By Rob Cambias
The Ledger

AUBURNDALE - Bluegrass and downtown Auburndale have been inseparable for the past 18 years.
Until now.
The biggest free bluegrass music festival in Central Florida has outgrown its natal grounds downtown and is moving outside of the. city on U.S. 92 to International Market World.
Carl Allen, the annual event's organizer and cowboy-hatted emcee, said he wasn't left with any other choice. He had to leave behind the cramped gazebo, and there were increasing costs Auburndale would no longer absorb.
"I just needed more room," Allen said. "You just can't have it closed in like it was in City Park. I made up my mind to just move out. I saw where I had to. "
But that doesn't mean it was an easy decision for Allen.
"I hate to take anything away from the city and I hope I haven't done it,"said Allen, the owner of Allen's Historical Cafe and one of the town's links to its pioneer past.
Allen also writes a column for The Ledger.
The move comes after a disappointing festival in March. Performances were cut short on the opening night because of the "Storm of the Century," which blew down the tent, portable toilets and rows of lawn chairs. Also, visitors in motor homes had to pay $15 to $25 to park and hook up to electricity and some had to pay to park at Sun Bank.
"I guess they got a lot of the vendors and musicians upset," said International Market World President Vincent To, who has opened his property to Allen and the 20 or so bluegrass bands promising to come to the festival on March 18-20. "When half of your vendors and musicians are upset with you, that doesn't work too well."
City Manager Bobby Green said he had to put his foot down this year to protect the interests of taxpayers, who have had to pay for damage done by past festival-goers. Green said the drivers of RVs overloaded electrical circuits at City Park by plugging into outlets not designed for their uses.
"We want to be hospitable, but we also have to protect the needs of our citizens that use those facilities that were either shut down or knocked out of service," Green said.
City officials said they are sorry to lose the bluegrass festival, which draws between 10,000 and 20,000 people a year, but they don't believe the loss will be measurable to businesses around City Park. Because many out-of-towners arrive to the festival in motor-homes, they have been self -sufficient to a point, Green said.
"Probably the only businesses to miss it would be the restaurants, and they didn't get that much. I don't think it's going to be a severe financial impact," said Assistant City Manager Jim Drumm, who also serves as the secretary /treasurer of the Auburndale Main Street Redevelopment Association.
The flea market will be able to maintain one of Allen's selling points for the bluegrass festival, which has been dubbed The 18th Annual Florida State Championship. No admission will be charged and parking is free.
"This is good for people on fixed incomes to come in and see a real bluegrass show for free," Allen said.
"I think it's probably the best move I ever made -- going to the flea market."
Vince To has promised to build a 20-by-40-foot stage for the festival, which Allen said would be big enough to clog on.
And with To's penchant for promotion, he hopes more people than ever will turn out.
Market World pulls in between 50,000 to 100,000 people a week, To said. With the bluegrass festival being held on the property, he hopes to double past festival attendance words.
Before, they didn't have too much help promoting it, for one thing. All they had out on the side of the road was a little sign. We've already printed out 7,000 fliers and we'll probably' print it up again," To said.
In return for the favor, Allen, whose business is a virtual museum of the Florida cracker, is trying to help To establish an antique section at the flea market.
"It's going to be mighty nice to go down to the show, get tired of it and go to the flea market and then get tired of the flea market and go back to the show," Allen said.