Giant Pumpkin Fest returns to Nekoosa

NEKOOSA, Wis. (WSAW) - Nekoosa welcomes farmers and families from around the state and beyond each year for their giant pumpkin fest.

The annual fall tradition sees hundreds of kids line up as they wait for giant pumpkins to fall from the sky.

Two pumpkins, weighing in around one thousand pounds each, were dropped from a crane 100 feet in the air. Kids then rushed to the splattered pumpkin to find giant pumpkin seeds of their own.

“We had a young lady, a twelve-year-old, a couple years ago get a seed after the drop, go home, plant it, and come back the next year she was the winner of our junior grower,” Nekoosa Giant Pumpkin Fest Vice President, Heather Sairs, said.

It was not just the festival workers who were getting into the fall spirit, as vendors like Andy (Duke) Darduk changed up his menu at ‘Deep Fried Dukes’ to go along with the giant pumpkin fest.

Duke wanted to be authentic to the fest, using actual pumpkin in both his pumpkin ice cream and pumpkin spice pretzels.

“We were all about presentation. We wanted to show off the theme today,” Darduk said, “They were pretty popular. People like to see the-you know, when you’re at a, a specific pumpkin, or themed event, you’d like to see more themed items as well.”

Festival V.P. Sairs said the growing competitions are just one part of what makes the event special. She says there is something for everybody who attends each year.

“When you walk around and you see the smile on the kids’ faces, with all the activities that we have going on, and the parents they get to go and see different,” Sairs said, “We have a car show, we have a tractor show, we have the drop, you know, there’s so many things going on here that it feels like it just brings everybody together.”

Sairs hopes the event can stay affordable to the public, to keep the event’s turnout high.

The one thing she said could be improved for next year’s giant pumpkin fest; Even more things to do for the kids.