DUNDEE – What started as a giant pumpkin weight 23 years ago at Harnica Kids Pumpkin Farms has turned into a fall festival.
Pumpkin Palooza is on Saturday, October 1st and promises a day full of free and fun activities for the whole family.
The Downtown Development Authority took over the event from John Harnica, who retired from hosting the event, five years ago.
“Before we did it, it was in Dundee. We decided as DDA that we wanted to keep it here in Dundee. We went from just weighing pumpkins the first year to weighing pumpkins and a vendor show and then another vendor show big and some food trucks. Well, this year we have the pumpkin weigh-in. We have 75 vendors. We have food trucks. We have free pumpkin carving for the kids while supplies last, bounce houses for the kids, none cost,” said DDA Secretary and Pumpkin Palooza Chair Mary Schultz.
The festival also features a free petting zoo and a pony ride that has a minimal cost. There is a trick or treat stop for kids at the vendor show near the DDA Candy Stop banner. Children should stop at the Kiwanis area first.
“At the (Kiwanis Club) station where they play games with the kids, they’ll be handing out specific gift bags. So those kids can bring these specific goodie bags to the vendor fair and they’ll get about a pound of trick-or-treat candy. So we have a quarter ton of candy that we’re going to distribute to these kids,” Schultz said.
Many new vendors will be in attendance this year along with some of the original crowd favorites at the vendor fair from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. There will be carpentry, jewelry, Scentsy, salsa, Pampered Chef and soaps and more.
The weigh-in will be held in the municipal parking lot at 350 W. Monroe St., along the north side of the River Raisin and across the river from the Old Mill Museum. Registration takes place from 9 to 10:30 am and the weigh-in starts promptly at 11 am. Palooza attendees can park offsite and get shuttled.
For the heaviest pumpkin, first place is $3,000; second place, $1,500; third place, $750; fourth place, $500; fifth place, $200; sixth place, $100; seventh place, $75; eighth place, $75; ninth place, $50; and 10th place, $50.
This year they will weigh much more than the pumpkins. There will also be cash prizes for the heaviest squash, watermelon, field squash, tomato, canteloupe, butternut squash and marrow; the Howard Dill Award; longer long gourd; larger sunflower head; and the tallest sunflower and corn.
For adults this year, World of Games will be bringing their ax throwing trailer along with an expert to the event. Closed toe shoes are required. There will also be a cornhole tournament. Registration will begin at noon and the tournament will begin at 2 p.m
New this year, the beer tent will be open on Friday night along with the usual Saturday. The music will be close from 7pm both nights with Flyte taking the stage on Friday and Not Fast Enuff front and center on Saturday.
There will also be a series of cutouts where people can take comical and fun selfies.
“We try to make everything here free except for one or two things, and of course beer can’t be free. There’s a charge for beer and coolers,” Schultz said. “But most things are free, fun entertainment for families, because when you have a family of four, five people get to choose what they can do children We try to make it free and fun for kids to do.”
