Organizers are hoping to light up Main Street with over 1,000 pumpkins on Halloween night during the inaugural Innisfail Pumpkin Festival.
The festival, which is being organized by the Downtown Association, will feature a number of safe, fun activities for the whole family, said Debra Stoski, one of the organizers. It is scheduled to take place Oct. 31 from 6 to 9 p.m. on 50 Street from 50 Avenue to 53 Street.
Stoski said the Coffee Cottage’s Jodi Desjardin approached her with the original idea and asked for help organizing it. Stoski then approached other members of the association to get them on board.
In addition to the pumpkins on parade, families will be encouraged to go trick-or-treating at local businesses, take in a children’s carnival, visit a haunted house, and watch a lawn tractor race on 50 Avenue from 53 Street to 52 Street.
There will be a small fee to purchase tickets for the carnival and to enter the haunted house.
“What we really wanted to do is have a safe Halloween for kids,” Stoski said. “They know where the candy is coming from, and the kids are safe in one area. It allows us to give the kids other stuff other than candy.”
Six local stores will also have drop-off boxes set up prior to the festival. People can visit Shoppers Drug Mart, Pharmasave, the Bargain Shop, No Frills, Co-op or Dollarama, purchase candy and then drop it in the box as a donation for the festival. Store clerks will give you a poster to hang in your window stating you made a donation to the Pumpkin Festival.
While Stoski admitted the goal of 1,000 pumpkins is lofty, she said organizers are confident it can be reached. Pumpkins can be purchased at a special price locally from either the Co-op or No Frills. She encouraged families and local businesses to get involved.
“It’s easy to carve a pumpkin,” Stoski said. “We’re hoping … that every kid in the house will carve a pumpkin, and the mom and dad too. Get everyone excited about it and hopefully they’ll all join in.”
The association will also be selling battery-operated tea lights for the pumpkins at a cost of $1 the night of the festival. Stoski said candles will not be allowed due to safety concerns.
The lawn tractor race is open to men only and Stoski encouraged participants to get into the Halloween spirit and dress up. Racers will navigate a course surrounded by hay bales, grab an apple tied to a string with their arms behind their back, and then turn their tractors around for the race to the finish.
Stoski said NAPA Auto Parts has sponsored the event and will present a $250 tool kit to the winner.
Race participants can pre-register at either Innisfail Tire and Lube or the Coffee Cottage beginning on Oct. 17. Registration closes on Oct. 28.
Proceeds from the event will go to association projects that will help beautify the downtown core.
