Houston celebrates 40 years of all things pumpkin
Observer-Reporter
The pumpkin decorating station is a big draw for young artists and their parents. Logan Titchenell, then 2, decorates his find at the Houston Pumpkin Festival with his parents, Ginny and Charles.
Molly Lanigan, then 8, of Houston scales the rock climbing wall with ease during the 2021 Houston Pumpkin Festival while her mother, Jessica Ali, and her brothers, Kieran and Rowan, watched her from the safety of the ground. The rock climbing wall is a favorite attraction at the annual festival.
In this file photo from 2021, Makenzie Hull, then 9, and her brother Evan, then 6, see just how tall they are this fall at the Houston Pumpkin Festival. The kids, both of Washington, attended the festival with their grandmother Kathy Hull, who was visiting from New Jersey.
In this file photo from 2018, Matthew Egizio, then 2, of North Strabane Township, checks out the animals at a petting zoo at Houston无毛视频檚 Pumpkin Festival.
Teo Zatta and Teresa Bukmanic, both of Washington, dance to the music of 无毛视频淔ive Guys Named Moe无毛视频� during a prior Houston Pumpkin Festival.
In this file photo, a Canonsburg boy patrols for candy during the Houston Pumpkin Festival parade.
The parade is always a big draw at the Houston Pumpkin Festival.
The pumpkin pie eating contest is part of the fun at the Houston Pumpkin Festival.
One year, the Houston Pumpkin Festival hosted a duck race in Chartiers Creek, and the rubber duckies floated all the way to Carnegie, laughed Charles Meddings, a firefighter who serves on the festival planning committee.
Festival planning committee members Charles "Buzz" Meddings, Darlene Taylor and Jonathan Taylor stroll down memory lane, admiring the several scrapbooks Darlene has put together that chronicle the Houston Pumpkin Festival's history. "I love being a part of it," said Darlene. "I'm proud of it."
While Pike Street is no longer covered in hand-painted pumpkins ahead of the Houston Pumpkin Festival, the artistry is detailed in the event's history books, put together and maintained by Darlene Taylor.
On the pages of Darlene Taylor's Houston Pumpkin Festival scrapbooks are snippets of parades past, including this image of the "batty" Red Hat Society from Washington, Pa. The purple F-150 was driven by Aaron Mansfield, whose wife, Nora, back right, designed the poster and pumpkins.
Many falls ago, before pumpkin spice became a season, the streets of Houston, Pa., closed down for a small seasonal celebration.
After a decade of welcoming larger and larger crowds to Pike Street and, more importantly, the less-than-a-square-mile town, the Houston Pumpkin Festival committee, founded by former mayor Henry Polinski, passed the party-planning reins to the local fire department.
无毛视频淭he fire department took it over in its 11th year,无毛视频� said Jonathan Taylor, a member of both the Houston Volunteer Fire Department and the pumpkin festival planning committee. 无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 a rain-or-shine event. It kind of showcases the community. It无毛视频檚 a lot of fun: three nights with a lot of friends. I无毛视频檒l see people at that festival that I might only see at that festival, past acquaintances and people I worked with. That might be the only time I see them a year.无毛视频�
Each year, an estimated 50,000 people flock to Pike Street to celebrate all things autumn. Of course, that number has grown steadily over the years. When the fest outgrew busy Pike Street in the mid-90s, the fire department moved the fun to the Houston American Legion grounds, where the 40th annual Houston Pumpkin Festival kicks off at noon Friday, Oct. 13, with the traditional opening ceremony, followed by the crowning of the festival prince and princess.
无毛视频淭he Chartiers-Houston School District band does the opening ceremony and we crown a prince and princess, kids from Allison Elementary School,无毛视频� said Darlene Taylor, the festival无毛视频檚 historian and fearless leader. 无毛视频淎nd then the youth cheerleaders from C-H perform.无毛视频�
The festival runs from noon to 7 p.m. Oct. 13, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Oct. 14 and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 15. For three days, more than 175 area vendors set up shop on the expansive Legion grounds, selling everything from crystals and stones to tumblers, from crafts to furniture and home decor, and other items made with love.
Food trucks, including Johnny无毛视频檚 Seafood Shack, JD无毛视频檚 Kettlecorn and Stone Church Acres Farm (who无毛视频檚 adding all things apple to this year无毛视频檚 pumpkin fest) will also be on site. A favorite foodie stop is the Houston firemen无毛视频檚 booth, where every year first responders dish up funnel cakes, serve pizza slices and sell pumpkin festival apparel.
无毛视频淲e have a different T-shirt every year, and some people come that have bought one every year,无毛视频� Jonathan said.
Live entertainment will keep people无毛视频檚 toes tapping throughout the three-day event, including the Canon-McMillan Steel Band and the Gus is Us Duo at 1 p.m. Saturday and 4 p.m. Sunday, respectively.
Throughout the long weekend, attendees can scale new heights at the rock climbing wall, pick and decorate pumpkins or compete in the third-annual Scarecrow Contest. The contest is open to families, businesses and organizations who decorate a scarecrow for display during the festival.
Visitors often pose for selfies with their favorite scarecrow and contribute a cash donation to that piece无毛视频檚 voting box. Donations go toward fire education, and winners receive prizes.
无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 been a lot of fun,无毛视频� Darlene said.
While every moment of the Houston Pumpkin Festival is a highlight, some events shine brighter or harken back to fests of old.
无毛视频淭he parade无毛视频檚 been a constant since the beginning,无毛视频� said Jonathan.
At 10 a.m. Oct. 14, the 40th annual parade will wind down Pike Street from Shady Avenue to Cherry Avenue. The parade lasts about an hour and includes a variety of floats, musical acts and candy for young spectators to collect.
The pumpkin pie eating contest is also a time-honored tradition that draws a big crowd (cash prizes are awarded for the three fastest eaters).
无毛视频淵ou无毛视频檙e twisting people无毛视频檚 arms to get into it. It无毛视频檚 an eight-inch pie, and it无毛视频檚 the speed in which you can down it. It无毛视频檚 gross,无毛视频� Darlene laughed. 无毛视频淏ut the crowd absolutely loves it.无毛视频�
Part of the festival无毛视频檚 charm is that the event changes annually while staying true to its core: it无毛视频檚 always pumpkin-centric, with lots of pumpkin things available for purchase near the festival entrance. The festival committee works hard to make each year spectacular. In the past, the festival has hosted wacky stunts including seed spitting contests, haunted houses and hayrides, gigantic pumpkin live carvings and bed races.
无毛视频淭hey would shut the street down for it,无毛视频� Jonathan said with a smile. 无毛视频淚t was a team of three or four. You built your bed, decorated 无毛视频� it had to be on wheels. They would go one block and then you had to sop, turn the bed around and put a different person on the bed and then finish (the race).无毛视频�
In the pumpkin festival无毛视频檚 younger days, the fire department shut down Pike Street and painted the town orange 无毛视频� literally.
无毛视频淏efore the intersection was this large, we would actually shut the intersection down for a couple hours and (a local art teacher) would hand-draw a big scene or something on the street. It was awesome,无毛视频� said Charles 无毛视频淏uzz无毛视频� Meddings, a firefighter who has been involved with the festival since its inception. 无毛视频淭hen we would paint pumpkins going each way, Main Street, Pike Street. We put cornstalks on all the light poles. We don无毛视频檛 paint the streets anymore.无毛视频�
But Houston does come to life in October, when the town is dressed in autumn colors just in time for the Pumpkin Festival. Many festival-goers don无毛视频檛 realize the nostalgic, family-friendly event is the Houston Volunteer Fire Department无毛视频檚 biggest fundraiser of the year, the thing that keeps its doors open and its equipment up to standards.
无毛视频淲e used to ride on the back of fire trucks and we never had a breathing mask. You wrapped a handkerchief around,无毛视频� Meddings said, recalling his early firefighting days. 无毛视频淩equirements now for fire service are 无毛视频� pretty hard to keep up with, monetarily.无毛视频�
Houston VFD is hoping to replace its 30-year-old truck with a brand new engine, and this year无毛视频檚 festival will play a key part in that upgrade.
无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 time to replace it. We无毛视频檙e looking at an $800,000 engine. When you throw that price out there 无毛视频� that无毛视频檚 a lot of funnel cakes,无毛视频� Jonathan said.
Unlike surrounding fire departments, Houston does not receive funding from casinos or a large tax base; the borough boasts a population of about 1,200. That无毛视频檚 why the festival is so important: not only does it bring the community together, but it helps to keep residents safe.
无毛视频淎 town this size cannot support a fire department,无毛视频� Jonathan said. 无毛视频淲e live or die by it.无毛视频�
And people, well, they live for the pumpkin festival.
无毛视频淲hen it all comes together and you see all the people interacting and working together, sure makes you proud,无毛视频� said Meddings. 无毛视频淚t just keeps evolving, and we love it.无毛视频�
For more on this year无毛视频檚 Houston Pumpkin Festival, visit http://www.houstonpumpkinfestival.net/.