WESTFIELD-With the “huge success” of last fall’s Westfield PumpkinFest, organizers have joined forces with additional city organizations to expand on its inaugural endeavor.
“The response from the community was overwhelming at last year’s event,” said Bob Plasse, who serves as co-chair with Lucille Nason.
Westfield PumpkinFest committee members recently gathered for a last-minute logistics meeting at the home of Lucille Nason, co-chair of the event with Bob Plasse.
Nason echoed those sentiments.
“It is important to form strong bonds with other organizations in Westfield and surrounding areas because this creates strength in numbers and abilities to be able to accomplish what alone others thought to be impossible,” said Nason.
Westfield PumpkinFest, sponsored by Westfield on Weekends (WOW) Inc., is slated for Oct. 13 from noon to 6 p.m., rain or shine.
On a recent Saturday afternoon, Nason hosted a pizza party to thank the many volunteers who have been working behind the scenes for months to ensure another successful family event.
“PumpkinFest is a stress free, low to no cost day for families to come and enjoy our city and each other,” said Nason. “It is a wonderful day to make memories and remind us of how important it is to give ourselves the gift of time well spent with our family and friends.”
PumpkinFest events will be staged at Park Square, as well as at a variety of downtown locations on Elm Street. Also, churches and businesses along Court Street and Main Street will have events, as well as an open house at the Westfield Fire Department on Broad Street.
“We will be closing the streets along Elm Street – from Franklin to School – for vendors and events,” said Plasse.
The centerpiece of PumpkinFest is its Pumpkin Runway on Park Square that will be adorned with pumpkins that children decorate that day. Every child who registers a pumpkin for the runway will receive a raffle ticket for a series of prizes including bicycles. All pumpkins on the runway will be lit at dusk during the closing ceremony and raffle at 5:30 p.m. on the main stage.
The lawn at Baystate Dental on Broad Street will become a pumpkin patch for children to choose a free gutted pumpkin to decorate. A colorful assortment of artistic materials will be available for decorating purposes.
“PumpkinFest fun begins and ends at Park Square where children will be able to have their faces painted, receive henna designs, create a PumpkinFest-inspired craft and play a variety of games including Pumpkin Sack Races, Hula Hoops, Drumming and Candy Corn Toss,” said Plasse.
Plasse added that scattered throughout the festival will be several colorful photo opportunities allowing participants to stick their heads through the holes in artwork and become a Giant Pumpkin or a fairytale character.
Entertainment will be wide ranging throughout the day, with pop-up performances and flash mobs on Elm Street, and a main stage of entertainers at Park Square. Also, several musical buskers will roam the city streets, coordinated by Tom Sawyer of both WOW and Artworks of Westfield Inc.
“WOW is thrilled to be able to offer three professional children’s entertainers who will be strolling throughout the festival,” said Plasse. The entertainers include mime Robert Rivest (12-2), stilt walker and juggler Henry Lappen (2-4), and Andrew the Twisted Balloon Guy (3:30-5:30).
Performers during the afternoon include the All-Star Dance Center Dancers, Cassin Academy of Irish Dance Dancers, Boys and Girls Club of Greater Westfield’s theatre and dance troupes, New England Dance Center dance teams, Westfield High School Jazz Band, Westfield High School Show Choir, and Whip City Witches.
WSKB radio personality Peter Cowles and deejay and WOW president Jay Pagluica will also provide musical backdrops throughout the afternoon.
Plasse noted that an “enhanced version” of last year’s Scarecrow Trail along Elm Street, Main Street and School Street will spotlight downtown shopping with numerous sales, giveaways, restaurant specials and activities.
“Many of the shops along the trail will display individualized scarecrows and colorful window displays to celebrate PumpkinFest,” said Plasse.
Special features along the Scarecrow Trail will be the Artworks of Westfield Showcase on the grass next to Blended Vintage Marketplace, featuring artists (gallery art, textiles, different mediums) and local authors, and the Western Hampden Historical Society’s Dewey House Arts and Crafts Showcase will spotlight local crafters along Elm Street.
A new feature of PumpkinFest will be a Car Show Spook-tacular, sponsored in part by Sarat Ford of Agawam. Cars from a variety of eras will be displayed along Elm Street, many of which will be decorated in the spirit of the season.
“Youngsters will especially enjoy participating in the ‘Hunt for Your Pumpkin Scavenger Hunt’ as they search for their own PumpkinFest artworks that were created in the Pre-K, Kindergarten and Grade 1 classrooms of Westfield,” said Plasse. “Once they find their drawing, they will be given a small prize.”
Nason also noted that food courts on Park Square will offer harvest treats prepared by WOW, while the “Runtz” cart will serve hot dogs, chips and sodas. Italian ices and cotton candy will also be sold from Mom and Pop’s vending cart. Restaurants along the Elm Street corridor will also be open with PumpkinFest specials throughout the day.
Other highlights of PumpkinFest include:
- Nonprofit organizations and businesses including the Amelia Park Children’s Museum, Community Church of Westfield, Boys and Girls Club of Greater Westfield, Home Depot, Westfield Homeless Cat Project, United Bank, Westfield Kiwanis, Westfield Gas & Electric, Whip City Fiber, Westfield’s 350th Anniversary Committee, Walmart, Westfield Museum, WOW and the YMCA of Greater Westfield will all provide special activities for children. Also, 94.7 FM WMAS will be broadcasting live from Park Square from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m.
- The WOW Arts & Crafts Market will take place in the shaded courtyard of First United Methodist Church, as well as in selected booths up and down Elm Street, showcasing the Westfield Creative Arts program of courses and classes.
- The 350th Birthday Committee of Westfield, ‘Westfield 350,’ will present “Haunted Westfield,” a presentation by Agawam Paranormal, of strange happenings they found while exploring four historic city sites. A matinee is slated at 1 p.m. at the Westfield Woman’s Club, as well as a harvest dinner and program starting at 6 p.m. Tickets for the 8 p.m. program only are also available.
- The Episcopal Church of the Atonement will host a farmers market on its front lawn, featuring autumn produce and arts and crafts.
- The Westfield Athenaeum and its Boys and Girls Library will offer a variety of children’s activities and storytelling times while the Friends of the Westfield Athenaeum will sponsor a used costume jewelry sale.
- Blue Umbrella Books at 2 Main St. will create a spooky experience for families who walk through a foggy English street that they have fashioned behind their shop. Participants can enter through the book shop or the alley way next to the City Hotel.
- Scarecrows, pumpkins and fantasy characters, as well as a pair of Looney Tunes characters provided by Six Flags New England, will greet children on Park Square and present them with special trinkets. Also, Mr. Happy Tooth from Baystate Dental will be greeting visitors during the afternoon.
- The Forest Park Zoo, based in Springfield, will introduce some of their favorite live animal friends from 1 to 3 p.m.
- WOW will present the “Pumpkin Pick-a-Prize” event on Park Square, where chances for numerous prizes donated by area businesses and individuals and the artists and artisans of PumpkinFest may be purchased in support of WOW programming. Tickets for a 50/50 raffle will also be available.
“As a preview of this year’s Elks Lodge Rag Shag Parade in Westfield and to add to the day’s fun, all PumpkinFest participants – children, families, vendors and volunteers – are being encouraged to dress in costume,” said Plasse.
Free parking will be available along Elm, Court, Broad and Main streets, as well as on Holland Avenue and at the Westfield City Hall parking lot off Court Street. Additional off-street parking is located off School Street, parallel to Elm Street, and next to the former Bank of America on Main Street.
Nason and Plasse also thanked the major sponsors for their support, including Westfield Gas & Electric and Whip City Fiber at the platinum level, the United Bank Foundation, Easthampton Savings Bank and the Big Y at the gold level, and the Westfield branch of Staples at the silver level. Additional funding has been provided through grants from the Westfield Cultural Council, a local program of the Massachusetts Cultural Council.
Also, the pumpkin patch, runway and stage sponsors include John S. Lane Inc., while the pumpkin patch sponsors include Rosewood Home & Gifts. Additional support has been provided by the City of Westfield, including Community Development, Health Department, Licensing, Parks and Recreation, Police Department and the Westfield Auxiliary Police, the Westfield News Group, as well as Baystate Dental, the Circle K Club of Westfield State University, city councilor Ralph Figy and Sue Figy from Coldwell Real Estate, Conklin Office Supply, Reverend Bruce Arbour and First United Methodist Church, Ricky’s Porta-Potties, and an anonymous consultant.
Nason and Plasse have been supported by PumpkinFest Committee members including Danny Nason, Stacie Phetteplace, Paula Young, Faith Young, Roxanne Sabonis, Andrea Piatti-Bruno, Alex Preston, Pastor Merle Beal, Billy Johnston, Mary Holt, Susan Austin, Jane Stanziola, Tommy Stanziola, Gerry Tomasko, Julie Leavitt, Cheryl Crowe, Chris Davidson and Jay Pagluica.
For a complete schedule on Westfield PumpkinFest, visit www.westfieldonweekends.com.
