The Circleville Pumpkin Show

      I grew up about twenty minutes north of Circleville, Ohio. Just about every October we'd head down there for their Pumpkin Show. I know it sounds boring, but this street fair has grown so massive that it essentially shuts down the entirety of the city for the four days it normally runs. It has a fairly long history as well. 

      The show started in 1903, when the mayor of Circleville, George R. Haswell, put a display of pumpkins and corn in his front yard. The next year, a group of merchants joined him to show off their wares. By the third year in 1905, it had gotten large enough to set up a merry-go-round. A little while later it evolved into a community affair. An all-volunteer organization, led by the mayors as presidents, began to lead the festival and to market it. The show quickly grew in popularity into the sixth largest festival in the United States. By 1946, it had grown so popular that it needed a full-time organization to plan and execute the show every year. Circleville Pumpkin Show, Inc. is a non-profit company that allows the show to be completely self-sufficient on donations and fees. They even reimburse the city for the extra police officers needed for the days of the festival. Any extra funds they donate to the city council to be used for community projects in both Circleville and Pickaway County. 

      The content of the show progressed as well. When it first began with Mayor Haswell, it was just a few vendors showing off their wares. Later, under the first organization it expanded out to include agricultural exhibitions from surrounding farmers, larger volumes of vendors and merchants, and awards for top vegetable show winners. Today, it showcases these and more. Local farmers come to not only compete in the pumpkin and squash shows, but also to sell their wares. Community artisans and organizations set up booths and food vendors sell everything you can possibly think of to put pumpkin into. There is also a large parade involving local high school bands, local organizations, and the Pumpkin Court. 

      The Circleville Pumpkin Show has a long history in the city of Circleville and has become a symbol of the community (they even painted the town's water tower into a pumpkin). However, the show has grown to a national sensation that draws people from around the country, and even around the world, for four days every year. Yet another situation in which local history has national influence. 

Sources:

Both photo and information from the Circleville Pumpkin Show's website: http://www.pumpkinshow.com