Proceeds from the Apopka Art and Foliage Festival continue to fund scholarships and local nonprofits each year, with more than $20,000 distributed back into the community following last year’s event. 

The Apopka Woman’s Club, in partnership with the city of Apopka, organized the annual juried festival at Kit Land Nelson Park, which saw over 100 vendors participate on Saturday and Sunday.  

While the event draws crowds for its plants, art and entertainment, organizers say its impact extends well beyond the weekend, supporting students, families and community programs throughout the year.  

“We raised over $20,000 that went back into the community,” said Joann Castillo, festival chair.  

Each year, the Apopka Woman’s Club awards multiple scholarships to local high school seniors – typically $1,500 each – along with an additional $1,500 scholarship for an adult woman returning to school. 

Funding from the festival also supports a range of local organizations and initiatives, including Shop with a Cop, Loaves & Fishes, Harbor House, youth sports teams, and other community-based programs. 

Organizers say the goal is to keep the funding local and responsive to community needs, with some money set aside for requests that arise throughout the year, such as helping a 4‑H group travel for a competition. 

Scholarship recipients are selected through an application process that evaluates their accomplishments, extracurricular activities and community involvement, with a panel of four to six reviewers scoring applicants before selecting the final recipients.  

Even with that structure in place, organizers say the need often exceeds what the festival can provide. 

“There’s always more in demand,” Castillo said, noting the high number of qualified applicants each year.  

For club leaders, the scholarship program is among the most meaningful outcomes of the event. 

“It’s wonderful,” said Diane Harrison, Apopka Woman’s Club president. “Some of the students said they wouldn’t be able to do it without this help.” 

The festival has supported scholarships and community programs since its inception more than six decades ago, with organizers working each year to increase fundraising through sponsorships and attendance. 

“I hope we make way more money so we can give way more scholarships,” Castillo said.  

The Apopka Art and Foliage Festival opened on Saturday with a ribbon cutting to kick start the weekend.  

This year marks the final time the festival’s opening ceremony will take place at the park gazebo, located in the heart of the park. The Woman’s Club was responsible for building the gazebo.   

Next year, the opening ceremony will take place in the new $250,000 gazebo located in the northeastern corner of the park. Construction on the structure began last autumn with a design to resemble the amphitheater at Northwest Recreation Complex.  

The current gazebo will eventually be torn down, former Mayor Bryan Nelson said in a previous Apopka Chief interview.  

“For those of you that don’t know, the Woman’s Club is responsible for building the gazebo, so I thought it fitting that we do our last opening ceremony here to say goodbye, and next year we’ll be in that beautiful new amphitheater that’s across the way,” Castillo told the crowd.