Bessemer Pumpkinfest to Begin Thursday, October 7th

BESSEMER, MI - Sunday, September 19, 2010 - The 32nd Annual Bessemer Chamber of Commerce Pumpkinfest begins on Thursday, October 7th through Sunday, October, 10th. The Pumpkinfest originated in 1978 as a bet between Roy Malmberg and Ray Brown on who could grow the largest pumpkin. Joe Modjewski served as judge and the winner got a free lunch. And the festival has grown every year since. This year’s festival will feature the traditional “Biggest Pumpkin” contest along with a number of other contests, activities, shows along with the opportunity to sample some fantastic food and socialize with old friends and meet new ones!

Festivities begin on Thursday, October 7, with the “Business after 5” at the Pit Stop bar. Geo-caching, the Poker Run, and the 50/50 raffle sales also start then.

From Friday through Sunday, the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA) will set up camp in the lot next to the Couch Potato. The SCA is an international organization dedicated to researching and re-creating the arts and skills of pre-17th century Europe. Members of the Ironwood based "Village of Hvítskógar" will be dressed in clothing typical of the Middle Ages and Renaissance. Come and see their jewelry makers and craftsmen create beautiful works of art, test your skills at medieval games and witness the thrill of combat as their armored and rapier fighters take to the field!

Also on Friday evening, the Boulder Creek Golf Club will host a chicken and ribs dinner from 5 – 8 p.m. Afterwards, enjoy s’mores by the bonfire. Live entertainment will be provided by Ron Niemi, Sr., Tim Makela, and Gene Alexander.

Plan on spending your entire Saturday in town and enjoy the many events planned. Starting at 7 a.m., the Knights of Columbus will be serving Pumpkin Pancakes (and regular ones too) at the St. Sebastian School cafeteria. On your way to Main Street, stop by and visit the “Car Show in a Pumpkin Patch” at Bessemer Auto and vote for your favorite Klassic Kruiser.

At 10 a.m., the largest craft fair in the area begins at the A.D. Johnston High School gymnasium. The Junior Class will be serving refreshments. At 10:30 a.m., the Kiddies Parade begins their march down Main Street. Line up begins at 10:15. Immediately following the Kiddies Parade, Dave Parker & Skippy perform on stage at Pumpkin Square. From 11:30 a.m. until 3:00 p.m., stop by the Pie Social at the City Hall Auditorium for some great homemade pies and deserts. The elementary school choir and Gogebic Range Band will perform.

All of the traditional contests will also be held on Saturday. For the bakers out there, be sure to enter the Bake-Off contest. Age means nothing. Ribbons and prizes will be awarded for pies, cookies & bars, breads, cakes, and muffins. Drop off your entry by 10 a.m. at the City Hall Council Chambers and bring your recipe. Winners will be announced at noon. The winner of the Chili Cook-off will also be announced at noon at the Pit Stop. Drop off your entry by 10:30 a.m.

To give you the opportunity to express your creative side, enter the totem pole and scarecrow contests. Entrants should register their creations between 8-9 a.m. next to Ableman’s. Entries for the largest and smallest pumpkin and squash should also have their entries registered at that time.

Pumpkin Bingo will be held at the Washington School Cafeteria from noon until 1:00 p.m. Pumpkin Bowling and the Seed Spitting contests will take place at 12:30 and 1:00 p.m., respectively.

Everyone is invited to the Bessemer VFW for their annual Pumpkinfest Horseshoe Tournament. The tournament begins at 1:00 p.m. and is open to the public. Trophies and prizes will be awarded. Then at 3:00 p.m., have the kids stop by the Dairy Queen to participate in their Treasure Hunt.

On Saturday evening from 4 – 8 p.m., our Roast Beef Brisket and Rotisserie Chicken dinner will be held at the Bessemer VFW. Larry Miskovich and Deb and Bill Rolston will once again create magic in the kitchen. Up North Connection returns to perform live throughout the dinner. A silent auction will also take place during the dinner.

For our younger crowd, a teen dance will be held at the City Hall Auditorium from 8 – 11 p.m. Prizes will be awarded for the best costumes. DJ Dave Barbacovi will provide the music.

To culminate the festivities, there will be a Pumpkin Chuckin catapult demonstration (officially called a trebuchet but most of us can’t pronounce that) at 12:00 p.m. on Sunday at E.J. Oas Field. Stop by to see pumpkins (and maybe take a try) chucked at a make-shift castle.

For additional information, please contact Donna Frello at 906-663-0237 or Annette Lillie at 906-663-6079 or visit our website at www.bessemerpumpkinfest.com.

We look forward to seeing you in Bessemer at our 32nd Annual Pumpkin Festival.