Tasty dishes and products, trees, demonstrations and an open mic with poetry, themed after the focus of this one-of-a-kind Pasco County celebration, are at the helm of the third annual Florida Loquat Festival. As the state’s urban fruit, loquats — small, fuzzy, egg-shaped orbs — will be featured throughout the gathering in an educational as well as cultural context. New Port Richey’s Frances Avenue Park is set to host the loquat-driven fest (the only one in Florida, mind you), where folks will experience everything from seedlings and larger trees to fresh loquats and preserves from cottage food producers to presentations on harvesting and the popular loquat poetry salon. The first 100 festgoers (and more if possible) will score complimentary loquat seeds. Free. Mar. 26, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. 6156 Louisiana Ave., New Port Richey. ecologyflorida.org.
This article appears in Mar 17-23, 2016.