Greg here.

It's October in Florida, which means the rest of the country is posting leaf pictures and we're still negotiating with the air conditioner.

The railroad museum's pumpkin train is back on the calendar, Mixon's market is open again, and somewhere in Parrish a kid is sweating through a flannel shirt for a fall photo.

Our autumn doesn't need a rake. Works for me.

Here's what's happening around town this week.

Last week we told you the final vote was October 6.

That's what the county said at the time.

The revised agenda says Thursday morning is more likely.

If it passes, nobody can file for a data center in unincorporated Manatee for a year while staff write the rules.

Palmetto already passed its own one-year pause back in September.

Also on Tuesday's agenda: a discussion of the county administrator's contract, with no details posted.

Our take: if you're taking a morning off to speak, plan on Thursday, and check the county's agenda page the night before.

Story: Pulse of Manatee, Oct. 1 · First hearing: Manatee County, Sept. 22

Monday is a Record Day, so teachers work and kids stay home.

Friday, Oct. 9, is a normal school day, and it closes out the first quarter.

Report cards are coming.

Plan your face accordingly.

Calendar: 2026-27 district calendar (PDF)

Moccasin Wallow Rd, Segment 2: the county said "September 2026."

It's October 6.

The project's alerts page hasn't posted since the Labor Day notice on Sept. 2, and the last "bi-weekly" update was Aug. 17.

No finish notice, no new date.

Project alerts

Harrison Ranch Blvd at US-301: the Manatee ER at Harrison Ranch, 10820 US-301 N, is scheduled to open today, per the hospital's ribbon-cutting announcement.

The hospital's own page still says "Fall 2026," so call (941) 746-5111 before you count on it for anything but an emergency.

In a real emergency, call 911.

Manatee ER at Harrison Ranch · WWSB, Sept. 26

A community garden, location TBD: County Parks and UF/IFAS show their plans at the Parrish Civic Association meeting next Tuesday, Oct. 13, 6:30 p.m., in the media center at Parrish Community High, 7505 Fort Hamer Rd.

Which park, how big, and what it costs still aren't published, so this is the room to ask.

Pulse of Manatee

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Saturday, Oct. 10, is the busiest Saturday since school started.

Yard sale at sunrise, cows after lunch.

The Canoe Creek Annual Community Yard Sale runs 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. throughout the neighborhood, starting at 13437 Old Creek Ct, Parrish.

Gates open at 7:30.

Coffee, lemonade, and sweet-treat trucks will be parked inside, so you can sip and haggle.

Free to browse.

Parking isn't posted, so park like it's your own street.

Our take: the 7:30 crowd gets the kids' bikes and the good patio furniture.

The 12:30 crowd gets the VHS tapes.

Details: Parrish Civic Association calendar

10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 30771 Betts Rd, Myakka City, about 40 minutes.

Pulse of Manatee lists it at $20 a person; kids 5 and under are free, and parking is free.

Corn maze, pumpkin patch, sunflower U-pick, a hayride out to feed the cows, calf cuddling, milking demos, a pumpkin cannon, and lawn-mower races.

The Dakins have milked cows out there since 1973.

Our take: the milkshake at the farm market is the reason to make the drive.

The pumpkin cannon is the reason your kids will.

Details: Bradenton Area CVB · Pulse of Manatee, Oct. 1

Parrish Playworks brings Chuckleheads Improv to the Veranda Springs Clubhouse, 9815 US-301 N, 7 to 9 p.m.

$13 at the door, refreshments and snacks included.

The Oct. 2 show was free in the park.

This one has a roof and chairs you don't have to haul.

Details: Parrish Civic Association calendar

Saturday, Oct. 10, 6:30 to 8 p.m., at Beef O'Brady's, 8913 US-301, Parrish.

$20 cash at the restaurant, or $20 plus fees on Eventbrite.

Get a sitter.

This one isn't for the kids.

Details: Parrish Civic Association calendar

4600 24th Ave E (Oakhurst Rd), Palmetto, about 15 minutes.

Free.

Sunrise to sunset, every day.

There is no parking lot.

You park on the shoulder of 24th Ave E.

No dogs, period.

It's a conservation property.

About a mile of mowed-grass paths through ponds, wetlands, meadows, and pine flatwoods on 28 acres.

There's a bird blind with feeders, bluebird nest boxes, and portable restrooms by the shed.

Birders have logged 194 species out there, including painted buntings, great horned owls, and pileated woodpeckers.

The first-Saturday open house just happened Oct. 3.

The next one is Saturday, Nov. 7, 8 to noon, with a guided bird walk at 9.

Our take: go early, sit in the blind for 15 minutes, and keep the kids quiet with a bribe.

The birds show up once you stop moving.

Mowed grass at sunrise means wet sneakers.

Bring a dry pair for the car.

Hours and rules: Manatee County Audubon Society

15571 Rutland Rd, Parrish. (941) 518-4050, call or text.

Wednesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

$12 for ages 2 and up.

Under 2, free.

About 15 minutes, out on the east side where the rooftops thin out.

It started by accident.

During COVID, neighbors kept stopping by to see the animals on owner Devin Brinkley's property.

That turned into this.

Now it's goats, mini cows, emus, tortoises, pigs, rabbits, guinea pigs, turkeys, parrots, quail, peacocks, and a Patagonian cavy.

A lot of them just roam the park with you.

Farm-fresh eggs are for sale Wednesday through Saturday, and yes, there's Critter Yoga.

Fall Festival Saturdays are Oct. 10, 17, and 24: pumpkin patch, pony rides, face painting, local vendors.

That's $15 a person, ages 24 months and up, and tickets are sold by date on their site.

Festival hours aren't on the events page, so text before you go.

Our take: if your kid wants to actually hand-feed a goat, go on a quiet Wednesday.

If they want a pony ride and you want a pumpkin, go Saturday.

And look up the Patagonian cavy in the car.

You'll get asked.

Hours and tickets: Country Critters · Fall Festival dates · Discover Bradenton profile

You've driven past it a thousand times: the two-story stucco building at 12214 US-301 N, with the Tudor-style front door.

It went up in 1924 as Parrish's school.

All twelve grades, one building.

It replaced the first schoolhouse, which sat on land Crawford P. Parrish donated, according to the town's 1988 historical marker.

The school closed in the mid-1960s.

After that it was a library, a meeting hall, and a county rural health clinic.

In 1998 it shut down over code violations, and the roof and second floor started falling apart.

The county, the Parrish Foundation, and the School Board teamed up to restore it, and the YMCA ran it as the Parrish Community Center.

That job won a national county-government preservation award in 2010.

The YMCA closed it in 2020.

Then it went back to doing what it was built for.

Today it's FORZA Child Development Center, a preschool for 3- and 4-year-olds.

The restoration kept the original doors, floors, and interior windows.

In September 2024 it threw itself a 100th birthday and buried a time capsule.

One loose end: the Historical Marker Database lists the town's 1988 "Parrish" marker, placed in front of the old community center at 301 and 71st St E, as missing.

If you know where it went, hit reply.

Our take: wave from the car.

It's a working preschool, not a museum, so don't pull in for a photo at drop-off.

The county's award write-up dates the building to about 1926.

The schoolhouse itself celebrated 100 in 2024.

We're going with the birthday party.

Sources: SRQ Magazine, Sept. 2024 · NACo award write-up · HMdb: Parrish marker

Neutered male, black brindle and black mixed breed, about 58 pounds.

The county lists him at 3 to 4 years old, depending which page you read.

ID A127894.

He came in on March 8, 2025.

That's about 19 months, the longest stay of any dog still in a county kennel this week.

The shelter calls him lovable, silly, and eager to please, and says he'll trade anything for a belly rub.

A dog named Goofy shouldn't have to wait this long.

The county waives adoption fees once an animal passes 60 days, and Goofy passed that a long time ago.

Email [email protected] with his ID to confirm the fee and that he's still there.

The $20 county license is on top.

Where he is: Bishop Animal Shelter, 5718 21st Ave W, Bradenton, about 30 minutes.

Dogs are by appointment, Monday through Saturday noon to 5, Sunday noon to 4.

Also back at Bishop: Londy, our Sept. 22 dog, home from a foster stint, ID A138592.

Meet him: Goofy's listing · Londy's listing

If the data-center vote moves to Thursday, that's the third date we've printed for it, and we'll keep printing until somebody actually votes.

Until next week — stay gritty, stay healthy, and keep Parrish strong. — Greg.