What better way to celebrate autumn than with a visit to West Virginia’s only Pumpkin Park? Especially since this little known park is hosting a four-day festival in honor of the great pumpkin! Since 1986, the Town of Milton (population, less than 3,000) has transformed their small community into a pumpkin wonderland in honor of local pumpkin farming families. The WV Pumpkin Festival attracts more than 50,000 people from all over.
This year's event begins this week, on October 4 and runs through the 7th.
Most of the festivities take place over at Pumpkin Park (address is below) .
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The annual parade was held on Saturday in the streets of Milton, where locals and businesses welcomed the pumpkin harvest season with colorful floats and costumes.
The annual festival, now in its 22nd year, has grown to be perhaps the largest harvest fest in the Mountain State. Family-oriented activities fill the park, including a variety of youth-oriented activities, like the hay bale slides.
Arts and craftsmen will be among the many vendors, some of which will be doing demonstrations. Last year, the fire department sponsored a demo called the Firefighter Show.
And of course, no Pumpkin Festival would be complete without someone taking home bragging rights for growing the biggest and heaviest pumpkin of the harvest. Last year, Robert Cyrus entered this massive pumpkin that created a new state record. It weighed in at a whopping 1421 1/2 pounds!
The WV Pumpkin Festival is held at Pumpkin Park at 1 Pumpkin Way, Milton, WV. Tickets are: Thursday and Friday 9:00 a.m. – noon $5; Thursday and Friday noon – 9:00 p.m. $8; Saturday and Sunday Full Day Pass $10, children 5 and under are free. Learn more on the official website for the WV Pumpkin Festival.