Allen Fall Fest takes over St. Mary Drive on Saturday, Oct. 10, with five themed zones, live music, a petting zoo and a sold-out street-fair crafters market, all free to attend.

The festival runs from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 451 St. Mary Drive, in front of Allen Senior Recreation Center and Allen Heritage Village. Food trucks, concessions and crafters market vendors will sell on-site, but admission and activities cost nothing.

The city split the morning across five zones, according to its event page. The Fan Zone fills the Senior Recreation Center's main parking lot and front field with food trucks, picnic tables and live music. Next door, the Harvest Hangout on the west side of Allen Heritage Village hosts Park Hopper games and the annual RC Rally.

The Crafters Market lines St. Mary Drive itself. Every vendor booth is full, turning the closed street into an outdoor shopping corridor.

In the Harvest & Heroes Zone, families can play a free putt-putt course, watch recreation class demos and meet members of the Allen fire department and North Texas veteran groups. The Farm Yard rounds out the festival inside Allen Heritage Village with a petting zoo, storytime, farming demonstrations, a book sale, historical crafts and farm photo ops, plus its own live music stage.

The Allen Heritage Guild sponsors the event in part.

Getting there

According to the city's Fall Fest page, Cedar Drive at St. Mary will be closed to through traffic. Drivers should approach from N. Ash Drive. Parking is available at The Edge Recreation Center in Allen Station Park, with overflow at Allen Public Library. Shuttle service with accessible access runs between both lots and the festival grounds.

No specific musical acts have been announced. Vendors with questions about future markets or a waitlist can call Allen Senior Recreation Center at 214-509-4820.

The next City of Allen community event after Fall Fest is Wild Things Zoofari at Allen Public Library on Wednesday, Oct. 14.