25-05-2025
LakeFest brings family fun to DeFuniak Springs
WALTON COUNTY, Fla. (WMBB) – Lakefest began in 2014 to bring more activities to Lake DeFuniak, located in Chipley Park.
'We have such a beautiful gem in the middle of our town. This lake is perfectly round. And we were not utilizing it. So I came up with a proposal to see if we could have some activities, family day here, and the city took it and ran with it,' Lakefest Volunteer Coordinator Marie Hinson said.
It is in the heart of downtown Defuniak Springs, bringing more visitors to the area.
'A lot of people will come to this event, have never seen this lake before. And so it's always a big part of the conversation,' Defuniak Springs Mayor Bob Campbell said.
Lakefest was supposed to be held two weeks ago, but it was rained out.
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'If the weather is a little iffy, then it's going to be mighty skimpy,' Campbell said.
The new date didn't stop visitors from showing up for family fun.
This year's celebration included duck races, a cardboard boat competition, a car show, and a skydiving performance. There were also food vendors, bouncy houses, and swimming.
Students from Walton Middle School were there to promote their effort to build a tractor museum.
'We have actually $5 million worth of John Deere and Caterpillar tractors that are fully restored, and they're willing to sell it to us for only $1.2 million. And so we're out here trying to get donations right now to try and get a type of ag center here in Walton County, because normally you have to travel somewhere to get something for agriculture. But it would be nice to have something here, right here in Walton County,' Walton Middle School FFA President Hailey Caldwell said.
Defuniak Springs' next celebration will be their 4th of July parade and fireworks show.
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