If your head is spinning in disbelief over how fast summer has slipped away, you’re not alone. Crossing Labor Day off the calendar signals the return of popular fall festivals and events across Polk County. But before autumn rolls in, those who hunger for fall’s cooler temperatures can feed their stomachs instead at Food Truck Wars in downtown Winter Haven on Saturday, September 20, from 2 to 8 p.m. Food Truck Wars will feature 40 gourmet food trucks from all around the state, competing for five prestigious awards under the scrutiny of celebrity judges, including Cupcake Wars Champion, and local resident, Jillian Hopke. This year’s event serves up a new twist… the addition of a “theme food” item… which for 2014 is BACON! Every truck will have a minimum of one bacon dish available to the public (as long as supplies last) and must submit it to be judged for the Baconator Award. This new feature should make for some “sizzling” competition. Admission and parking are free and most entrees should average $6 to $8.
If all this talk of food trucks leaves you hungering for more mobile cuisine, don’t despair. Lakeland hosts the Downtown Lakeland Food Truck Rally on the second Thursday of every month, in Munn Park. Upcoming dates include September 11, October 9, November 13 and December 11.
Every Saturday and Sunday in October, LEGOLAND® Florida will celebrate Brick-or-Treat, presented by Wells Fargo, with safe 
and family-friendly festivities. This spooky, kooky event features a LEGO Scary Scavenger Hunt in Miniland USA, trick-or-treating along the Brick-or-Treat trail, super brick build activities, the largest LEGO Jack-O-Lantern in the world, Halloween entertainment, an all-kids costume contest and more. Visitors should take note that the LEGOLAND Florida Water Park will only be open on weekends in September and October, gearing down to seasonal days of operation before closing for the winter.
If you are looking for more scary, creepy fun, check out ZombieFest 2014 in Lakeland on October 11, from 3 to 10 p.m. Celebrate World Zombie Day around downtown Lakeland’s Munn Park with live music, food vendors, a costume contest, pub crawl, zombie walk, games and activities. Parental discretion is strongly advised for this event.
For those of you already missing the parades and fireworks of summertime, this next event is for you. The world championship of handgun competitions takes place in Central Florida at the International Practical Shooting Confederation (IPSC) Handgun World Shoot XVII. The IPSC World Shoot XVII is a multi-day match comprising at least 30 separate courses of fire, where the best IPSC shooters, representing 88 countries from around the world, vie for the title of World Champion. While all the shooting competitions will be held at the Universal Shooting Academy in Frostproof, FL, the city of Lakeland will serve as the hub for the IPSC’s ceremonial programs during the event’s 12 days in Polk County. Downtown Lakeland and Lake Mirror will serve as the backdrop for the IPSC World Shoot’s Opening Ceremonies on Sunday, October 12. The opening ceremonies are a true “Olympic style” ceremony that will feature a parade of nations, musical entertainment and a fireworks display over the amphitheater and promenade at the Lake Mirror Complex. The IPSC World Shoot only occurs every three years. The most recent was held in Rhodes, Greece, in 2011; and previous World Shoot events have been held in Indonesia, Ecuador, South Africa and Brazil.
Mid October sees the return of two favorite annual events: the Boktoberfest Plant Sale on October 18 at Bok Tower Gardens in 
Lake Wales; and the Lake Mirror Classic Automobile Festival, October 17-19 in Lakeland. Now in its 15th year, the Lake Mirror Classic is considered one of the “must do” collector car shows in the southeastern United States. The event attracts 35,000 spectators to admire the more than 600 show vehicles displayed around the restored 1920’s, art deco-inspired Lake Mirror promenade in downtown Lakeland, Florida – one of the most scenic venues in the country. The annual Boktoberfest began as a plant sale and has blossomed into one of Florida’s most unique Octoberfest celebrations, including a Biergarten, live entertainment, German food, craft and seasonal beers, kid’s activities and more. This free event draws thousands to Bok Tower Gardens annually, to celebrate fall and shop for plants. As a National Historic Landmark located on one of the highest points in peninsular Florida, the 60-bell Bok Tower Gardens carillon entertains visitors with daily concerts and the attraction hosts numerous events all year long.
If you prefer crafts to plants, check out the annual Polk State College FallFest from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on October 18 at the Winter Haven campus. FallFest features a craft show, the Kids Zone, a pumpkin patch, haunted house, food, music and more.
Central Florida NatureFest takes place October 23-26, 2014; offering a variety of nature tours over the course of the four day 
event. Enjoy some of the area’s 554 lakes on kayaking and airboat excursions, explore Circle B Bar Reserve with a Night Owl tour and wildlife photography sessions, tour rare conservation lands and experience the natural gems of Polk County on assorted birding, hiking and photography tours. For more information, or to register, go to www.visitcentralflorida.org/naturefest.
For a glimpse of early life in Polk County, don’t miss the 39th Annual Lake Wales Pioneer Days Festival along the shores of beautiful Lake Wailes October 25-26. And no, that’s not a typo… the name of the lake, and the city, really are spelled differently. The weekend’s festivities will include live entertainment, living history re-enactments, artisan and tradesmen demonstrations, elephant and pony rides, children’s activities and an antique car parade.
These are but a sample of all the unique events and fun things to see and do in Central Florida’s Polk County. For more event information, visit www.visitcentralflorida.org/find/events#. You can also follow us on Twitter (@VisitCentralFL) and Like Us on Facebook (Facebook.com/VisitCentralFlorida).
Written by Kelly Rote, Visit Central Florida Communications Specialist
