WESTFIELD – A re-imagined fourth annual PumpkinFest will bring the spirit of autumn to Westfield next month.
Westfield on Weekends (WOW) organizers knew their PumpkinFest was a favorite event for community members, drawing thousands annually to downtown Westfield. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, that was not an option this year. Instead, PumpkinFest will take place over two weeks with events including a drive-by Haunted House Tour and Scarecrow Trail, a drive-in move, coloring activities and scarecrow-making workshops.
Bob Plasse, president of Westfield on Weekends, and WOW Board member Lisa Sunderland Burns take a break to pose in the garden with four scarecrows, which they are fashioning for WOW’s Scarecrow Trail. (THE WESTFIELD NEWS PHOTO)
“We are pleased to present a safe and responsible twist on the classic PumpkinFest,” said Bob Plasse, WOW co-president. “While we have had to cancel this year’s in-person festival, we have gone outside of the box and planned a calendar of exciting events that can be enjoyed by families on their own during a two-week period, beginning on Saturday, Oct. 16.”
From Oct. 16-31 there will be two ongoing socially distanced ways to celebrate PumpkinFest – the Scarecrow Trail and Haunted House Tour. Both are open for residents and businesses to participate. Scarecrows can be completely homemade, or a scarecrow kit can be purchased from WOW for $20. The kits include PVC piping pieces and joints to create a life-size scarecrow. Pre-made scarecrows are also available for $50. Scarecrow kits may be purchased at Amelia Park Ice Arena on South Broad Street, while supplies last, and folks may register there for the trail. A full list of the locations of more than 50 scarecrows and their owners is available on WOW’s website. Families who follow the trail will be able to vote for their favorite straw persons at Witalisz Associates on Facebook, with special prizes awarded to the winners.
The Haunted House Tour is also self-guided and as of press time has more than 30 homes and two businesses – Amelia Park and All Stars Dance Center – registered. Plasse and PumpkinFest co-chair Jason Polan said it’s easy to join the tour – simply send a message to the WOW Facebook page with your address or call WOW at 413-579-5967 – and decorate. There are no decorating requirements so participants can make their display as sweet or spooky as they would like. PumpkinFest Committee members said it just needs to be festive.
With two weeks to take the tours, families could spread out the fun with multiple visits.
“Folks will have plenty of time to tour as many neighborhoods as they wish,” Plasse said. “It’s a veritable moving celebration of the season.”
To navigate the scarecrows and houses, an interactive Google map sponsored by Witalisz & Associates Real Estate is available. The link is on the WOW Facebook page as well as westfieldonweekends.com. Visitors can vote for their favorite scarecrows and houses on the Witalisz Facebook page. Prizes will be awarded.
On Oct. 17, WOW is showing the Halloween classic family movie “Hocus Pocus” at 7 p.m., preceded by a program of kids music provided by JP’s Sound and Lights at 6 p.m. The event will be at the Middle School Athletic Field, located at the Boys and Girls Club with entrance on Broad Street. Attendance is free with donations suggested, but reservations are required by calling 413-562-2301 or emailing [email protected]. All donations made on movie night will be shared by The Boys and Girls Club and WOW. Cars will be allowed onto the grounds at 5:30 p.m. with limited spaces available to allow safe distancing. Masks must be worn should moviegoers wish to purchase a treat or use portable bathrooms.
Beginning next week, Scarecrow Making Workshops will help the community get ready for the Scarecrow Trail. WOW’s Creative Arts Center (CAC) will be the setting for a series of five workshops led by expert crafter Jennipher McCabe that have been designed for families, following the Massachusetts COVID guidelines. Three workshops on two consecutive Saturdays will be Sept. 26 and Oct. 3, at 9:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 2 p.m., with an evening workshop Oct. 2 at 6 p.m. The fee is $35 and registration is required by calling 413-579-5967 or messaging CAC at [email protected].
The last, but not least, activity for PumpkinFest 2020 is something the entire community can join – a PumpkinFest coloring page. Families can select from a variety of PumpkinFest drawings that can be displayed in their homes when completed. Families may choose between three designs created for PumpkinFest by artist Shannon Chiba, whose work can be seen in the recently completed “Heroes are Everywhere” mural by Artworks of Westfield at the Columbia Greenway Rail Trail tunnel between Hedges and Taylor avenues in Westfield. Chiba’s coloring art may be downloaded from the Westfield on Weekends website or clipped from the pages of The Westfield News and Pennysaver the week before PumpkinFest.
Funding for the events of PumpkinFest has been provided by its major sponsors: Westfield Bank; Westfield G & E and Whip City Fiber; Baystate Health; ESBank (Easthampton Savings Bank); Reminder Publications and The Westfield News and the City of Westfield. Funding has also been provided with grants from the Westfield Cultural Council, a program of the Massachusetts Cultural Council and Shurtleff Children’s Services, Inc. PumpkinFest is produced by WOW’s PumpkinFest committee that is led by co-chairs Jason Polan and Bob Plasse. WOW board members Lisa Sunderland Burns; James Johnson- Corwin; Gerry Tomasko; and Barbara Trant are joined by community members Meaghan Coffey; Gary Midura; Hope Tremblay; Heidi Whelan and Heather Witalisz to round out the committee. PumpkinFest Community partners include the Greater Westfield Boys and Girls Club; Amelia Park Ice Arena; Betts Plumbing & Heating Supply Company, Inc.: L & R Sales, Inc.; Tru Blu Grafix Print and Web Design; and Witalisz Associates Real Estate.
