The annual award-winning Pumpkinfest is just around the corner on October 4th and 5th and, this year, it is celebrating 40 years.
In an exciting announcement on Thursday, July 17th, Huron-Bruce MPP Lisa Thompson announced that Pumpkinfest has received over $54,000 from the province. The announcement was made at the official Pumpkinfest pumpkin patch at the Smith Apple and Farm Market outside Port Elgin hosted by owners Cameron and Chloe Bierer with new family addition Eleanor Rose.
“This makes a huge difference,” said organizer Joanne Robbins who added that this year’s event will be a return to ‘Pumpkinfest roots’.
“This funding will help with all the infrastructure so that more can go to free stuff for the kids,” she explained, “and without it, we might have had to cut corners.”
The event draws thousands of people to Port Elgin each year where giant pumpkins and vegetables are weighed as hopeful growers try to break world records. From the very young to the young-at-heart, the festival has something for every age over two days of family fun – from the Classic Cinderella Car Show, the largest in southwest Ontario, to the midway, the weigh-ins, entertainment, food and … the list goes on.
Robbins added that all the music this year will feature local bands. “We want this 40th celebration to be one for the whole community.”
“Pumpkinfest is a way to celebrate agriculture and bring together a community. It’s a celebration of Saugeen Shores and for enthusiasts who pride themselves o nhe bounty that they grow and reminds us why harvest matters and why community matters,” said MPP Thompson. “Joanne and the Board and volunteers have been successful in accessing funding by meeting criteria such as relevancy to the community and how it will impact the tourism experience.”
“From only a few men getting together to weigh pumpkins, we have evolved into a two-day event,” says President Doug Court. “We have good food, entertainment and, of course, the weigh-ins. We are part of a global body with competitors in Great Britain, German and even South Africa. This is all about family fun, second to none!”
