Lets Stroll, Not Scroll For Fall Feels On The Space Coast
Lee Nessel, right, and daughter, Ella Grace Helton, run a race in October 2023.
Fall on the Space Coast means different things to different people, but surely we all can agree it brings more refreshing weather and encourages more outside activities. I’ll take a dry 80 degrees over a humid 92 any day.
It’s a refreshing change for the running community, which my family joined for the first time this year. My daughter, Ella, put “Run a race” on her 2023 vision board, so we made the first one happen in January, at the inaugural Manatee Hustle 5K.
Seventeen races later… we are members of Space Coast Runners (SCR); she’s also doing the SCR kids running series, which takes place at various Brevard high school tracks; and we’ve pounded the pavement over causeways, through neighborhoods and along our area’s beautiful ocean and waterways from Titusville to Vero Beach.
And we’re sweating a little less doing it right now.
I always feel a sense of pride when I hear EverythingBrevard mentioned by the event announcer as a sponsor of the Space Coast Runners Runner of the Year Race Series.
“This event aligns perfectly with our EverythingBrevard.com good living brand,” said EverythingBrevard CEO and Publisher Tracy Stroderd. “We love championing events that bring our community and families together. Healthy living is a top priority. We believe that LOCAL matters.”
It is exciting for my family to be in the mix with hundreds and sometimes thousands of other runners that include school groups, young kids, parents pushing strollers, and seniors into their 80s. Truly inspiring!
Stroll, Don’t Scroll
The “cooler” weather also means it’s more pleasant to shop and visit the historic retail and arts hubs that make Brevard unique. From Downtown Melbourne to the Eau Gallie Arts District to Historic Cocoa Village to Cocoa Beach and the beachside communities, every weekend in fall brings festivals, markets, shopping experiences and more. A perusal of the EverythingBrevard events calendar will make sure you’re not sitting home bored.
Events like Historic Cocoa Village’s Shop Small Sip & Stroll and Historic Downtown Melbourne’s Candlelight Shopping make it easy to visit many small businesses in one stroll, meeting the artisans and entrepreneurs that give our home its vibrance. It’s easy to scroll your phone and shop online, but it’s more fun to go out and visit small businesses and find unique gifts. When something is handmade or curated by a neighbor, it just feels better purchasing and gifting it.
Many shops in the historic shopping districts host several artisans. For example, when you walk into B&B Candles & Soaps in Cocoa Village, not only will you find owner Bethany Macarthur’s handmade candles and soaps, but also unique items from 15 other artisans. The products include artwork, greeting cards, pottery, jewelry, bath products, haircare, fiber creations, bags, wood and home decor, dog items, keychains, hair accessories and more.
The 26th Annual Giant Christmas Bazaar at Suntree United Methodist Church not only is a popular shopping event to discover local artists’ and makers’ creations, but this year also will feature handmade bowls, ornaments and bags that have traveled all the way from Rwanda, created by orphans partnered with Suntree United Methodist Church through the Zoe Empowers organization. Kids can write a letter to Santa, have some baked goodies and everyone enjoys the holiday atmosphere.
Follow EverythingBrevard on social media and subscribe to our monthly newsletter to keep up with all the creative and innovative people and businesses on the Space Coast.
Remember with the onslaught of marketing you’ll be bombarded with as we head into Black Friday and Cyber Monday that Small Business Saturday is a HUGE milestone for our neighbors. But you don’t have to think about them one day a year. Keep them in mind next time the weather is nice and you want to go for a stroll.
Look up & Enter Events
The extensive EverythingBrevard events calendar is free for you to search events. Have an event to share? Visit the calendar page and click “SUBMIT AN EVENT.”
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