Festival is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 12, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Waldo City Square, 14450 N.E. 153rd Ave.
Hosted by the Waldo Area Historical Society, the event will feature sweet potatoes and other seasonal activities in a community festival setting.
A week later, classic cars will take center stage in both Alachua and Newberry.
The D&S 2026 Classic Car Show will be held Saturday, Sept. 19, from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at O’Steen’s Car Barn, 16811 N.W. County Road 241 in Alachua. Spectator admission and parking are free, while vehicle registration is $25 on the day of the event.
The show will feature vehicles in categories including Ford, GM, imports, Mopar, pickup and lifted trucks. Registration runs from 8 to 10:30 a.m., with awards scheduled for 1 p.m.
Adding to the nostalgia will be a 1950s Best Classy-Dressed Contest, with cash prizes for women and girls. Food will be available for purchase, and the event will include a 50/50 raffle and drawing. The show benefits Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
That same day, downtown Newberry will turn back the clock for the fourth annual Fabulous ’50s Festival.
Set for Sept. 19 in historic downtown Newberry, the festival will combine a car show with vendors and 1950s music, with classic automobiles serving as a centerpiece of the celebration.
By the following weekend, the fall calendar becomes even more crowded.
Waldo will host its fourth annual Homecoming from Sept. 25 through Sept. 27 at Veterans Memorial Park, 14705 N.E. Waldo Road.
The three-day celebration begins Friday with Praise in the Park, featuring live praise and worship, food and fellowship. Saturday brings a parade and Family Fun Day with vendors, a kids zone, food, music and games. The weekend concludes Sunday with a 3-on-3 basketball tournament.
Not far away, High Springs will hold its own two-day fall celebration Sept. 26 and 27.
The High Springs Chamber of Commerce Fall Festival is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. both days along Railroad Avenue near Northwest 185th Road. The event will feature vendors, food and children’s activities.
The September events lead into a series of Halloween activities in Alachua and Micanopy.
In Alachua, preparations began Sept. 1 with registration for Scarecrow Row 2026, which will bring decorated scarecrows to historic Main Street. This year’s theme is “Superhero.”
Participating businesses will be assigned poles along Main Street for their scarecrow displays. The Alachua Chamber of Commerce plans additional activities associated with Scarecrow Row, with more details to be announced.
The displays will help set the stage for one of downtown Alachua’s largest family events, Trick or Treat on Main, scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 31, from 6 to 8 p.m.
Main Street will be closed to traffic as businesses distribute candy to children. The Alachua Chamber of Commerce says the event typically attracts about 2,000 people.
Costumes, Halloween music and other activities are planned as families make their way through downtown.
Halloween weekend will also bring one of the area’s longest-running autumn celebrations.
The Micanopy Fall Festival is scheduled for Oct. 31 and Nov. 1 in historic downtown Micanopy. The event will feature food, arts and crafts, vendors and live music.
The two-day event offers a different setting for fall festivities, bringing visitors into Micanopy’s historic downtown for shopping, food and entertainment.
Fall festivities continue two weeks later with the Alachua Main Street Harvest Festival.
The event is scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 15, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Main Street in Alachua.
Taken together, the events provide more than two months of community activities across the county.
The season begins with sweet potatoes in Waldo before shifting to classic cars and 1950s nostalgia in Alachua and Newberry. The following weekend brings Waldo’s Homecoming and the High Springs Fall Festival.
By late October, the focus turns to scarecrows, costumes and Halloween, with celebrations in Alachua and Micanopy before the season concludes with Alachua’s Main Street Harvest Festival in mid-November.
From small-town traditions to car shows, Halloween festivities and harvest celebrations, the schedule gives residents numerous opportunities to visit communities across Alachua County as the region moves from summer into fall.
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