Pumpkin Daze Fall Festival a smash hit

The Pumpkin Daze Fall Festival, a two-day festival which was hosted by the Pumpkin Daze Committee, the Kiwanis Club of Republic and the City of Republic, was held in Republic’s J.R. Martin Park on Friday, Sept. 30 and Saturday, Oct. 1. An estimated 25,000 people attended the two-day mega event, which combined Pumpkin Daze and the Kiwanis Club Fall Festival.
The gala included events from both festivals, including a produce growing competition, a tractor pull, Kiwanis bingo, food and craft vendors, live music, Kiwanis inflatables, the pet parade and the crowning of the Kiwanis Queen.
Tony Taylor, vice-president of the Pumpkin Daze Committee, said the new festival saw about 200 vendors as well as more musical performers than in the Pumpkin Daze of years past. He described the combined efforts of his committee, the Kiwanis Club and the city a “wonderful collaboration.”
“It has been nothing but wonderful,” he said.
Taylor also said he believed the organizations were able to work together because the Kiwanis Club and Pumpkin Daze share similar goals and values.
“Both organizations are all about family and kids and raising money to help the community,” he said.
Justin Hart, president of the Kiwanis Club, said combining the events had motivated more people to volunteer their time to help with the festival and allowed Kiwanis to add a special children’s area by the vendors.
“I think it increases our number of volunteers … (and) we added a kids event, which there hasn't really been before, and so now parents can … come enjoy the craft side of it but also take their kids and do a whole new event.”
Hart also said combining the event had allowed the organizations to reach more people and raise more funds for their causes than they would have in the past.
“I think we saw more people,” he said, “and I think I don't have a final total yet, but I think we raised more than we typically would over our normal fall festival.”
Perhaps the best part of combining the festivals, Taylor said, was that it gave families a new way to spend time together.
“What I really enjoyed this year,” he said, “is I got started looking around, and I noticed that there were families sitting having picnics. You know, if you go to most craft fares at most places like this, and even when we were here downtown, it was a craft fair; you just walked up and down the street, and that's all you could do. But here … instead of a craft fair, it's a family fair, because people were having fun with their families. I saw them playing games over in the park, and different vendors had the ability to have their yard games out. They were just playing; it wasn't like it was a hard pressure sell, like ‘Hey, come and listen to my sales pitch’ (sort of thing). That was one of the neat things I really noticed this year.”

This year’s produce winners:

Adult pumpkins:

1. Shr-Lyn Cline, 1,464 lbs.
2. Steve Kuney, 543.6 lbs.
3. Ryan Weidle, 537.6 lbs.
4. Landon Hough, 531.4 lbs.
5. Eric Ruegge, 470.6 lbs.
Field Pumpkin:

1.    Emma Sue Kimmons, 46.8 lbs.
2.    George Kimmons, 40.2 lbs.

Youth Pumpkins:

1.    George Kimmons, 112.8 lbs.
2.    Emma Sue Kimmons, 105.6 lbs.

Watermelon:

1.    Lloyd Bright, 203.0 lbs.
2.    Barbara Bright Jones, 1765.0 lbs.
3.    Paul Foster, 141.4 lbs.
4.    Wanda Foster, 117.6 lbs.
5.    Leon Davidsons, 106.4 lbs.

Tomato:

Tie between Tina Marsh and John Marsh, 1.12 lbs. each.

Largest Sunflower Head:

John Marsh, 16 inches

Tallest Sunflower:

Alisa Shoemaker, 177 inches

This year’s Fall Festival Queen Court:

Fall Festival Queen: Senior Taylor Massey
First Runner Up: Junior Emma Robinson
Second Runner Up: Freshman Macey Mitchell
Third Runner Up: Sophomore Sophie Woolfenden