For many, Halloween may be the best unofficial holiday of the year. And for the adjoining small towns of Ceredo and Kenova (a.k.a. Ceredo-Kenova and just simply C-K), Halloween is the biggest event of the fall season.
Any other time of year, these two small bedroom communities blend in with the rest of the state. They're beautiful, peaceful, and quiet.
But when Halloween rolls around... the excitement ignites both towns as they prepare for the annual C-K AutumnFest. The annual festival got an unofficial start way back in 1978 with a few carved pumpkins outside of one home.
Now, 40 years later, that same home is called the Pumpkin House and people travel from all over West Virginia to experience the magic. More than 3,000 hand-carved pumpkins are the highlight of the Pumpkin House, which is the centerpiece of this family-oriented festival.
Over the decades since those first pumpkins were placed outside the Pumpkin House, the festival has grown to monumental proportions and gets everyone in the communities all fired up about Halloween.
The enthusiasm is far-reaching. Businesses get in on the fun with amazing decor and even compete with one another for the coveted "Best of" titles handed out each year.
Residents decorate and compete in their own contest too. In a manner of speaking, both towns transform into a magical Halloween setting just for the occasion.
Generations of families have gotten to take part in turning C-K into an enchanted Halloween extravaganza each year. Whether taking part in the annual scarecrow contest, or just posing for pics with all of the bizarre scarecrows around town, the residents of Ceredo-Kenova love turning their home into the best West Virginia Halloween event of the season.
Don’t miss the old-fashioned bake-off (you can bet it features plenty of pumpkin-spiced everything), the annual parade, a car show, arts and crafts vendors and, of course, food vendors!
The dates for the 2018 festival and Pumpkin House display are October 26-27. Learn more on the official website for the C-K AutumnFest.
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