The weekend’s festivities include sculpted pumpkins, a giant pumpkin weigh-off, decorated pumpkins, a Lil’ Miss Punkin contest, a pet parade, activities for kids and live entertainment all weekend. Festival hours are 11 a.m.-10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. on Sunday.
The event is free and open to the public.
As a centerpiece of the art and pumpkin festival, there will be giant pumpkin weigh-offs beginning at 4 p.m. Friday. The event remains a sanctioned event through The Great Pumpkin Commonwealth. In 2022, a site record was set by Frank Morse for a pumpkin that weighed in at 2,350 pounds, which was a state record for Michigan. This year, Operation Pumpkin will award $38,000 in prize money to the top 25 growers.
Growers come from neighboring states, and 20-40 pumpkins weighing 1,000 pounds or more are expected to be entered in the weigh-off.
Ten giant pumpkins, weighing 800-1,000 pounds, will be on display.
Sculpted pumpkins will line the streets, with live sculpting taking place on Friday and Saturday. The sculpting team, led by William Wilson of Wicked Designz, includes a group of world-renowned sculptors.
There will about 60 100- to 200-lb. sculpted pumpkins on display, a Great Wall of Pumpkins, lighted pumpkins in the windows of downtown businesses, and a decorated pumpkin display that features more than 1,200 decorated pumpkins crafted by fourth-grade students from Hamilton-area public and private schools.
Jodi Fritsch, marketing director for Operation Pumpkin, said the festival is bringing national headliners to the main stage this year. The lineup spans diverse musical genres from ARRA’s classic rock tributes 8-10 p.m. Friday and rising Nashville country artist Clayton Mullen 8:30-10 p.m. Saturday to hometown favorite, Michelle Robinson Band 2:30-5 p.m. Sunday. A complete schedule of entertainment and activities is available at operation-pumpkin.org.
“One area that we’ve made a huge investment in this year is entertainment on our main stage. So, we have some national acts that are coming for the first time,” said Fritsch. “We are elevating our entertainment to complement an already awesome pumpkin and carver line-up. So, we are pretty excited.”
The festival will also conduct the annual Lil’ Miss Punkin crowning 1:30 p.m. Sunday and a pet parade will take place on Sunday at noon. Pets (and their owners) can also compete in a costume contest with prizes.
“This is the 14th year that we’ve hosted the festival, and I’ve lost count at the number of times we’ve been voted ‘Best Annual Festival in Butler County.’ There’s 12-15 of us that take on planning this throughout the year, and we’re motivated by continuing to make it better than the year before,” Fritsch said.
All weekend long, arts and crafts vendors will be lining downtown Hamilton along with amusement rides, pumpkin silhouettes in Rotary Park, and more. The festival’s footprint features 150-plus food and artisan vendors and an interactive kids zone anchored by The Fitton Center for Creative Arts, which includes a pumpkin painting, music and a pumpkin derby. More than 150 volunteers accommodate festivalgoers over the course of thee weekend.
“We are back this year in partnership with Operation Pumpkin. Last year, we decorated over 3,300 pumpkins and 3,500 have been ordered for this year. This is an opportunity for families and kids to come, at absolutely no cost to them, and decorate a munchkin pumpkin,” said Ian MacKenzie-Thurley, executive director of the Fitton Center.
He said kids can not only decorate pumpkins, but they can race them in the Pumpkin Derby, and they have a chance to win a ribbon. Kids can also take the pumpkins home.
HOW TO GO
What: Operation Pumpkin
Where: High Street and some joining side streets in Hamilton
When: 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday Oct. 10-12
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