Downtown Washington Group, Chamber to Host Pumpkin Pallooza

Downtown Washington, Inc. and the Washington Area Chamber of Commerce are teaming up for the first ever Washington Pumpkin Pallooza.

Although the event is not scheduled until this fall, residents are encouraged to plant their pumpkin seeds now.

“May is pumpkin planting time so we want to encourage people to plant those seeds so they can enter our giant pumpkin contest,” said Bridgette Epple, Downtown Washington Inc., executive director.

Pumpkin Pallooza will take place Saturday, Oct. 27, on Main Street between Elm and Cedar streets. The Farmers’ Market also will be open.

Mary Beth Rettke, tourism director, said a grand prize will be given to the grower with the largest pumpkin by weight.

Other activities are planned as well, including a lightpole decorating contest, pumpkin pie bake-off, scarecrow contest, scavenger hunt, zombie run, pumpkin seed spitting contest and pumpkin roll.

“This event will be great fun for the entire family,” Rettke said. “Organizers are hoping to garner state-sanctioning for the weigh-in event.”

Pumpkin Pallooza also will feature concessions and vendors.

Epple said the daylong event will replace Halloween Family Fun Night typically held the Friday night before Halloween.

“We will not have anything on that Friday night. We decided to try a longer event with more activities during the daytime hours,” she said. “We’ll still have a family and individual costume contest just like we did with Family Fun Night and a candy crawl for trick-or-treaters during the day.”

The event will run from 8 a.m. to about 4 p.m.

More information will be forthcoming as the event draws near, Epple said.

“We just want to get the word out about the new activities and to encourage people to plant those pumpkin seeds,” she said.