Main Street Market To Become a Giant Pumpkin Patch

If you've been wondering what all the pumpkins at Main Street Market were for, the secret is out.

The downtown produce stand on the corner of Main Street and Second Avenue South will become an interactive pumpkin patch for the month of October, complete with decorations, activities, artwork and, of course, plenty of pumpkins.

A pair of big events will highlight the festivities — an art show featuring works by Harborside Studios students on the 20th; and Pumpkin-palooza, a pumpkin carving event hosted by the new Museum and Cultural Center, on the 27th.

"We thought this was the perfect spot for something like this," Main Street Market owner Dawn Bailey said. "It fits in nicely with the downtown."

"We wanted it to be the site of another great family event where parents can come and bring their kids and even their dogs. It's open to anybody whether they buy anything or not. It's part of their town."

The Baileys wanted to do something for the community after all the support they received for their business at a city commission meeting last month.

And they also wanted to help promote some other downtown attractions, the studio and the museum in particular.

"We were going to have our pumpkin carving event at the new museum, but since it won't be open in time, Dawn reached out to us and asked if we could have it there," said Shannon Shafer, recreation superintendent for the City of Safety Harbor.

"I thought it was a great idea. We're looking forward to a great partnership with the Market."

Sign up for our email newsletter to get Safety Harbor Patch's top headlines, event listings and breaking news delivered to your inbox — for free!

On Saturday, Oct. 27, the city will have a tent in back of the market with supplies and snacks for people who bring a pumpkin to carve. The event will run from 6-9 p.m.

But the people who might benefit most from all of this are the talented yet largely unknown artists from Harborside Studios.

"I think it's great that they (the Baileys) are doing so much for the community," said Michelle Ault, director for the UPARC-funded facility. "When they said they wanted to work with us, I was so excited.

"I mean, we've been down here for 10 years, and a lot of people still don't know about us."

Ault's students will begin decorating the space today (weather permitting), and she plans on setting up tables with artwork for sale on the 20th of the month.

Dawn Bailey adds that she wants to have the students decorate special pumpkins, and then auction or sell them off to raise money for the studio. She said her main goal, aside from people having fun, is to raise money and awareness for Harborside.

"People need to know that the gallery is down here and what they are doing over there. I love their talent and I want people to know about them."