"My grandmother, Dottie, was a pillar of this community and cared more about our village than anyone I know," Brittany Barton told Community Newspapers in 2024, when the Village of Palmetto Bay announced a fall festival in her grandmother's name. She went on to describe what she hoped it would be: "An event where local artisans like her can share their work, and the community can come together to celebrate our beautiful village and pay homage to one of its original pioneers."
The third annual Dottie Barton Harvest Festival is Sunday, November 15, 2026, from noon to 3 p.m. at Coral Reef Park, 7895 SW 152nd Street. Along with the bounce houses and photo backdrop, every edition so far has also shown off Coral Reef Park itself, the park its namesake championed.
The park was her cause
Dorothy Lee Barton was born in Donalsonville, Georgia, in 1932 and died on June 24, 2024, at 91. When the festival was announced, Mayor Karyn Cunningham credited her with three contributions, as reported by Community Newspapers. She played a part in the village's incorporation, she organized and built up the Annual Picnic, and she backed one particular park.
"Coral Reef Park was her biggest passion," the mayor said. "She lived just two blocks from the park and was one of the advocates that worked to ensure the park became a treasured recreational space for residents." The mayor also said Barton loved the fall. With Brittany Barton's blessing, the village decided a festival day at that park was the right tribute. According to the same September 2024 report, the village council passed the resolution creating the festival on August 22. A council agenda item dated September 9, 2024, describes an annual "Dottie Barton Harvest Festival Day" at Coral Reef Park to honor her legacy.
The festival could have been held anywhere in the village. The council put it in the park she championed, and that choice has shaped what the day includes ever since.
Year one was really a park opening
The first festival was set for Sunday, October 6, 2024. Jennifer Zika, the village's Special Events and Programs coordinator, told Community Newspapers it would run alongside two other launches at Coral Reef Park. The new Palmetto Bay Farmer's Market would open that day, and the village would hold a ribbon-cutting for the park's new rubberized walking paths. The same report says the project replacing the rubberized trails on the park's east side began July 12.
Weather forced a postponement. The village moved the first festival to November 3, 2024, and kept the market's grand opening and the trail ribbon-cutting on the same day. If you have walked the east-side loop since then, you have been on paths that opened at Dottie Barton's first festival.
| Edition | Date | Festival hours | Also at Coral Reef Park that day |
|---|---|---|---|
| First annual | Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024, rescheduled from Oct. 6 | Noon to 4 p.m. | Farmer's Market grand opening, ribbon-cutting for the rubberized trails |
| Second annual | Sunday, Nov. 2, 2025 | Noon to 4 p.m. | Farmer's Market, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. |
| Third annual | Sunday, Nov. 15, 2026 | Noon to 3 p.m. | Farmer's Market, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., plus an America's 250 celebration with a live band and a pop-up museum |
This year's festival runs an hour shorter than the first two. It also lands about two weeks later on the calendar than in 2024 or 2025.
The market is the part that stayed
The festival happens one afternoon a year. The market that opened with it now runs every Sunday of the season, and it fits Brittany Barton's idea of a place for local makers.
Edible South Florida lists the Palmetto Bay Farmers Market as seasonal, reopening October 4 and running through May 2, on Sundays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Coral Reef Park. The market is run by MG Productions, a company that operates community farmers markets. Its site lists Sunday hours of 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and so does the village's recurring calendar entry. On festival day, the village lists the market as 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. On other Sundays, check the market's Instagram before you plan a late visit.
Edible South Florida's October 2026 listing names about 30 vendors. Here they are, grouped loosely by what they sell, going by their names and the categories in that listing:
- Smoke and savory: Whatchewsay BBQ, Pig Floyd BBQ, Blazed BBQ, Mavi Chorizos, The Lasagna Lady, Josh's Pizza, My Taco Stand, King of Hummus, Ceviche & Guacamole
- Bread and sweets: Dough and Daughters, Danny's Sweets, Lunamae's Cakes, Crumbly and Crunch, Aya's Delights
- From the farm: Arlen's Fresh Produce, Mom's Garden, Q Bee Farm, Mrs. Buzzbee's, Rastrello Olive Oil
- Cold and sweet: Jo's Flavored Lemonade, Penguin Snow Cones, Los Helados
- Handmade: Woodturning Therapy, Udder Glow
- Also on the list: Craave House, Marggie's Shots, Mud Boys, Fayemas Foods, Nana's Catering, Two Hip Two Quit
The same listing describes what's on the tables: choripán, empanadas, skewers, conch fritters, sourdough and focaccia, cinnamon rolls and donuts, raw honey, fresh juice, oven-baked pizza, tabouleh and olives, plus soaps, body creams and candles. The handmade-goods stalls are the closest link to the woman her granddaughter called "quite 'crafty'" in the Community Newspapers report.
What's new this year
For 2026, the village is pairing the festival with an America's 250 celebration. The program includes a live band and a pop-up museum, along with the usual bounce houses and fall photo backdrop. The sponsors are Baptist Health, Audi Miami South by the Collection, and Nicklaus Children's Palmetto Bay Outpatient and Urgent Care Center.
The festival listing doesn't describe what the pop-up museum will display or who is putting it together. The village's 250th US Birthday Celebration page is the place to watch for details. It fits the setting either way. Barton helped bring the village into existence, and an event named for one of its "original pioneers" is a natural place for a history display.
How to spend the day
The festival runs noon to 3 p.m. and the market opens at 10 a.m., so arriving early gives you two hours at the market before the festival starts.
- 10 a.m.: Start at the market, with the produce stands, sourdough and focaccia, two hours before the festival opens.
- Before noon: Walk the rubberized loop on the park's east side, the trail that opened at the first festival.
- Noon: The festival opens with bounce houses, the fall photo backdrop, the live band and the pop-up museum.
- By 3 p.m.: On festival day, both the festival and the market are listed to close at 3, so lunch from the BBQ and pizza stalls is best handled before the band's last set.
Coral Reef Park's newer arrivals along Old Cutler Road are covered in our look at the year Palmetto Bay started feeling like a village again.
The rest of November on the village calendar
A few other village dates fall around the festival and are worth adding to the same calendar.
- Sunset Eats Night Market: Palmetto Bay Park, 17535 SW 95th Avenue. The village lists it on Thursday, November 5, from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m., and its description says it runs every Thursday with local food and live music. Our Thursday-night guide has more.
- Veteran's Day Breakfast: Wednesday, November 11, 7:45 to 10 a.m. at the Palmer Trinity Gymnasium, 8001 SW 184th Street. According to the village listing, veterans should RSVP by November 2, and space is limited.
- Deering Estate: Fall programming has moved while the Stone House is closed for restoration. Details are in our Deering fall guide.
Before you head out on the 15th, check the village's festival listing for any last-minute changes. The first festival was rescheduled because of weather, and a November date in South Florida can still bring rain.
Coral Reef Park is one of the places that makes daily life in Palmetto Bay what it is, and Dottie Barton helped make it that way. If the festival gets you thinking about what it's like to live a couple of blocks from a park like this one, Kelli Farrell is happy to talk through the streets around Coral Reef Park and what nearby homes offer. Let's Connect.
