Top things to do in Polk: Get face painted, watch a parade or go back in time

The Ledger
·2 min read

There are a variety of chances for the kids to wear those nifty Halloween costumes this weekend. And for some adult parties, go to www.theledger.com/entertainment.

Lake Wales Pioneer Days on Saturday and Sunday give a real-life look at history, chances to buy some original art and grab a meal, all in one place.

• FALLING INTO FUN: 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. Oct. 27, ages 4-18, Simpson Park Community Center, 1725 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Lakeland. Free. Candy, face painting, dancing, bounce houses, archery, arts and crafts. https://www.lakelandgov.net/departments/parks-recreation-and-cultural-arts/simpson-park-community-center/ 834-2577.

Kids in costume wait for candy during a previous Halloween Parade in Bartow.
Kids in costume wait for candy during a previous Halloween Parade in Bartow.

• 78TH BARTOW COMMUNITY HALLOWEEN PARADE & CARNIVAL: Parade begins at 4 p.m. Oct. 27. at Main Street and First Avenue in front of the Chicken Shack, then west on Main Street, then south on Broadway Avenue and ends at Park Lane, near the Bartow Civic Center. The carnival will take place in and around the Bartow Civic Center’s East Parking Lot. The carnival begins at about 5 p.m. at the Bartow Civic Center. Carnival games will be around the east parking lot of the Bartow Civic Center. Food trucks will be parked on the north side.

More: FULL ENTERTAINMENT CALENDAR: Pioneer Days is this weekend

Presented by the Community Halloween Parade and Carnival Committee, consisting of the following service clubs and organizations: Crickette Club, Junior Service League, Kiwanis Club, Rotary Club, Bartow Police Department, Bartow Fire Department, Bartow Leisure Services, Main Street Bartow, City of Bartow, Zonta Club and The Greater Bartow Chamber of Commerce.

• LAKESIDE VILLAGE HALLOWEEN BASH: 5 to 7 p.m. Oct. 28, Lakeside Village, Lakeland. Freakishly fun-filled night of trick-or-treating and family-friendly entertainment. Trick-or-treating at all stores displaying a pumpkin sign starts at 5 p.m. Free activities for children such as games and circus performers on The Lawn. Entertainment: DJ, stilt walkers, circus performers, trick or treat. No adults in Halloween masks.

The Talako Indian Dancers performed at a previous Pioneer Days in Lake Wailes Park in Lake Wales.
The Talako Indian Dancers performed at a previous Pioneer Days in Lake Wailes Park in Lake Wales.

• 46TH ANNUAL PIONEER DAYS FESTIVAL 2022: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 29, Oct. 30, Lake Wailes Park, Lake Wales. Free. Featuring a heritage village that includes dozens of historical demonstrations of pioneer camps and early American trades. Experience, learn, share and buy hand-crafted goods from vendors along with more than 60 craft market vendors. Community organizations, antique tractors and cars, live music and entertainment, festival food, beer and wine, Pumpkin Patch, fall craft stations, old-fashioned games, a corn crib, hay piles, photo station, and face painting. Presented by the Lake Wales History Museum. http://lakewalesfl.gov/museum

For more entertainment information, go to www.theledger.com/entertainment

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Celebrate the Halloween weekend or experience how pioneers lived