Circleville Pumpkin Show facts for kids
The Circleville Pumpkin Show is a huge yearly festival in Circleville, Ohio. This town is about 30 miles south of Columbus, the state capital. The festival celebrates local farming, especially pumpkins! It's known as the biggest pumpkin festival in the United States. People even call it The Greatest Free Show On Earth. More than 400,000 visitors come to this four-day event, and it's completely free to get in.
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When is the Pumpkin Show?
The Pumpkin Show always starts on the third Wednesday of October. It runs until the following Saturday. Recently, they added a special preview night on Tuesday. This unofficial extra half-day is mostly for people who live nearby.
Where Does the Show Happen?
A few days before the festival, downtown Circleville gets ready. Streets are closed off to traffic. The show takes over more than 12 blocks of the city. This means some main roads, like State Route 56 and U.S. Route 22, have big detours. There isn't one big parking lot for the show. Instead, many local businesses, homes, and groups offer parking for a fee.
The Story of the Pumpkin Show
The first Pumpkin Show happened in October 1903. The mayor, George R. Haswell, started it. He set up a small display of pumpkins and corn outside his store. It was a way to celebrate the local harvest. People loved the pumpkins so much that they called it "The Pumpkin Show."
Over the next few years, local businesses helped the festival grow. By 1905, the first carnival ride was set up. Soon, it became a yearly event held right on the city streets. This helped bring in more people and make the festival even better.
The Pumpkin Show has happened every year since 1903. It even took place during the influenza outbreaks of 1918–1919. However, it was canceled for one year during World War I. It was also canceled for two years during World War II. In 2020, the show was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. By 2007, the Pumpkin Show was one of the six largest festivals in the United States. It brings over 300,000 people to Circleville each year.
Fun Traditions at the Show
Every Pumpkin Show officially begins with a weigh-in. This is where giant pumpkins from the area are measured. The biggest pumpkin ever weighed was in 2014. It was grown by Bob & Jo Liggett and weighed an amazing 1,964 pounds! Many pumpkins now weigh over 1,000 pounds.
Lindsey's Bakery makes the "world's largest" pumpkin pie every year. People sometimes wait over an hour just to see it! For the 100th anniversary in 2006, the pie had to be even bigger. The huge pie pan was so large it had to be moved outside into a tent.
Another old tradition is the pageant. This is where they crown the Little Miss Pumpkin Show Queen and the Miss Pumpkin Show Queen. The Little Miss Queen must be in first grade from a school in Pickaway County. The Miss Pumpkin Show Queen must be a junior or senior from one of the six local high schools. Once crowned, they lead all the parades for the rest of the event.
There are seven parades in total during the show. Two parades happen on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. There is one night parade on Saturday. These parades have fun themes, like the Pet Parade and the Baby Parade. Many local high school and middle school bands perform in the parades. The Ohio University Marching 110 band, known as "The Most Exciting Band In The Land," often performs. The Ohio State University Marching Band even came in 2006 and 2010. They marched in the parade and held a concert.
Cool Facts About the Pumpkin Show
The Pumpkin Show offers many different pumpkin-flavored foods. You can find pumpkin donuts, pancakes, burgers, and ice cream. There are also pumpkin cookies, fudge, brownies, and cream puffs. Don't forget pumpkin seeds and, of course, pumpkin pie! During the event, local sellers sell about 23,000 pumpkin pies. They also sell over 100,000 pumpkin donuts! Many other festival foods are available too.
The Pumpkin Show is so popular it even has its own song! It's called "The Punkin Show." M. W. "Burk" Burkhart wrote and composed it in 1952. People from over 34 states and 13 different countries have visited the festival in recent years.
- Houts, Kelli. "Pumpkin show hits century mark," The Lantern (Thursday, October 19, 2006): Arts 9.
