Circleville Pumpkin Show
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The Circleville Pumpkin Show is an annual festival dedicated to the pumpkin. The festival is typically headed up by local and national pumpkin growers to promote pumpkins. Although many states have pumpkin festivals, the largest of these is situated in Circleville, Ohio.[citation needed] The Circleville Pumpkin Show has been billed as The Greatest Free Show On Earth.
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[edit] Dates
The Pumpkin Show is held every 3rd Wednesday through Saturday in October, however, local citizens are encouraged to preview the festival on Tuesday. Rumors have persisted before the 2006 show about adding extra days for the 100th anniversary, but turned out to be unfounded; the show was held for the same four days as always.
[edit] Locations
Starting on the Saturday before the festival, work begins to restrict traffic in the downtown area of Circleville. The restricted areas dedicated to the show are from South Scioto Street on the west to Pickaway Street on the east, and Watt/Pickney Street on the north to Franklin Street on the south. More than 12 blocks are restricted by this event, which causes massive detours throughout a major portion of the city, including State Route 56 and U.S. Route 22. Due to the fact that there is no organized parking system, many small businesses and non-profit organizations provide parking for the throngs of people that attend this festival.
[edit] History
In October 1903, Mayor George Haswell decided to hold a small pumpkin & corn exhibit in front of his home to celebrate the harvest. This small exhibit featured corn, carved pumpkins and other harvest-themed displays. Because of the prominence of pumpkins in this first exhibit, the name "The Pumpkin Show" was then coined. In the following years local merchants were attracted to improve the size, scope and attendance of the festival. By 1905, riding attractions starting to be featured in the festival. Soon after, with the success of the shows, an annual festival was organized to be held on the city streets to attract merchants, patrons and improve the quality of the festival.
The Pumpkin Show has been held annually since 1903. Despite it still being held during the influenza outbreaks of 1918-1919, The Pumpkin Show was silenced for three years during World War II. Aside from this three-year gap, there have been no other recorded occurrences of the Circleville Pumpkin Show being halted - by snow, sleet, or scorching heat.
[edit] Traditions
Every year, Lindsey's Bakery creates the "world's largest" pumpkin pie. Visitors can be in line for over an hour to see the pie. At the 100th anniversary Pumpkin Show in 2006, the bakery had to make a much bigger pie compared to previous years as word had it that their world record had been broken for the biggest pie. The pie pan was so large that it was moved outside of the bakery window and into a tent out on the street. The previous record size pie remained in the bakery window and its size doesn't even come close what was revealed in 2006.
Another long-standing tradition of the Circleville Pumpkin Show is a pageant for Miss Pumpkin Show Queen, a tradition shared by more than a half dozen other pumpkin shows/festivals in various American states.
Several parades are held each day of the show. These parades feature performances by many local high school and middle school bands. The 2006 Pumpkin Show welcomed The Ohio State University's TBDBITL (The Best Damn Band in the Land) to play in their parade of bands, which is probably the most popular evening parade of the festival.
More recently, one of the fastest growing traditions at the Pumpkin Show has been the "Pie-on-the-fly". The delicious treat is a simple slice of pumpking pie served on a commerative disk. Students from local Ohio Christian University began this tradition in 2006 and it has quickly become a mainstay at the show. It was thrust to new levels of popularity at the 2007 show when local celebrities Brad Jones, Joshua Pritchard and Matthew Wood came out in support of the OCU booth. Their antics had show-goers in stiches and sales through the roof. It is a certainty that the "Pie-on-the-fly" will be an imporant part of the already rich heritage of the Circleville Pumpkin Show for years to come.
[edit] List of Miss Pumpkin Show Queens
1933: Queen Lucille Heise
1934: Queen Eleanor Anderson
1935: Queen Anne Thatcher
1936: Queen Dolly Riffle
1937: Queen Thelma Pyle
1938: Queen Ruth Fitch
1939: Queen Kathryn Martin
1940: Queen Gloria Wilson
1941: Queen DonnaMae McCune
(World War II hiatus)
1944: Queen Mildred Frazier
1945: Queen Pearl Roese
1946: Queen Patricia Love
1947: Queen Mary Woods
1948: Queen Beverly Huston
1949: Queen Patty Moats
1950: Queen Yvonne Flannery
1951: Queen Charlene Jackson
1952: Queen Wilma Jean Wilkinson
1953: Queen Ruth Ann Valentine
1954: Queen Judy Walters
1955: Queen Virginia Reisinger
1956: Queen Eleanor Aldenderfer
1957: Queen Joann Graves
1958: Queen Joy Maughmer
1959: Queen Vivian Gifford
1960: Queen Peggy Clark
1961: Queen Carol Torchick
1962: Queen Barbara Davis
1963: Queen Page Miller
1964: Queen Shauna Humphrey
1965: Queen Debbie Ankrom
1966: Queen Pat Dawley
1967: Queen Janet Collins
1968: Queen Peggy Mayo
1969: Queen Vivian Sheets
1970: Queen Vanessa Hatfield
1971: Queen Cheryl Miller
1972: Queen Kathy Uland
1973: Queen Kimberly Timberlake
1974: Queen Laurie May
1975: Queen Salley Schlegler
1976: Queen Cindy Gifford
1977: Queen Karen Cochran
1978: Queen Carol Moore
1979: Queen Mary Kay Marshall
1980: Queen Mona Southern
1981: Queen Deidre Vancamp
1982: Queen Brenda Myers
1983: Queen Stephanie Timbrook
1984: Queen Sandy Haddox
1985: Queen Shonna Thompson
1986: Queen Rhonda Lambert
1987: Queen Lorie Hendrickson
1988: Queen Christina Brunning
1989: Queen Dierdre Conley
1990: Queen Tara Harrison
1991: Queen Dawnaka Overly
1992: Queen Carrie Bialy
1993: Queen Sabrina Miller
1994: Queen Leah Coey
1995: Queen Jaymie Hoops
1996: Queen Lindsey Logan
1997: Queen Tia Marie Jean
1998: Queen Shannon Stowers
1999: Queen Courtney Vickers
2000: Queen Makiah Maxson
2001: Queen Kacy Walton
2002: Queen Katy Ankrom
2003: Queen MaLeah Thornton
2004: Queen Samantha Vinkovich
2005: Queen Courtney Congrove
2006: Queen Kristen Walters
2007: Queen Andrea Turner[1]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- Houts, Kelli. "Pumpkin show hits century mark," The Lantern (Thursday, October 19, 2006): Arts 9.
