March 19, 2024
Local News

55th annual Pumpkin Festival underway in Sycamore

Pumpkin Festival begins in Sycamore

SYCAMORE – From sugary pumpkins made of frosting on the ceremonial cake to displays of creativity and imagination on the courthouse lawn, Wednesday evening was all about pumpkins in Sycamore.

The 55th annual Sycamore Pumpkin Festival commenced as people submitted entries in the pumpkin decorating contest and grabbed a slice of the 8-by-8 foot cake donated by Hy-Vee for the cake-cutting ceremony.

Festivities will continue through Sunday, including a pie eating contest, a fireworks display, and teen and kiddie carnivals. A full list of events and times can be found at sycamorepumpkinfestival.com.

Jordyn Ziegler, 4, made her pumpkin entry for the TV, Nursery Rhyme or Current News Event category to look like the Fluttershy character from “My Little Pony.” There are 31 categories, such as Happy and Fancy, Parade of Pumpkins, or Weird, Ugly and Scary.

“She’s on TV, and I love little ponies,” Jordyn said.

Jordyn’s mother, Nicole Ziegler, said she and her husband are both from Sycamore, and the pumpkin decorating contest is just one of their favorite activities. She said they also will attend the craft show and the parade.

“I think it’s fun because we grew up doing it, and now we get to bring our children back to do it,” she said.

City Manager Brian Gregory said the cold, rainy weather was not much of a deterrent to Wednesday’s festivities.

“It’s just a testament to our tradition as a community when you see people standing 10 deep in line for cake given that it’s rained all day and it’s still 40 degrees and raining, and yet we still have quite a crowd out here,” he said.

Christel Springmire, a member of the Pumpkin Festival Committee, said the festival brings together people from all different places.

“It’s fun for kids who grew up here,” she said. “Well, they’re not kids anymore; they’re grown-ups. They come back home and see people, chums from high school, and they see one another and have mini reunions.”

Springmire said her job on the committee is to give permits to the various local nonprofit vendors that set up throughout the week. This year, about 30 vendors, such as the Midwest Museum of Natural History, the Sycamore History Museum and Tails Humane Society, are participating.

“I really appreciate that all the non-for-profits get to benefit from the event,” she said. “It’s not a business event; it’s a fun, community volunteer event.”

Sycamore police Chief Glenn Theriault said his favorite part of the festival is the parade, but there are plenty of other things to enjoy leading up to it.

“To have these events that all build and focus on an aspect of the community is really neat,” he said. “There’s truly something for everyone.”