A familiar scene during Pumpkinfest 2018 as Chairman Brad Scott manoeuvers some giant vegetables from growers' vehicles in preparation for the weight off.
Hub Staff
Pumpkinfest Coordinator Joanne Robbins and Pumkinfest President Brad Scott delivered a delegation to Saugeen Shores Council at the September 9 Committee of Whole. Pumpkinfest will be entering its 33rd year in 2019 as well as celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Cinderella Carriage Car Show.
"There are 25 days, 14 hours, 13 minutes and 34 seconds, according to my website, away from Port Elgin Pumpkinfest 2019," began Scott, expressing his excitement as the Pumpkinfest team embarked on another year of the award winning festival.
“I’ve been doing this since I was 15 and I just turned 40” reported Scott. “I’ve been coming back here every year since I left school.”
Scott highlighted many of the returning elements of Pumpkinfest such as the Practically Hip concert taking place Saturday night behind the Queen’s Bar & Grill. “Tickets are going fast,” informed Scott. “You can get them online at our website, $15 in advance... $20 at the door.”
The Entertainment Stage will once again host Tim the Puppet Tamer Saturday night and several local bands throughout the weekend. Pumpkin carvers and wood turners will be back and Batman will be there showing off his Batmobile.
The much anticipated vegetable weigh-off will happen Saturday and Sunday. “Rumours are out there that we’re going to break 2,000 pounds this year on a pumpkin,” revealed Scott. “Last year we hit 1,959 pounds."
Active play for the kids will include bouncy castles, a hay bale maze and a climbing structure, pumpkin carving and crafts.
Robbins mentioned the Celebrity Seed Spitting Competition that is scheduled to take place after opening ceremonies and handed out practice seeds to council members to allow them a few weeks of training before the big event.
Robbins acknowledged and gave thanks to those she called "the unsung heroes."
“We forget people like the Carsons,” said Robbins “who have, for years and years, supplied the forklift drivers, brought the forklifts, lifted those pumpkins and for no real acknowledgement at all.” Robbins also mentioned the judges who work behind the scenes to co-coordinate the weigh-offs.
“I encourage everybody to go to pumpkinfest.org and look at our sponsor page and thank those people, because without them we could not do it," stated Robbins.
Mayor Luke Charbonneau expressed his gratitude to Scott, Robbins and their Pumpkinfest team who have made the event such a success year after year. Charbonneau helps each year with weighing the pumpkins and confessed his lifelong dream of weighing out a world record pumpkin.
Pumpkinfest is set to take place October 5 and 6.
Seven month old Max and his mother, Christine Mensher, came to the Saugeen Shores Committee of Whole meeting in support of a Pumpkinfest delegation delivered to Council September 9.
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