Fall is my favorite season of the year. I love the beautiful colors of the leaves, the cooler weather, the abundance of food and the Pumpkin Show in Circleville, Ohio. This far famed and unique agricultural exhibit and street fair had its humble origin in October, 1903, when George R. Haswell, then Mayor of Circleville, and superintendent of the water works, conceived the idea of holding a small exhibit in front of his place on West Main Street. This year the show celebrated it’s 102nd anniversary (the show was canceled for 2 years during WWII) and I was there with my family as it has become a tradition for us.
There are so many things to see, do and eat that time flies when we are there. One of my favorite exhibits is the Giant Pumpkin Weigh-in. This year’s biggest pumpkin weighed 1,375.5 lbs, though it didn’t come close to the 1,524.5 state record holder from last year. Just imagine all the pumpkin pies, breads, chilies, and donuts you could make with those babies!
Like in every street fair, food is abundant at the pumpkin show. I ate enough food this weekend to last me the rest of the month. My favorite foods at the pumpkin show are pumpkin chili, pumpkin pie, pumpkin ice cream, pumpkin crepes, pumpkin dumplings, burbuon chicken with beans and rice, shredded chicken sandwiches… the list could go on and on, but I don’t remember everything I ate, yeah it was that bad. I also tried corn dogs for the first time ever and I must admit that I liked them. This, and Thanksgiving, are the times of the year that I pig out, LOL.
There are many other things to see at the pumpkin show, arts & crafts galleries, cooking exhibitions, cook off and baking competitions, parades every day, street vendors, music bands and tens of thousands of people. The pumpkin show is the 6th largest in the country with an attendance of over 300,000 people during the 4 days and nights that it lasts every year, and the best part is that there are no admission charges. That’s why it is called the “Greatest Free Show on Earth”.
The Circleville Pumpkin Show is held the third Wenedsday through Saturday of October in the streets of Circleville, Ohio. For more information and pictures visit the Official Circleville Pumpkin Show Website.
¡Buen provecho!
17 Replies
Wow! sprang to mind when I saw this photo…if there was a pumpkin award I think you would win it!! The show sounds real fun and you must have had a great time there.
Posted on October 22nd, 2008 at 10:59 am
ah, makes me miss the pumpkin festival in half moon bay
Posted on October 22nd, 2008 at 11:19 am
Wow! que padre!!! de eso no hay por acá!
Posted on October 22nd, 2008 at 12:45 pm
I never seen a pumpkin show. I would love too. That burbuon chicken with beans and rice looks yummy. I would have eat a lot. Thanks for sharing those pictures with us.
Posted on October 22nd, 2008 at 1:26 pm
Looks like a fun event…I love the offerings at the food stands (of course)
Posted on October 22nd, 2008 at 2:19 pm
What a great festival….your enthusiasm is ‘catchy” Ben! No time like the present to pig out!
Posted on October 22nd, 2008 at 2:30 pm
Holy sh*t, they are huge…screw tastespotting if they don’t dig these pics!
Posted on October 22nd, 2008 at 2:53 pm
Wow! Nice pumpkins!
Damn… I feel like go getting one and start the carving… and make pumpking pie!
Best regards, bro! ; D
Posted on October 22nd, 2008 at 5:29 pm
It’s the Great Pumpkin, Bennie Brown!
Just kidding. I hope you don’t turn orange! That’s a beautiful pumpkin display in the picture. I would have gone nuts trying to see and taste everything too. Sounds like you had a fantastic time.
Posted on October 22nd, 2008 at 5:38 pm
How fun Ben! What lovely colours and pictures
. I love the way you Americans, turn everything into a Feast and show! Que calabazas tan espectaculares! I wonder how they feed this “monsters”. Any idea on that? Extra vitamins or fertilizer or minerals?
Posted on October 23rd, 2008 at 3:46 am
What a lovely festival. Ben, after eating all that pumpkin, seriously was there still space to fill in a corn dog?
Posted on October 23rd, 2008 at 12:51 pm
That looks like fun! And I would love to try the variety of pumpkin-based food. I love pumpkin but I had no idea they were so versatile!
Posted on October 23rd, 2008 at 1:28 pm
wow… looks like so much fun… and look at the different varieties… amazing!!!
Posted on October 24th, 2008 at 1:13 pm
Don’t you just love these kind of events Ben!!!!!!!
Posted on October 26th, 2008 at 9:05 am
[...] Ben at What’s Cooking? went to the 102nd Circleville Pumpkin Show. I like the picture of those two enormous [...]
Posted on October 26th, 2008 at 10:44 am
I love the BIG FAT PUMPKINS!
It’s obvious you had tons of fun.
Posted on October 27th, 2008 at 6:39 am
The pumpkin show is really fun! I live in Circleville and have been going to it every year since i was born.
Posted on November 16th, 2008 at 10:46 pm
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