Large produce will be rolling into Elkin soon with the 17th annual Yadkin Valley Pumpkin Festival, coming up on Saturday, Sept. 22.
“We are a nationally sanctioned weigh off station of the Great Pumpkin Commonwealth,” said Laurette Leagon,president of the Yadkin Valley Chamber of Commerce. “Elkin is the only sanctioned weight off station in North Carolina.”
The Pumpkin Festival was started by the downtown Elkin merchants to help businesses and the growth of downtown Elkin.
“It is a traditional craft and food festival,” Leagon said. “It is definitely a community and family oriented event that brings in roughly $5,000.”
This year’s event will have new features such as a corn hole contest held by the Elkin Jaycees and karaoke that will be held throughout the day.
There will also be inflatable bounce houses and food and craft vendors. There will be dance performances by Footloose Express and Rhythm on Main as well as musical performances by Beyond the Blue and the Graybyrds.
And of course, there will be the produce weigh off competition. Growers bring gourds, squash, pumpkins, tomatoes and watermelons to compete.
“One year we had the world record broke with a 275 pound watermelon,” Leagon said. “People come from all over, Tennessee, Kentucky, New York, to weight their produce.”
The Pumpkin Festival was previously held in October, but produce growers asked for it to be moved to an earlier date, setting it the same weekend as the Mayberry Days festival in Mount Airy.
“These large produce items start to lose weight by October, so growers wanted to compete when they were at their peak weight,” Leagon said. “The two festivals complement each other. Mayberry Days is the whole weekend, and it gives visitors more to do in the area that weekend.”
The Pumpkin Festival will be held from 8:45 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 22, on Main St. in Elkin.
Reach Jessica Pickens at 835-1513 ext. 17 or jpickens@heartlandpublications.com
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