Why You’ll Love the Circleville Pumpkin Show

I’ll be the first to admit, Halloween is not my favorite. The appeal of the holiday was lost on me when I became too old to go door to door and get free candy just by asking nicely. But I do in fact love this time of year for the crisp air, the cool temperatures, nights by the bonfire and, of course, pumpkin-flavored treats.

Pumpkins and all the delicious recipes that come from there are celebrated at the Circleville Pumpkin Show (Oct. 15 through 18) each year. This fall celebration of community started in 1903, when Mayor George Haswell set up a small display of jack-o-lanterns on Main Street. This humble beginning grew into a showcase of giant pumpkins, live music, vendor booths and homestyle food in what is likely one of the last outdoor street fairs of fall.

Returning to this show each year is a slice of nostalgia for me. When I played clarinet in my high school’s marching band, we would travel an hour and some change south just to be in the annual parade of bands on Thursday night of the show. My freshman experience there was a flashbulb memory; maybe it was the smiling older ladies selling chicken and noodles with a hearty scoop of mashed potatoes from their tent to raise money for the community, or tasting pumpkin ice cream for the first time (the strangest ice cream flavor I had encountered to date.)

What I think it really was though, was the community spirit. People everywhere had on their best and brightest orange and wore these little orange berets with a green felt stem on top. They rallied around the towering pumpkin tree and stood in awe at the huge pumpkins in the center of town. Don’t get me wrong, I did too.

For more information about the Circleville Pumpkin Show, which runs Oct. 15 through 18 this year, visit pumpkinshow.com.

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