Circleville Pumpkin Show
Festival, is a member of The Ohio Festivals & Events Association. The first Pumpkin Show was held in 1903. George Haswell, Mayor of Circleville at that time, decided it would be a great idea to try to get the country folks and the city folks together. So he
invited the country folks to bring the best of their produce to town on designated dates and display them on the streets of Circleville so that the city folks would be able to appreciate their efforts. The Circleville Pumpkin Show has always been held on the streets of downtown Circleville. The early shows covered about
3 city blocks and today it covers more than 8 city blocks. The streets are filled with 25-30 Amusement Rides and over 300 Food Booths, Games & Craft Vendors.
The Circleville Pumpkin Show attracts over 400,000 visitors (100,000 per day) to this small community of 12,000 people. They come to see the giant pumpkins, the world's largest Pumpkin Pie, parades, entertainment, attractions, and try various pumpkin-flavored delicacies.
Past Weigh-ins of the Largest Pumpkins: (Weigh-In is held at noon Wednesday at the center of town.) 1990 - Dave Mangione 473 lbs. 1991 - Dave Mangione 589 1/2 lbs.
1992 - Dave Mangione 517 lbs. 1993 - Dave Mangione 560 lbs. 1994 - Dr. Robert Liggett 531 lbs. 1995 - Dr. Robert Liggett 445 lbs. 1996 - Dr. Robert Liggett 628 lbs. 1997 - Karen Wiggett 516 1/2 lbs. 1998 - Eric & Deidra Schacht 429 lbs. 1999 - Buddy Conley 617 lbs.
2000 - Claude Shepherd 528 lbs. 2001 - Buddy Conley 897 lbs. 2002 - Dr. Robert Liggett 935 lbs. 2003 - Dean Park 950 lbs. 2004 - Dr. Robert Liggett 1,353 lbs. Record
More than 40 floats and 50 bands participate in the Seven Pumpkin Show Parades each with a different theme. The best place to watch the parades is on East & West
Franklin Street. Afternoon parades start at 3:30 p.m. (no afternoon parade on Saturday) and the evening parades start at 8:00 p.m. The Pumpkin Show is Four, Fun-Filled Days of Family Entertainment including
Musical Groups, Stage Acts and Band Concerts. Also featured are contests including, Little Miss, Miss Pumpkin Show, Baby, Pumpkin Pie Eating, Pumpkin Toss, Pets, Big Wheel Race, Egg Toss & Hog Calling. The opening ceremonies are at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, the first day and thereafter the activities begin at 10:00 a.m. for the balance of the show. The Pumpkin Show
always starts on the 3rd Wednesday in October and runs through Saturday night. The Circleville Pumpkin Show is operated by a board of trustees, a corporation under the laws of the State of Ohio and is completely self-supporting. CIRCLEVILLE PUMPKIN SHOW �The Greatest Free Show On Earth� FACT SHEET Lindsey's Bakery each year prepares a huge pumpkin pie, 6 ft. in diameter and weighing over 400 pounds. It is on display in their bakery at 127 W. Main Street. Recipe: 100 lbs. of cooked pumpkin, 40 lbs. of sugar, 26 gallons of milk, 15 doz. eggs, 4 lbs. of cornstarch, 1 1/4 lb. pumpkin spice, 1 1/4 lb. of salt, 42 lbs. of pie dough. Bake 6 hours. Cool 6 hours. At the end of the four day event, the giant pie is donated to area hogs who look forward to a real treat!
