This weekend, 20 years of PumpkinFest in St. Joseph will be celebrated. 

Cindy Daffron with the PumpkinFest said the three-day event sponsored by the Pony Express Museum started out with a street dance and an idea. 

“That (street dance) wasn’t too successful, so the following year they said, let’s go a different way,” Daffron said. “So that’s when the mountain idea came in 1988, and allowing vendors and people to come and it’s grown great ever since then.” 

“Pumpkin Mountain,” the highlight of the celebration, features hundreds of hand-carved pumpkins which will light up at 8:00 sharp Friday evening in front of the museum. Daffron said before the lighting, at 7:45, they will hold a special recognition of all the past volunteers who have helped with PumpkinFest over the years. 

“We’d like to honor (them) and send that message to people that volunteers, you know, without them where would we all be, probably every organization in this city would be in trouble,” Daffron said. 

Also during the weekend, there will be entertainment on both stages at Patee Park across from the museum including country gospel and bluegrass musicians performing. There will also be craft and food vendors, a Children’s Tent, carnival rides, pony rides and a petting zoo. 

Saturday morning, registration for the costume parade begins at 10 and the parade starts at 11 a.m. 

Also during PumpkinFest weekend, there will be an opportunity to meet Buffalo Bill and learn about the Pony Express and Kathy Ridge will be bringing to life a typical day at school in the 1860s at the one-room Pony School. A new session will start every half hour during the PumpkinFest.

For more information and a schedule of events, click here.