The Englewood Farmers Market came back to Pioneer Plaza on Thursday, Oct. 1. According to the Englewood Chamber's listing, it runs from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Visit Sarasota lists the market's season as October through May, every Thursday on West Dearborn. So on Dearborn, the season has a start date.
Six days after the market reopened, Charlotte County closes Englewood Beach, Chadwick Park and Lemon Bay Sunrise Rotary Park. They stay closed through Monday, Oct. 12. About six weeks after they reopen, the county's estimated start date for a five-month renourishment of Manasota Key arrives. From now through spring, the beach is the part of Englewood with closures, work zones and repairs dated as far out as 2030. Nearly every fixed date on the town calendar sits on the mainland side of Lemon Bay.
Race Week Turns the Beach Into a Stadium
Englewood Beach Waterfest is in its 13th year in 2026. It's run by Englewood Beach Waterfest, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit staffed by more than 400 volunteers, and it draws an average of 32,000 spectators over race weekend. The weekend hosts the American Power Boat Association Offshore National Championship. It's the final stop for teams competing for the APBA US-1 National Championship and their last chance to qualify for the Key West World Championship, set for Nov. 1–8.
That's why the beach has to close for most of a week. The parking lot at Englewood Beach becomes Dry Pit 1 at 2100 N. Beach Road. This year a second 10-acre dry-pits site has been added at the Englewood Sports Complex, 1300 S. River Road, with room for about 40 more teams. Waterfest says the new site is built for the largest offshore classes, Class 1 and Super Cat, along with their support equipment. The 2026 additions also include a $50,000 race purse and two heavy-lift cranes for launching and recovering boats.
Here's how the week runs, per the race-week schedule printed in the Englewood Sun:
- Wednesday, Oct. 7: Englewood Beach, Chadwick Park and Lemon Bay Sunrise Rotary Park close through Monday, Oct. 12.
- Thursday, Oct. 8: Dry pits and registration open, and teams begin arriving.
- Friday, Oct. 9: The Inflatable Invitational starts at 10 a.m. at 2045 N. Beach Road. Entry is $5 cash, and children under 10 are free. Parking is at SandBar Tiki & Grille, and cars must be moved by 11:30 a.m. The Block Party on West Dearborn runs that evening from 5 to 10 p.m.
- Saturday, Oct. 10: Gates open at 9 a.m., and offshore racing runs from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
- Sunday, Oct. 11: Gates open at 9 a.m., and racing runs through mid-afternoon. The awards ceremony is from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at SandBar Tiki & Grille, 1975 Beach Road.
The race times are subject to change. Sunday's finish is printed differently in the Sun's schedule and on Waterfest's race-day page, so check the official schedule before you plan the afternoon.
There's no public parking at Englewood Beach or Chadwick Park on race weekend. Instead, Waterfest runs free Saturday and Sunday shuttles from the Elks Lodge and Lemon Bay High School. Regular buses run from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., and the ADA bus runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Both race days also include the Family Conservation Center, open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. with Mote Marine exhibits and children's activities. Waterfest's July announcement lists Conservation Village partners including the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the Lemon Bay High School Aqua Lab & Marine Club, Peace River K-9 Search & Rescue, the Englewood Conservancy and Sea Turtle Rescue.
Friday Night Brings the Race Boats to Dearborn
The one race-week evening open to everyone takes place on the mainland. Part of West Dearborn Street closes at 4 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 9, so teams can bring their boats in and set up. From 5 to 10 p.m., the public can see the boats up close and meet the crews. Food and drink vendors set up at Pioneer Plaza, and the Crossfire Creek Band plays. The Chamber's listing calls it a free community event, with dozens of food and retail vendors and race boats on display along the street.
The block party lands at the end of a busy few nights on the street. Englewood's on Dearborn has the Trey Wanvig Band on Oct. 7, the Chris Beard Band on Oct. 8 and the Panicmasters Band on Oct. 9. That last date is the same night the race boats line the street. Down the block, Chophouse285 by Farlow's is still on its first fall at 285 W. Dearborn. Keith and Laurie Farlow opened it in January 2026, according to the Business Observer. The Chamber's 12th annual Let's Eat! Englewood restaurant week ran Sept. 10–24, with three-course dinners for $42 and two-course lunches for $22. It's over now, but it filled the stretch just before the market returned.
What the Island Looks Like After the Boats Leave
When the beach reopens after the Monday, Oct. 12 closure ends, it's still partly fenced off from the hurricanes. Charlotte County's facility status page lists the Englewood Beach Boardwalk among closed amenities, and the Lemon Bay Sunrise Rotary Park canoe and kayak launch is listed as closed too. The county's recovery table for Englewood Beach and Chadwick Park shows a site that's partly finished and partly years away:
| Item at Englewood Beach and Chadwick Park | County status | Forecast completion |
|---|---|---|
| Parking lot and pavement repairs | Complete | Done |
| Playground and park amenities | Complete | Done |
| Buildings | Complete | Done |
| Erosion | Planning | May 1, 2027 |
| Pavilions | Design and permitting | Aug. 11, 2030 |
| Sidewalks, boardwalks, piers, dock | Design and permitting | Aug. 1, 2030 |
| Lighting | Pending FEMA | Not listed |
Some things are open. The Chadwick Park Fishing Pier is listed as open. The southern parking entrance at Englewood Beach reopened on April 2, 2025, with limited parking. Lock 'N Key, at 2045 N. Beach Road right across from the beach, advertises complimentary valet with Stumpy's Free Ride and Manasota Valet. That's useful when beach parking is tight. Farther south, Stump Pass Beach State Park is open from 8 a.m. to sunset. Its state park page has listed the pavilion as unavailable since Sept. 12, 2025. A separate county project on North Beach Road is designing an 8-foot sidewalk with decorative lighting, plus added drainage work. Design development is forecast to run through April 1, 2027.
Five Months of Sand
The biggest change to the island this winter is the renourishment. Charlotte County says Hurricanes Ian, Nicole, Idalia, Debby, Helene and Milton moved hundreds of thousands of cubic yards of sand off Manasota Key. The county calls the new project the second full-scale nourishment of the Manasota Key shoreline. It reuses the design template from the 2019/20 project and adds dune restoration at Chadwick Cove Beach Park. Construction is estimated to run from Nov. 23, 2026, to April 30, 2027.
The scale is in the county's numbers. The original survey estimated that the beach needed 400,000 cubic yards of sand. An updated survey in June 2026, taken after more winter losses, raised that to 590,000 cubic yards, and the July 22 hearing presentation says the 590,000 figure is the volume going into the bid documents. The July 22 hearing materials budget $21.92 million in construction and capital costs for fiscal 2027. They show $7.55 million in FEMA-obligated and state-awarded funding, with another $7.106 million in state funding pending. The county says the board approved moving ahead with the funding strategy at that hearing.
The county materials don't name a contractor, a sand source or a method yet. They also don't include a section-by-section schedule of when stretches of beach will be restricted. Nov. 23 is an estimated start, and the county project page is the place to watch for that schedule.
The Mainland Calendar Through December
While the shoreline is being rebuilt, every dated event between race weekend and the holidays is on the mainland:
- Every Thursday: Englewood Farmers Market at Pioneer Plaza on West Dearborn, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. per the Chamber.
- Saturday, Oct. 10: Family Fall Festival at Fellowship Church Campus, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- Saturday, Nov. 7: Cruisin' on Dearborn, the monthly first-Saturday car show, 1 to 6 p.m.
- Saturday, Nov. 14: Manta Market at Lemon Bay High School, 2201 Placida Road, with more than 90 vendors, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Saturday, Dec. 5: Holiday Arts and Crafts Show at the Englewood Sports Complex, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Saturday, Dec. 12: Manta Market returns to Lemon Bay High School, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The Englewood Sports Complex is where Waterfest's newest dry pits go in October, and in December it hosts the holiday craft show. Lemon Bay High School is a race-weekend shuttle stop and holds both Manta Markets. Pioneer Plaza hosts the Thursday market and the block party's food vendors. Over this fall, the same few mainland sites keep taking on events and services usually tied to the island.
Whether you're working out race-week logistics, timing a beach day around the renourishment, or thinking about how this year's rebuild affects a home on or near Manasota Key, Darrin Campbell and The Campbell Group follow Englewood closely, from the dry pits to the dune line. Request a Concierge Consultation and we'll walk you through what the season ahead means for your property.
