Coconut Creek's Kohl's Closes the Same Saturday Sabal Pines Hosts Its First Chili Cook-Off

Saturday, Nov. 14, is the last day of business for the Kohl's at 6950 N. State Road 7. That same afternoon, the city's free Fall Harvest Festival at Sabal Pines Park adds something it has never had before. The Women's Club of Coconut Creek is running its first Chili Cook-Off there, and every dollar from its $20 tasting passports goes to student scholarships and teacher grants.

The timing is a coincidence. Still, the two events sum up November in Coconut Creek. A national retailer is selling its building and pointing shoppers out of town. A 56-year-old civic club is starting a new tradition designed to keep money in the city. The rest of the month's calendar, from the Lyons Road shopping center to the twice-monthly market at Township Plaza, follows the same pattern.

What Leaves State Road 7

TAPinto Coconut Creek reported in September that Kohl's sold the building to Baptist Health South Florida for $53.5 million, in a deed recorded Sept. 2. Kohl's is leasing the space back through November. A company spokesperson gave TAPinto the timeline:

"We can confirm that Kohl's has sold the building housing its Coconut Creek, Florida store, located at 6950 N. State Road 7, and will lease back the property through November. The final day of operations will be November 14."

After the closing, Kohl's is sending customers to its Coral Springs store or to Kohls.com. Store associates can transfer to nearby locations or get transition support.

What happens to the building next is still an open question. A Baptist Health spokesperson told TAPinto the system is "evaluating future plans for the site." Kohl's lease runs through November, and after that the building belongs to a hospital system that has not said publicly what comes next.

If you have returns or store credit to use, or simply like to shop in person, your local window for this store closes Nov. 14.

What Opens at Sabal Pines Park the Same Afternoon

The Fall Harvest Festival runs from 2 to 6 p.m. at Sabal Pines Park, 5005 NW 39th Avenue. Admission is free for all ages. The city's listing includes the Paul Bunyan Lumberjack Show, the Women's Club Handicraft Fair and Chili Competition, kids' activities, photo opportunities, live music, and food and drinks for purchase.

The cook-off is the new part. As TAPinto described it, a $20 passport gets you one sample from every restaurant in the contest and one ballot for your favorite. Each competitor brings 5 gallons of chili made in its own restaurant kitchen, sets up its own tent and serves 3-ounce samples. Meat, beans, vegetables or any mix of them are allowed, with one entry per restaurant.

The club was still recruiting cooks in mid-October. Licensed, insured restaurants can enter, and the club's newsletter also invites food trucks and food-service businesses from Coconut Creek and nearby towns. Space is limited. Restaurants can call Laura at 954-756-1117 or email [email protected]. If a neighborhood spot you like isn't on the list yet, there is still time to tell them about it.

Where the $20 Goes

The Women's Club of Coconut Creek was founded in 1970 and calls itself the city's oldest civic group. It has given local students more than $350,000 in scholarships over the years. The club says that last school year it also paid off student debt at every school in the city and gave teachers grants for classroom supplies.

Every passport dollar goes into that same scholarship and teacher grant fund. A spending trip to State Road 7 sent money to a national retailer. A $20 passport at Sabal Pines sends it to the same fund behind the club's scholarships and teacher grants.

How the Afternoon Runs

The festival and the cook-off run on overlapping schedules. Here is the order, combined from the city listing and the club's plan:

1. 1:45 p.m. The free shuttle starts running from the Butterfly Lot.
2. 2:00 p.m. The festival opens, and Matthew Sabatella and the Rambling String Band play their first set.
3. 2:30 to 3:00 p.m. A panel of guest judges tastes the chili.
4. 3:00 p.m. First Paul Bunyan Lumberjack Show. Passport tastings open to the public.
5. 4:00 p.m. Second set from Matthew Sabatella and the Rambling String Band.
6. 5:00 p.m. Passport tastings close, and the second Lumberjack Show begins.
7. Before 5:30 p.m. The club names the winners of two awards. Club members pick the Ladies' Choice Award, and festival guests pick the Creek's Choice Award.
8. 6:00 p.m. The festival ends. Shuttles keep running until 7 p.m.

The 3 p.m. Lumberjack Show and the opening of passport tastings happen at the same moment. With a two-hour tasting window and a second show at 5, you can see one show and still get to every tent.

Parking Is Off-Site on Purpose

The city says parking at Sabal Pines Park is limited and asks visitors to use the free lot and shuttle. The shuttle leaves from the Butterfly Lot, 5280 NW 40th Street, directly east of Seminole Casino Coconut Creek, and runs from 1:45 to 7 p.m. If you ride a bike, the park will have a free bicycle valet station.

The Rest of the Calendar

Nov. 14 sits in the middle of a busy stretch of city events, and nearly all of them are free.

Movie in the Graveyard is tomorrow, Friday, Oct. 30, and it's free. TAPinto's preview has the details. If it rains on Veterans Day, the city says the ceremony moves to the Recreation Complex at 4455 Sol Press Boulevard. The Hometown Market runs on the first and third Saturdays at Township Plaza, next to Veterans Park. That makes Nov. 7 and Nov. 21 the two weekends on either side of the festival.

Where the Errands Are Landing on Lyons Road

The Kohl's closing takes away a one-stop errand. Meanwhile, the newest store openings in the city have come at the Promenade at Coconut Creek, 4467 Lyons Road, at the corner of Lyons and Wiles roads.

• Warby Parker opened Saturday, Sept. 26, next to European Wax Center and across from Sephora. It offers eye exams, prescription glasses starting at $95, sunglasses and contact lenses. Hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday.
• Crema Gourmet is a European-style cafe serving breakfast all day, coffee, juices, salads, sandwiches and pasta.
• RISE Modern Wellness offers cryotherapy, infrared sauna, red light therapy and IV drips.
• Mister O1 Extraordinary Pizza is still listed as coming soon on the Promenade's store page, with no opening date posted.

TAPinto's September roundup has more on each opening. A big-box closing on State Road 7 and a run of new shops on Lyons Road happening within the same few weeks change how a Saturday of errands looks. On Nov. 14, you could get an eye exam at the Promenade in the morning, take the shuttle from the Butterfly Lot after lunch, and vote for the Creek's Choice chili before the 5 p.m. Lumberjack Show.

Store closings and new openings like these change how the streets around a home feel day to day, and that matters when it's time to put a value on the home itself. If you're curious how this fall's changes in Coconut Creek affect what your home is worth, Power Duo Group can put the numbers together for you. Get Your Instant Home Valuation.