top of page

Record-breaking year for Waterford Pumpkinfest

Updated: Oct 25, 2024



Brenda Moser


With another beautiful day Friday, it didn’t take long for the Pumpkinfest crowds to flock into Waterford.

It was a perfect day to just take a leisurely stroll through town to enjoy the sunshine and warm temps, check out local vendors and grab a bite to eat.

While the arena area offered a variety of food vendors, the Waterford Station 3 volunteer firefighters were back again! The barbeque was fired up and the hot dogs and sausages were sizzling. For some it isn’t Pumpkinfest until you’ve had your sausage on a bun, chatted with the ‘chefs’ and caught up with friends. The turnout was great, as usual, and the local Station appreciates all of the support shown.

Explosion of Color

The highly anticipated Friday night fireworks display did not disappoint. If you were lucky enough to catch the extravaganza it certainly exceeded any and all expectations. Cars were parked for blocks away and the crowds just kept on filing in.

Over the years the fireworks seem to get the Pumpkinfest weekend started with a ‘blast’ that can be seen and heard for blocks. Kids were bundled up in warm clothes and blankets and parents had their coffees in hand in anticipation of the start. ‘Oohs’ and ‘aahs’ could be heard throughout the crowd as we looked to the sky. For about 20 minutes all eyes were fixed on the spectacle in the sky.

The spectacular show is possible through donations made at the gate as well as local businesses, clubs, private donations… anyone who would like to contribute. Thanks go out to Blue Star Pyrotechnics for an awesome show!

Pumpkins and more pumpkins!

The 42nd Annual Waterford Pumpkinfest has officially come to an end for another year and organizers and volunteers can give themselves a huge pat on the back for a job well done… and one of the best years to date.

Festivities got underway on Thursday, Oct. 17th, when local students proudly marched their carved pumpkins to the Waterford arena parking lot where they were carefully placed by Waterford Lions members and volunteers, on the constructed ‘pyramids’. Constructing and loading the pyramids require a lot of hands to make light work and lots of hands they had indeed.

Before heading back to school each student received a fresh, sweet apple compliments of Cleaver Orchards, Simcoe. This is a long-standing tradition for them and this kind gesture is greatly appreciated by Pumpkinfest organizers. Thank You Cleaver family! Also, on hand to entertain the kids was Doug Hunt, aka Doug the Great - Guiness World Record Holder for the tallest stilts ever. Definitely a hit with all of the kids!

Thursday night saw the Pumpkin Pyramid light up when all of the creative carvings came to life – and light… and so began Pumpkinfest 2024!

Vendors and food trucks were busy Friday setting up at the arena parking lot for the anticipated crowds that would flock to Waterford for the weekend’s events. The entertainment stage and beer garden were prepped, kid’s zone put in place at the arena while midway rides and games moved in to the downtown area. The buzz of another Pumpkinfest could be felt throughout the town.

That’s a wrap

Where else would you find the Waterford Lions the morning after another great Pumpkinfest? You can be guaranteed they didn’t sleep in. A visit to the arena at 9:30 a.m. Monday morning found them busy with take down and clean up and by 9:30 the majority of that was done… with very few traces of the past weekend to be seen.

Jim McEachren, First Chair of Waterford Pumpkinfest, was more than pleased with the turnout this past weekend and couldn’t say enough good things about the people who helped make that happen.

“This is my first year as 1ST Chair of Pumpkinfest and this has been one of the best years ever. The weather was great! But this (Pumpkinfest) would never happen without my volunteers… it’s put on with 100% volunteers. We have a Pumpkinfest committee of about 30 people and another 30 to 40 volunteers (to make this happen). Whatever help I need they (Lions members) step forward and help out”.

McEachern added, “This year’s parade was the longest one ever, with 89 floats, about another 100 more entrants and was a good hour long. Tom Crowhurst and Matt D’Hondt were co-chairs of the parade and they did a great job.”

The parade was so long, in fact, that the beginning of the parade met up with the end of the parade. When it was over, it wasn’t long until the indoor Marketplace at the high school was the place to be. Through the course of the two days, Saturday and Sunday, almost 3,000 people went through the two gyms checking out the vast array of exhibitors and finding some treasures to take home.

Other events that were well attended were the football game on Saturday, Soap Box Derby on Sunday and the car show, Sunday as well. Both the set records for entrants with over 40 cars at the derby and a record-breaking 1,500 or so cars, trucks, vans… a little bit of everything. The turnout was so good, in fact, that many had to turned away.

Mother Nature blessed us with the perfect weather for the weekend of festivities and the large crowds. McEachern stated, “We want to thank our donors and towns people for letting us do this. You can’t beat Waterford people. Thanks, too, to everyone who came out.”

The Waterford Lions are an important part of our community and do not hesitate to support local clubs, charities, events… wherever there is a need they are there to offer their support. McEachern invites anyone who is interested in becoming involved with their club to come out to next year’s first Pumpkinfest meeting in January 2025, and they will make you feel at home. If you just want to volunteer for Pumpkinfest, you don’t have to be a member of the Lions, just let them know you’re interested.

Until next year, congratulations Waterford Lions on a record-breaking year and a job well done!

Comments


bottom of page