The Great Pumpkin Festival, one of Whitefish Bay’s most beloved traditions, returns Wednesday, Oct. 28 through Saturday, Oct. 31. This year’s co-chairs are Matt DeLange and Stephanie Thompson-Gee. I caught up with Matt – while sporting my new Pumpkin Fest sweatshirt, naturally – to find out what’s new. The short answer: more room, a later night on Halloween, a chance to win some cash, and a potential contingency plan for the Brewers.
As recounted by the Whitefish Bay History Facebook Page, this year marks the 40th time the Great Pumpkin Festival has lit up Schoolhouse Park, though the tradition started earlier in someone’s front yard. In 1979, Gordy Falk, known locally as “the Pumpkin Man,” began carving pumpkins for his Fox Point yard. When his family moved to a Tudor on Carlisle Avenue in Whitefish Bay in 1981, he brought the hobby with him and carved more pumpkins every October. He lined them along the house and across the lawn, and the crowds that came to see them caused traffic problems on Carlisle and the surrounding streets. In 1987, the village asked Falk to move the display to Schoolhouse Park, and the Civic Foundation and the village have run it there ever since. The Civic Foundation has previously estimated as many as 20,000 visits are made to the festival in a single year.
The essentials
- Hours: 6–9 p.m. Wednesday through Friday, and 6–10 p.m. on Halloween night. That last hour is new this year.
- Live music: Pat McCurdy (Wed.), Thursdays on Oakland (Thu.), The WhiskeyBelles (Fri.), Steve Beguhn (Sat.)
- Food trucks, all four nights: Pandl’s, La Empanada Truck, Milwaukee Pretzel Company and Flips Donuts
- Beer tent: new this year, hard cider for the non-beer drinkers
Get your free pumpkin
If you haven’t done this before, the Great Pumpkin Festival depends on YOUR participation! Here’s how it works: The event is held at Schoolhouse Park (across from the library). Pick up a free carving pumpkin starting Friday afternoon the 23rd (weather/farmer timing dependent), take it home, carve it and bring it back by Wednesday the 28th to display on the shelves for all to marvel at your artistry. No experience required! The Civic Foundation provides the lighting to turn your creation into a spooky (or silly) Jack-o’-lantern.
All of the pumpkins come from local farms, more than 1,000 in total. Volunteers, mostly board members and their families, unload them from a flatbed and set them up in the pumpkin patch. Village DPW crews bring in the big trucks to move the giant pumpkins, which the master carvers handle onsite. “The Civic Foundation is all volunteers, separate from the village,” DeLange said, “but we can’t do anything without the village’s cooperation and support.”
Trick-or-treating moves to Halloween this year
Village trick-or-treating is normally held the Sunday before Halloween, so it rarely conflicts with the festival. This year Halloween falls on a Saturday, and the village moved trick-or-treating to 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on the 31st to match the rest of the North Shore. DeLange’s suggestion: “Go enjoy trick-or-treating, go home and rally, and come back out.” Expect more costumes than usual!
A bigger footprint
DeLange said the biggest change this year is space. “We know how busy and crowded it can get, particularly when it’s dark and a lot of little kids running around,” he said.
Fleetwood Place has always been closed to cars during the festival. The food trucks used to sit on the north side, though, so the street itself wasn’t much use to the crowd. This year the trucks move to the south side so their lines can spill into the street. The beer tent will move to the corner of Fleetwood and Idlewild. There will also be cocktail tables on the closed stretch of Idlewild for people who want somewhere to stand with a drink.
Sweatshirts: you can still get one
If you missed the September pre-order, you still have a chance. A merch tent will carry a limited supply of the Great Pumpkin Festival sweatshirts, along with beanies, necklaces and a few other items, while supplies last.
New: a 50/50 raffle on Halloween night
The Civic Foundation is running its first 50/50 raffle, on Saturday only. Tickets are $2 each, and they’ll accept both cash and card. To participate, you will have to buy your tickets that night, and you need to be present at the drawing to win, or have handed your ticket to someone who is. Sales close about 30 minutes before the drawing so volunteers can count the pot. Winners will be announced from the stage during Steve Beguhn’s break, some time between 8:30 and 9 p.m.
The Brewers factor
Yes, the Civic Foundation knows. If the World Series goes long, Game 5 falls on the festival’s opening Wednesday, and Games 6 and 7 fall on Friday and Halloween night.
“We are fully aware and working with the village on how to make sure we can have something where people can watch it,” DeLange said. He has reached out to the village and expects to meet with village staff and the police department soon. There are no concrete plans yet. Watch the Foundation’s social media for updates, or hope the Brewers finish it in four!
Also new: the Historical Society is back
The Whitefish Bay Historical Society, which is restarting after over a decade of dormancy, will have a table near the beer and merch tents. Stop by to see what they’re working on and grab a cup of hot cocoa.
So grab your pumpkin, sharpen your carving skills and we’ll see you at the park. It’s going to be a gourd time.
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