Parade of pumpkins enchants giant Wellington festival

Story and photos by Sharon Harrison
It has been said that a pumpkin a day keeps the goblins away, and if that myth is just ever so slightly true, there were certainly no goblins in Wellington this weekend, or maybe not even through the entire month of October in these parts – at least none that showed themselves.

What did show itself was the sunshine which shone down on Wellington’s Pumpkinfest parade Saturday morning, where most who had gathered to enjoy the welcoming parade floats were trying hard not to notice the distinct chill in the early morning frosty air, or the cold breeze coming off the lake.

Chill aside, it was a beautiful day for a parade and a festival where the village enjoyed both as it brought one of Wellington’s most appreciated events of the year with fun and enjoyment for the whole family under a brilliant blue cloudless sky.

Always a draw for big crowds and delightful amusement, the afternoon (feeling much warmer than the morning) brought the great pumpkin weigh-off to the school grounds, hosted by the Prince Edward County Pumpkin Growers Association.

Home to an impressive selection of bigness, oddness, heaviest and unusualness, as well as orangeness, in the form of an assorted array of giant vegetables and giant pumpkins (pumpkins are scientifically a fruit, not a vegetable), the weigh-off brought facts and fun, and a chance to get up close and personal to the kind of produce not typically found in the average grocery store.

And while there was no squishing of the squash or pummelling of pumpkins (at least not much, unless you count some spooky happenings in the nearby kids’ zone), there was a gang of gargantuan gourds waiting for a turn to be weighed and admired, where shape (sometimes misshapen), size, colour, length and weight – or just pure impressiveness or characterful weirdness – received appropriate oohs and aahs from amazed onlookers.

But it was really the most giant of giant pumpkins that astonished most as many wondered, “how on earth do you get a pumpkin to grow that big?” to “can I grow one like that in my garden?” to “do they need a lot of water?”.

While the growing part is best left to the expert growers of these very special mammoth beasts, there is a serious yet friendly rivalry and genuine comradery between these dedicated growers who come from all across Ontario and Quebec. The hope is to improve personal best records, growing something heavier than anyone else, beat standing records, but just also enjoying the participation and involvement with fellow growers.

While there seemed a lot fewer giant pumpkins this year vying for heaviest achievement on the scale and leaderboard, there was also a good number of other giant things vying for a prized spot, including marrows, tomatoes, field pumpkins, rutabagas, gourds galore, and also giant sunflower heads.

There was lots going at the front lawn of the school too, especially geared for families and children with numerous inflatables for playing, a very popular petting zoo with lots of furry and fluffy creatures for cuddling, the fire department’s junior firefighters challenge where even the littlest ones could fight a fire (not real) with a real hose with help from a real firefighter, along with face painting, axe throwing and other activities.

The Anglican church hosted a craft and bric-a-brac sale inside the hall, and there was a very full market of vendors at the United church, along with musical entertainment both there and in the gazebo, along with a book sale outside the library. And there was pie too, of course.

But it was a packed Main Street that began the day as folks came to watch the colourful parade as it travelled from the arena, westward along Main Street before turning off at Consecon Street on its way back to the arena.

Orange pumpkins flooded the village, most were real, some were knitted, made of fabric, plastic too – some came with smiley faces, a few wore hats (because it was a cold day)- but they all contributed to the happy seasonal theme enjoyed by so many standing roadside.

The parade included representation from several sports teams (Wellington Dukes, Prince Edward County Kings, County Royals, Quinte Legion Lynx Track and Field Club), the First Picton Girl Guides, the Belleville and District Shrine Club, along with service clubs and community groups.

It also came with numerous horses, ponies and minis (all real) plus a few inflatable impersonators, a few dogs too (also real), pumpkin-themed floats in what was a long, colourful and enjoyably eclectic parade. It was though a quiet one, lacking the noise and music so often associated with such a joyful parade (excepting the County Ukulele Band who did a fine job of entertaining).

And while the goblins remained elusive, there was a unicorn (a real unicorn according to its handler), a gaggle of pumpkinheads, and even the grinch put in an appearance on the parade route (perhaps he confused his dates due to the cool weather), where everyone seemed to have a smashing (pumpkin) time at this favourite annual event.