By LINDA CHION
linda@observernews.net
One good affair leads to another, as the Hillsborough County Fair ends Sunday and officials get set for the festival of holiday lights that kicks off 11 days later.
Set to return Thursday, Nov. 26, is the annual Tampa Bay’s Festival of Lights and Santa’s Village, a 2-mile drive-through experience featuring more than 1 million lights; an expanded drive-through animated light tunnel; and 80 themed display areas, featuring more than 250 larger-than-life creations.
For an extra fee on select days, attendees can park and stroll Santa’s Village, home to carnival rides, Winter Market shopping, classic fair and holiday foods, Santa’s Barnyard Petting Zoo, camel rides, craft activities, holiday movies and shorts, s’more roasting by the firepit and more.
But before all this, the Hillsborough County Fair ends its 11-day run, Sunday, Nov. 15, having broken its record for the number of kids showing animals in livestock shows, according to fair official Betty Jo Tompkins. She reported that 600 kids applied to show 1,000 animals, with final counts of participation and market sales, scheduled for both fair weekends, forthcoming.
Special pricing and events are yet to come in the final days of the county fair. The price for fair entry includes admission to special shows, including the Truck and Tractor Pull on Friday and Saturday and the Demo Derby on Sunday.
Carload Night is Thursday, carrying a $50 admission fee per vehicle, for up to eight people. Heroes Weekend is Saturday and Sunday, with free admission for first responders, including deputies, firefighters and nurses.
Sunday afternoon, at no extra fee, is the annual Super Plant Auction, presented by the Florida Conservation Coalition, featuring high-quality plant donations from area nurseries to benefit youth conservation programs, projects and activities. On display will be rain barrels decorated by groups of students.
As for the auction itself, “it’s a great opportunity to bid and purchase at great prices some of the most beautiful and unique plants available, including annuals, perennials, shrubs, trees and tropicals of all types,” Tompkins said, “including avocados, mangos, bananas, papayas, lemons and limes.”
Plant viewing is ongoing, with the auction set to begin 1 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 15.
As the county fair ends hours later, work begins in earnest for Tampa Bay’s Festival of Lights and Santa’s Village. The festival opens 6 p.m. daily, from Thursday, Nov. 26, through Sunday, Dec. 27, and closes 10 or 11 p.m. on weekends, and 9 p.m. on drive-through nights only.
The cost is by vehicle. The drive-through fee is $25 per carload, for up to eight passengers. There is an additional $5 charge per vehicle to park and attend Santa’s Village, open Thursday through Sunday nights. Food and ride armbands cost extra.
For information, call the Hillsborough County Fair at 813-737-3247. The Hillsborough County Fairgrounds in Dover is at 215 Syndey Washer Road. Visit www.hillsboroughcountyfair.com for fair and festival details (posting shortly), or search for “dreamland amusements Tampa Bay lights.”
Posted now for vendors on the fair website is the application for the 23-day Winter Market. Fees are $30 per day, $50 per weekend session (Thursday through Sunday) and $50 per weekday session (Monday through Wednesday). Package options are $325 for all festival dates, and $300 for weekend dates only, Thursday through Sunday.