Carrollwood Village celebrates 50 years at Fall Fest

CARROLLWOOD — The public is invited to celebrate Carrollwood Village’s 50th anniversary during its Fall Fest on Saturday, Oct. 22, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Carrollwood Cultural Center, 4537 Lowell Road, Tampa.

The festival is free to attend and will feature a full day of activities for everyone. The event is a collaboration between the Carrollwood Village HOAs and the Carrollwood Cultural Center. To celebrate its golden anniversary, the Fall Fest will include a community art project with residents’ handprints, a recording station to capture neighborhood stories, a golf cart decorating contest, and more.

There will be performances by local entertainers every hour on the stage, starting with Liz Hollister at 10 a.m. She will be followed by the New Horizons Band and Ukulele Ensemble at 11 a.m. The Carrollwood Brass will perform at noon, with Carrollwood Jukebox at 1 p.m., and the Carrollwood Community Chorus at 2 p.m.

Later in the afternoon, 17-year-old Carrollwood resident Sophia Girgenti will perform at 3 p.m. According to a press release, Girgenti has been playing the guitar since the fourth grade. She is an active volunteer within her community and plans to attend University of South Florida next year to study psychology. Closing the event will be the Glen Fox Band, traveling back in time for Carrollwood Village’s 50th anniversary to relive the iconic classic rock anthems of the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s to close the celebration at 5 p.m.

“I love fall festivals, so to put one together is pretty cool,” said Paul Berg, executive director at the Cultural Center. “We’ll have ponies to ride on and a petting zoo to go along with bounce houses, pumpkins to paint for kids and crafts, vendors and food trucks.”

Berg has been a Carrollwood resident since the opening of the cultural center in 2008. The partnership with the village is going five or six years strong, Berg said, and out of the collaboration, the center hosts several events throughout the year. Berg said he enjoys seeing how relationships are being built through the arts from participation in classes, theatre, events and volunteer work.

The Carrollwood Cultural Center is just one of many amenities that have been added to the village since its founding in 1972. Residents Jennifer Grebenschikoff and Diana Rao can remember upon moving to the neighborhood in the ’80s and what it was like to have to travel to south Tampa for entertainment, dining, and other shopping needs.

There will be performances by local entertainers every hour on the stage, starting with Liz Hollister at 10 a.m. She will be followed by the New Horizons Band and Ukulele Ensemble at 11 a.m. The Carrollwood Brass will perform at noon, with Carrollwood Jukebox at 1 p.m., and the Carrollwood Community Chorus at 1 p.m.

Later in the afternoon, 17-year-old Carrollwood resident Sophia Girgenti will perform at 3 p.m. According to a press release, Girgenti has been playing the guitar since the fourth grade. She is an active volunteer within her community and plans to attend University of South Florida next year to study psychology. Closing the event will be the Glen Fox Band, traveling back in time for Carrollwood Village’s 50th anniversary to relive the iconic classic rock anthems of the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s to close the celebration at 5 p.m.

“I love fall festivals, so to put one together is pretty cool,” said Paul Berg, executive director at the Cultural Center. “We’ll have ponies to ride on and a petting zoo to go along with bounce houses, pumpkins to paint for kids and crafts, vendors and food trucks.”

Berg has been a Carrollwood resident since the opening of the cultural center in 2008. The partnership with the village is going five or six years strong, Berg said, and out of the collaboration, the center hosts several events throughout the year. Berg said he enjoys seeing how relationships are being built through the arts from participation in classes, theatre, events and volunteer work.

The Carrollwood Cultural Center is just one of many amenities that have been added to the village since its founding in 1972. Residents Jennifer Grebenschikoff and Diana Rao can remember upon moving to the neighborhood in the ’80s and what it was like to have to travel to south Tampa for entertainment, dining, and other shopping needs.