By Kyle Coppola
Weirsdale’s Wayside at Cottom Farms Hosting Fall, Christmas Events
Cottom Farms, a family-owned and operated farm in Weirsdale, is preparing to welcome the community for a series of seasonal events beginning Oct. 11.
Known as Wayside at Cottom Farm, the 70-acre property has been a fixture in Marion County since the 1970s, serving not only as farmland but also as a popular wedding and event venue.
The Oct. 11 celebration will feature a vendor fair with local businesses, food trucks, train rides, bounce houses, and a candy walk offering trick-or-treating around the vendor area. Families can also enjoy free face painting, and admission to the event is free.
(After the fall festival, Cottoms will get ready for their annual Festival of Trees and Christmas Village located at 4650 Marion County Road.)
Following the fall festivities, Cottom Farms will transform into a holiday destination with its annual Christmas experience. More than 50 acres of the property will be decorated for the season, including a Christmas village and a fully adorned manor house. Guests can enjoy hayrides through the lights and visit Santa and Mrs. Claus, who will appear on weekends and during the week leading up to Christmas.
New this year, the Christmas events will also include holiday-themed bounce houses and an obstacle course, adding to the lineup of family-friendly activities.
For generations, Cottom Farms has blended its agricultural roots with a community focus, and the upcoming events are set to continue that tradition for families across Central Florida.
(Breakfast with Santa returns on Saturday December 13.)
Kyle Coppola was born in Newton, Massachusetts and received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Communications from Curry College in 2016. After traveling to Florida on a family vacation, he decided he could not get enough of the warm weather and made the move from snowy Massachusetts to central Florida 8 years ago.
For the last decade Kyle has gained valuable experience in social media content creation, marketing and sales, writing, video production, sports announcing and even broadcasting for local radio stations, such as FM 102.9 in The Villages and FM 91.5 in Massachusetts. Every year he volunteers at The Villages Charter High School as a play-by-play sports announcer for the football games as well as a public address announcer for the basketball games, including the annual Battle at The Villages Tournament.
Outside the office Kyle is a husband and father to two beautiful girls along with their cat. In his spare time he likes to spend time with his family, travel, play golf and swim. He is also a huge sports junkie and even bigger motorsports fan and loves to attend racing events when he can.
