DUNDEE — What started as a giant pumpkin weigh-in 23 years ago at Harnica Kids Pumpkin Farms has grown into a fall festival romp.
Pumpkin Palooza takes place on Saturday, October 1st, promising a day full of free, fun activities for the whole family.
The Downtown Development Authority took over the event from John Hanika, who retired from hosting the event five years ago.
“Before we took over, it was in Dundee. As DDA, we decided we wanted to stay here in Dundee. We weighed and had vendor shows and then we had bigger vendor shows and food trucks and now we have pumpkin weighing this year we have 75 vendors coming and we have food trucks. We are providing free pumpkin carvings for kids, free bounce houses for kids until supplies run out,” said Mary Schultz, secretary of the DDA and president of Pumpkinpalooza.
The festival also includes a free petting zoo and pony rides for a minimal fee. The vendor show near the DDA Candy Stop Banner has trick-or-treat stops for kids. Children should stop by the Kiwanis area first.
“At stations[at Kiwanis clubs]where they play games with the kids, they hand out special goodie bags. You can get about a pound worth of trick-or-treat candy. rice field.
This year, many new vendors will join some of the crowd’s original favorites at the Vendor Show from 9am to 5pm.
Weigh-ins are at the Municipal Parking Lot at 350 W. Monroe St., along the north side of the Raisin River and across the river from the Old Mill Museum. Registration takes place from 9am to 10:30am and weigh-in starts at 11am.
For the heaviest pumpkin, first place is $3,000. 2nd place, $1,500. 3rd place, $750. 4th place, $500. 5th place, $200. 6th place, $100. 7th place, $75. 8th place, $75. 9th place, $50. 10th place, $50.
It will be much heavier than pumpkins this year. There are also prizes for the heaviest pumpkin, watermelon, field pumpkin, tomato, cantaloupe, bushel gourd and bone marrow. Howard Dill Award. Longest long gourd. The largest sunflower head. And the tallest sunflowers and corn.
For adults this year, World of Games is bringing an ax-throwing trailer and experts to the event. Closed-toe shoes are required. Cornhole tournaments are also held. Signup opens at noon and tournaments start at 2pm.
This year, beer tents are now open on Friday nights in addition to the regular Saturday nights. On Friday he’ll have Flyte on stage, and on Saturday Not Fast Enuff will be front and center, with music playing nearby from 7pm both nights.
There are also many cutouts that allow you to take comical and fun selfies.
“We’re trying to do everything for free here, except for one or two things, of course the beer isn’t free. Beer and coolers are paid for,” Schultz said. “But most of it is free, fun family entertainment, because when you become a family of four or five, you have to pick and choose what the kids can do. I try to make it free and fun to do things.”