Frequently Asked Questions & Fun Facts
George Haswell, Mayor of Circleville at that time, was also Superintendent of the Water Works & had an
office on West Main Street. He decided that it would be a great idea to try to get the country folks and city
folks together so he invited the country folks to bring the best of their produce to town on the designated
dates & display them on the streets of Circleville so that the city folks would be able to appreciate their efforts.
As near as we are able to ascertain there was no parade the first year.
About 1905
The first ride was the merry-go-round at its present location of Court & Franklin in 1906.
Horse show, horse racing on East Main St., wire acts, displays of baked goods and produce.
Yes, for many years there were high wire acts, high diving acts, flag pole sitters, tumblers, fire eaters, etc.
There were wrestling shows, wild creatures, girlie shows, freaks and curiosities, magic acts, etc.
Yes, the early shows covered about 3 city blocks and today covers more than 9 city blocks.
First on the east side of South Court between Franklin and Main, then on the north side of Main Street
just west of Court Street and more recently on North Court Street just north of Main.
Yes, there are usually about 25-30 rides offered on the streets, from kiddies to adults.
No, alcoholic beverages are not permitted to be sold on the streets.
In addition to the parades there is entertainment on several stages in the show area as well as contests,
such as, pie eating, egg tossing, big wheel race, Miss Pumpkin Show, Little Miss Pumpkin Show, hog
calling, baby and pets.
More than 70 portable restrooms are provided.
This is a project for many organizations and clubs for income for their projects.
More than 250 volunteers contribute their time & effort to make the show a success.
Immediately following the present show.
The Kiwanis Club has the Pet Parade, the Downtown Business Association sponsors the Window Decorating Contest, the Circleville Rotary Club the Big Wheel Race.
An Information Booth is located at the center of the show area, next to the pumpkin display for information
all day long. Contact the Circleville Chamber of Commerce or the Circleville Pumpkin Show any other time.
The opening ceremonies are at 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday, the first day and thereafter the activities begin
at 10:00 a.m. for the balance of the show.
Always starts the third Wednesday in October through Saturday
No. They were combined until 1946 when the county fair split off and went to the county fairgrounds and
the Circleville Pumpkin Show Inc. was formed.
More than 30 local organizations participate with the operation of food booths, sales of souvenirs etc.
during the 4 day event.
Most foods are pumpkin related, such as, pumpkin pies, pumpkin donuts, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin
burgers, pumpkin taffy, pumpkin ice cream, pumpkin cake, pumpkin soups, pumpkin waffles, pumpkin cream
puffs, pumpkin fudge, pumpkin ice cream, pumpkin milkshakes, and many other concoctions that can be
made with pumpkin.
As near as we can ascertain there are approximately 23,000 pumpkin pies sold during the 4 day show.
Yes, Lindsey's Bakery each year prepares a huge pumpkin pie 6 feet in diameter, weighing over 400
pounds and is on display in their bakery on West Main Street.
Over 100,000.
Seven... Wed. - Little Miss 3:30 pm & Miss Pumpkin Show 8:00 pm; Thurs. - Baby 3:30 pm & Parade of
Bands 8:00 pm; Fri. - Pet 3:30 pm, Fraternal and Civic 8:00 pm; Sat. - Queen's Parade of the queen's of the
Ohio Festivals and Events Association 8:00 pm.
Yes, the Circleville Pumpkin Show, Inc. is operated by a board of trustees, 33 in number, a non-profit under
the laws of the State of Ohio and is completely self-supporting.
Through a resolution by Circleville City Council authorizing the use of the streets.
No. All city services are reimbursed to the city as well as the Pumpkin Show collecting city income taxes
from the vendors.
Yes, in addition to more than 100,000 pounds of pumpkins, squash and gourds on the street display there
are displays of canned goods, baked goods, flower show, fruits and vegetables and an art show in the Watt
Street Pumpkin Show building. A Home Arts and Craft Show is also held.
Visitors can come, be entertained, spend as much time as they like and not be required to spend a dime.
Yes. Age group 1-100 will find something of interest for them while at the show.
In a recent survey we have found that a sampling of the visitors revealed people from 34 states and 13
foreign countries.
The Circleville Pumpkin Show has received world-wide publicity. It has been featured on Japanese
television and magazines, German newspapers, Stars and Stripes, NBC Today, publications from Our
Weekly Reader, National Geographic and most of the major publications in the United States.
Phone 740-474-7000, write the Circleville Pumpkin Show, 159 E. Franklin St., Circleville, Ohio 43113 or
visit the web site at www.pumpkinshow.com
Usually 30-35 bus tours stop at the Circleville Pumpkin Show with more than 3000 passengers.
The parade route is 5,280 feet in length and it requires 9000 persons to line the parade route 1 person
deep. The average number of persons deep during the parade is determined and multiplied by 9000 to get
a reasonable estimate of the crowd at parade time.
