100th Circleville Pumpkin Show in Circleville, Ohio, USA

The Circleville Pumpkin Show attracts over 400,000 visitors to this small Midwest community of 12,000 people. Visitors from all 50 states and many foreign countries come to see giant pumpkins, parades, entertainment, contests and sample pumpkin-flavored delicacies.

Highlights:
The 100th Annual Circleville Pumpkin Show kicks off on Wednesday, Oct. 19 with area pumpkin growers vying for the coveted Giant Pumpkin Champion trophy (often described as Circleville?s answer to the Stanley Cup). The current Giant Pumpkin record is 1,353 pounds, grown by Circleville’s Dr. Robert Liggett.

Jerry Ayers, 66, one of the world’s fastest pumpkin carvers on record, is expected to attempt to establish a world record for carving 100 pumpkins in record time. Ayers holds the Guinness World Record for the fastest time to carve one ton (2,000 pounds) of pumpkins (7 hours 11 minutes in 1999) and his record for carving a single pumpkin is 1:18 seconds.

Bakers at Lindsey?s Bakery in Circleville will attempt to bake the world?s largest pumpkin pie. Last year, their pumpkin pie weighed 400 pounds and stretched 6 feet in diameter and took more than 100 pounds of cooked pumpkin, 40 pounds of sugar, 26 gallons of milk, 15 dozen eggs, 4 pounds of cornstarch, 1 ? pounds each of pumpkin spice and salt, and 42 pounds of pie dough.

The Circleville Pumpkin Show is filled with family entertainment including live music, seven parades (each with a different theme), amusement rides and over 300 food booths, games and craft vendors. In addition to its Pumpkin Show Queens pageants, the Pumpkin Show also features fun, crowd-pleasing contests including Pumpkin Pie Eating, Pumpkin Toss, Hog Calling, Big Wheel Racing, Egg Tossing and a pet contest.

Pumpkin-related foods are crowd favorites including: pumpkin pies (more than 23,000 sold), donuts (over 100,000 sold), cookies, burgers, taffy, ice cream, cake, waffles, fudge, soups, pizza, pumpkin blossoms and more. More than 100,000 pounds of pumpkins, squash and gourds are also featured in street displays.

A landmark that is unique to Circleville is the pumpkin-shaped water tower. The city?s one-million-gallon water tower is painted orange using 1,300 gallons of paint. A stem was also added for authenticity.

Contact:
For information on the Circleville Pumpkin Show visit www.pumpkinshow.com or call the Pickaway County Visitors Bureau at 1-888-770-7425.

Area Attractions:
Wittich?s Candy (117 West High St., Circleville)
Operating since 1840, Wittich?s Candy is the oldest family-owned and operated confectionery in the U.S. The company specializes in handmade chocolates and features a 1946 Bastian-Blessing soda fountain so visitors can enjoy the nostalgia of old-fashioned ice-cream sodas, as well as milkshakes and sundaes of today. Call (740) 474-3313 for more information.

Ohio?s Small Town Museum (34 Long St., Ashville)
This must-see museum has been nationally recognized on Oprah and is an eclectic collection of small-town memorabilia. The Museum is open to the public free of charge all year from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Call (740) 983-9864 to arrange a tour.

Renick?s Family Market (14080 US Rte 23, Ashville)
A site on the National Register of Historic Places, Renick?s Market hosts bluegrass concerts, corn roasts and build your own scarecrow projects in the fall. For more information call (740) 983-3096.

Places to Stay:
Complete a visit to Ohio with an overnight stay at nearby Deer Creek Resort &
Conference Center (20635 Waterloo Rd., Mt. Sterling) or rent out their Harding Cabin, which was once a presidential retreat. For reservations, visit www.ohiostateparks.org or call 1-877-678-3337.

An elegant turn-of-the century mansion, The Castle Inn (610 South Court Street, Circleville), offers the warmth of a bed & breakfast with the privacy of an Inn. Inspired by several European castles, The Castle Inn was built in 1898. For reservations visit www.castleinn.net or call toll-free (800) 681-3158.

May 10, 2006   Posted in: United States NorthEast