Floridiana Magazine

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Caladium Festival Lake Placid, Florida

Florida is home to many festivals, ranging from the absurd to the logical.  By definition, festivals celebrate something unique about a community or its culture.  For the central Florida town of Lake Placid, that uniqueness is its designation as “Caladium Capital of the World” and 2018 marked its celebration of the 28th Caladium Festival.

History of the Caladium Festival

The idea for the Caladium Festival came from the Highlands County Tourist Development Commission as a way to promote the industry and, at the same time, create an event to bring visitors into town.  With the help of Carolyn Phypers of Happiness Farms and Dot Bates of Bates Sons and Daughters Caladiums, the first festival was held in 1990 at the warehouse at Happiness Farms.  Small in scale and mostly informational, it involved a steak dinner cooked by the Highlands County Cattlemen and served by the Cattlewomen, industry talk by caladium growers, and bus tours to the fields.

After that first festival, Carolyn, Dot and their families expanded on the event by moving it downtown to Stuart Park and added in arts and crafts, entertainment and food vendors.  From its first year with about 100 visitors, the event has grown to tens of thousands.

The Caladium Festival Today

Happiness Farms and Bates Sons and Daughters both continue to play a major role in the Caladium Festival.  Bates sells potted plants, while Happiness offers up bags or boxes of bulbs.  What once sold out on the second day of the festival is now selling out on day one.  Folks have found out if they come early, they are sure they get their preferred plants. Both growers donate their net proceeds to the Lake Placid Chamber of Commerce to continue funding the festival.

Bus Tours of Caladium Fields

To get an up-close view of the caladium fields, bus tours are offered at regular intervals throughout the festival. (We might also add the buses are air-conditioned!)  The tours, led by local growers, offer up a lively discussion of the industry as well as question and answer sessions on a wide range of topics.  Out the bus windows, rows upon rows, acres upon acres, showcase a kaleidoscope of colors.

 

After a drive by the fields, the bus makes a stop in one of Lake Placid’s neighborhoods to see a home landscaped with caladiums.  At one time, entire neighborhoods would get involved with planting caladiums.  They were given the bulbs free of charge if they would plant them in time for the festival. These plants, with their heart-shaped leaves and vibrant colors, are easy to grow and brighten any yard.

 

These bus tours are very popular and certain times often sell out, so visitors are advised to buy tickets in advance of the show to secure a seat.

While the caladiums are the stars of the show, there is so much more to the Caladium Festival.  A walk along Interlake Boulevard or any of the side streets surrounding Stuart Park provides a glimpse at booths featuring arts and crafts, plants, and other specialty items.  In addition, there is also a variety of food vendors and entertainment acts.

Clowns

In a community known for its clown college, it’s also a given that Toby’s Clowns will be on hand to offer up their skills of face painting and balloon artistry, and at the same time, a lot of smiles to kids of all ages.

Car Show

For those who are interested in cars and motorcycles, the Caladium Car and Bike Show is a must see.  Billed as the largest auto show in Lake Placid, De Vane Park turns into an outdoor showroom for new and old cars and bikes.  A walk up and down the rows can reveal some pretty cool cars and a link to the past.

Town of Murals

Caladiums are also the topic of one of the many murals around Lake Placid since they play such an important part of the town’s history.  Nearly 50 murals in all are painted on the sides of buildings around town, each one depicting something different about Lake Placid, its culture or some of its prominent citizens.

(To read more about the murals of Lake Placid, check out our post “Town of Murals: Lake Placid, Florida.”)

Other Places to See

Visitors wanting to get out of the sun have a number of places they can visit, like the Lake Placid Chamber of Commerce on Oak Avenue.  The Chamber has a lot of information about Lake Placid, along with the original prints of the murals.  The Lake Placid Mural Society is also housed in the chamber building.  Along Interlake Boulevard, one of the most popular locations is the Caladium Arts and Crafts Cooperative, which features unique items made by local artists and crafters.  Spread out over 10,000 square feet, everything from original paintings to quilts to year-round Christmas collectibles can be found here.  Yes, there are caladium themed items as well.  Main Street also has a lot of interesting shops and restaurants as well.

29th Annual Caladium Festival

If you missed this year’s festival, make sure to mark your calendars for the 2019 festival on July 26, 27, and 28, but don’t wait until then to visit this gem of a town.  Take a day, spend time taking in the murals, then head over to Henscratch Farms and Sugar Sand Distillery.  It’s a Florida trip definitely worth taking.

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Henscratch Farms Vineyard and Winery

When you think of wine country, the first place that comes to mind is probably California.  After all, two of the country’s famous wine destinations are there: Napa Valley and Sonoma County.  Have you ever thought of Florida and wine in the same sentence?  Probably not, but maybe you should.

Florida is now home to 30 certified farm wineries.  One of them, Henscratch Farms Vineyard and Winery, is located off the beaten path near Lake Placid on Henscratch Road.  It’s one of those places that tends to say “welcome” the moment you drive onto the property.

Our visit came during a time when there were no grapes on the vines – they are dormant during the winter and won’t actually have fruit until July.  When it’s up and running, the winery produces seven types of country-style wines, all of them said to celebrate the “taste of the south.”  The actual winery can be found in a converted agricultural grain bin complete with vats, old wooden kegs and historical photos.  There is no action inside the bin on this visit, but during the second week of August, there’s a Grape Stomp Festival.  Yes, they still stomp grapes and you can join in the fun.  It takes eight weeks for the wine to be ready for bottling, but you can pre-order it during the stomp and have your photograph put on a custom label.  Of course, if you can’t wait until the wine is ready, you can always get a taste of Henscratch wine inside the country store.

Besides the wine tasting, the old country store (built in the old cracker style) is filled with everything from the wines produced on site to homemade jams and jellies, sauces and syrups, and a variety of other country store items.

There is more to Henscratch than just the wine and the country store.  There are u-pick strawberries from December to March.

Blueberries are ready for picking in May and June, and grapes from July to September.   There is also live music January to March on Wednesdays and Fridays.

And with a name like Henscratch, what else could you expect to find?  Hens!  More than 200 of them roam around the property and feeding them is one of those things you just have to do while you are there.

Henscratch is another one of those gems found on a Florida backroad.  The winery is closed on Mondays and wine can’t be served until after 1:00 on Sunday.  If you’re looking for something to do, this is a great way to spend an hour or two of your day.