"As the parade passes by, flash a light from your dock." That line is from the listing for the first annual Haunting for Hunger Halloween Boat Parade on Florida's Adventure Coast, and it explains how the event works. Spectators don't gather at one spot to watch. The parade moves through the Hernando Beach canals on Friday night, and the homes along the water are where the donations come in.
The parade sets off this Friday, Oct. 30, at 7 p.m. On Saturday morning, a few miles inland, Weeki Wachee Springs State Park holds its first Witches Paddle on the Weeki Wachee River. Both events are new this year, and both happen on the water. The boat parade was organized by the same small group of Shoal Line Boulevard businesses that already shows up on the first Saturday of every month.
Four Canals, One Loop
The organizers published their route ahead of time, so canal-front households can tell whether the boats will pass their dock. As listed, the loop runs:
- Marlin Canal
- Cheeks Creek Canal
- Rock Bass Canal
- Tarpon Canal
- Back to Marlin Canal to finish
The Hernando Sun's event calendar lists the same route and start time. Neither listing names a public viewing area. The parade is built around docks along these four canals, not a waterfront grandstand.
Donating from a dock is simple. Flash a light as the decorated boats go by, and the last two boats in line will pull over to take your food donation. You get a Halloween treat in return. If you're off the route, you can drop items at Hernando Beach Motel & Boat Rental, the donation station named in the listing.
The request list is specific. It asks for canned fruits and vegetables, pudding or fruit cups, instant mashed potatoes, canned tuna, chicken or beef stew, canned pastas, soups, granola bars, peanut butter, jelly, peanut butter or cheese crackers, plain crackers and bottled water. The goal is $5,000 in cash and food to stock shelves for the holidays.
Where the Food Goes
Everything collected goes to People Helping People, the Hernando County nonprofit. It describes itself as interfaith and secular, and it runs the HELP Center at 1396 Kass Circle in Spring Hill. PHP runs four food programs: Sunday Blessings meals, Weekend Blessings food for children, monthly Senior Blessings grocery bags, and Neighborhood Blessings, which provides food and essentials for people without housing.
That explains the shelf-stable list. A can of beef stew or a jar of peanut butter handed over at a dock on Friday can end up in a weekend food bag or a senior grocery bag in November and December.
The Shoal Line Group Behind It
The sponsor list explains why a first-year parade came together so quickly. These are the sponsors the organizers thanked:
- Bottom Dwellers Scuba and Charter
- Marina Rose
- Silver Dolphin
- Whiteboard Travel/Cruise Planners
- Hernando Beach Motel
- Coastal Hernando Business Group
- Photography By Gay
- Front Porch Artwalk
Many of those names are already part of the area's monthly routine. The Hernando Beach Front Porch Art Walk runs on the first Saturday of every month, in collaboration with the Coastal Hernando Business Group, and its host address is Silver Dolphin Restaurant & Country Store at 4036 Shoal Line Blvd. The Art Walk is listed as a parade sponsor, and so are Silver Dolphin and the business group. The parade's one drop-off station, Hernando Beach Motel, is also a sponsor.
So the boat parade comes from a group with practice. The businesses that already turn Shoal Line into a gallery once a month have now done the same thing with the canals for one night in October. The Art Walk says it was created to give local artists a regular monthly chance to show and sell their work in Hernando Beach. The parade takes the same approach and applies it to a holiday food drive.
The listing also invites more people to take part. You can enter a boat, offer to host a donation drop-off, or become a sponsor.
Saturday Morning on the Weeki Wachee
The second event on the water starts the next morning, and it's run by a different organizer. Weeki Wachee Springs State Park, at 6131 Commercial Way, holds the first annual Witches Paddle on Saturday, Oct. 31, from 7 to 10 a.m. The paddle begins at 8 a.m. Florida's Adventure Coast lists Weeki Adventures as the host.
The park's event page has these details:
| Detail | Witches Paddle |
|---|---|
| Kayak rental | $60 |
| Bring your own kayak | $40 |
| Included | Breakfast buffet, participant medal, best-dressed contest |
| Not included | Park admission |
| Prizes | 1st, 2nd and 3rd place for best dressed |
According to Florida's Adventure Coast, breakfast includes buttermilk pancakes, scrambled eggs, applewood smoked bacon, breakfast sausage, roasted potatoes, fruit parfait, baked goods, coffee, tea and juice. Witch or wizard costumes are encouraged.
A few rules matter before you book. The person booking must be 18 or older. The river doesn't allow disposable items or alcohol, so bring reusable containers. Pets aren't permitted, except legal service animals. Reservations more than 15 minutes late are cancelled without a refund. Boats are due back two hours after your start time, and you need to cancel 24 hours ahead to get a refund. The booking page says children 11 and under paddle with an adult in a tandem kayak.
The park says space is limited. Weeki Wachee's boating FAQ notes the launch is capped at 70 boats per hour, so reserve ahead rather than plan to walk up.
The Witches Paddle also closes out a longer Halloween season at the park. Wild 'N' Wicked Nights ran on the last two weekends, Oct. 16–17 and Oct. 23–24, with an underwater Pumpkin King show and a haunted house. Those were evening events. The paddle takes the season onto the river in the morning.
The Weekend in Order
For anyone planning around more than one stop, here's how the next few days line up on the coast and inland:
| When | What | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Fri., Oct. 30, 4–9 p.m. | Hernando Beach Haunted House | 4340 Calienta St., Hernando Beach |
| Fri., Oct. 30, 7 p.m. | Haunting for Hunger Boat Parade | Marlin, Cheeks Creek, Rock Bass and Tarpon canals |
| Sat., Oct. 31, 7 a.m. breakfast, 8 a.m. paddle | Witches Paddle | Weeki Wachee Springs, 6131 Commercial Way |
| Sat., Oct. 31, 8 a.m. 5K, 9 a.m. walk | Responders First 5K & Family Fun Walk | Sand Hill Scout Reservation, 11210 Cortez Blvd., Brooksville |
| Sat., Nov. 7, 10 a.m.–2 p.m. | Front Porch Art Walk | Shoal Line Blvd., Hernando Beach |
The haunted house on Calienta Street opens three hours before the parade. Its listing describes a pirate theme that's mostly family friendly, plus a scarier room called the Butcher Shop. The Responders First 5K is on Saturday morning at the same time as the paddle, and Hernando County Veteran Services is supporting it.
Next Stop on Shoal Line Is Nov. 7
A week after Halloween, the Shoal Line group is back on its regular monthly schedule. The Front Porch Art Walk runs Saturday, Nov. 7, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Artists set up at Silver Dolphin Restaurant & Country Store, the Mermaid Lakes parking lot and Hernando Beach Yacht Club. Artists who want to take part can register through the Front Porch Art Walk's website. Nov. 7 also comes eight days after the parade, so it's a convenient time to thank Silver Dolphin and the other sponsors in person, a short walk from the canals.
Part of living near the Gulf is knowing which dock, canal or riverbank a local event happens on. If you're thinking about a canal-front home in Hernando Beach or anywhere along this stretch of coast, the team at Denise Heath can help you understand how each waterway fits the way you want to live. Let's Connect.
