Circleville’s Pumpkin Show in October canceled

The Circleville Pumpkin Show — one of the longest running and biggest of annual festivals in Ohio — has been canceled this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The show’s board of trustees posted the announcement Wednesday on their official website. The event annually occurs Wednesday through Saturday during the third week of October.

“It was a very difficult and emotional decision,” the board said in the statement.

The state’s protocol for reopening businesses closed during the COVID-19 outbreak had still prohibited festivals, said Barry Keller, vice president of the show board.

“As of today, we don’t see them (the state) lifting those restrictions,” Keller said. “They are allowing county fairs, but for festivals they are not allowed.”

During the festival’s four days, anywhere from 400,000 to 500,000 people went to the show, which stretches along nine city blocks.

“We are a mass gathering and we just can’t run the risk of exposing the visitors or the volunteers,” Keller said.

Another reason for making the decision now is that July is usually the month when the festival finalizes contracts with vendors, some of whom come from around the United States.

A community fallout from the loss of the pumpkin show is that Circleville’s civic, fraternal, school and church groups fund their charitable activities from booths operated at the show, Keller said. Local businesses also profit from the visitors coming to Circleville.

This is the fourth time that the show has been canceled since it was first established in 1903. Keller said the three earlier cancellations occurred during World War I and World War II.

The board is planning now for the 2021 show, which is scheduled for October 20-23. jwoods@dispatch.com @Woodsnight