A Dash of Pumpkin Spice and a Dollop of Whipped Cream at the Circleville Pumpkin Show

It’s advertised as a show, not a festival, carnival, or parade. But it’s all those things, all at once! The giant pumpkin competition is at the heart of the show, like the gourd version of a strongman competition, the winner gaining bragging rights akin to those held by Arnold Schwarzenegger or Eddie “The Beast” Hall. (Handlebar moustache and leopard leotard optional.) Circleville, OH takes its weigh-ins seriously and the competition is fierce, with seeds being passed down from one generation to the next.

It’s self-described as “The Greatest Free Show On Earth” and the atmosphere is festive, with a dash of pumpkin spice and a dollop of whipped cream. I’ve been attending the Circleville Pumpkin Show, on and off, since my first year of graduate school, in 1996. It’s the busiest week the small town sees, with droves of visitors making the 1-hour drive from Columbus, OH and the surrounding area. It’s my adopted small town. Every big city gal who’s been transplanted from one Midwestern state to another has one, right?

In my 20s, friends and I loyally followed our ballroom dance instructor from Columbus to Circleville to take lessons at Simply Dancing ballroom dance studio. I was a member of the “Formation Team” – think ballroom-style square dancing, trading partners and occasionally dancing to lively showtunes. It’s hard to imagine, I know, but we were impressive enough to be asked to dance in celebration of the long-awaited reopening of Circleville’s Ted Lewis Museum. (Ted Lewis website) Impressive, I know!

The third week of October you’ll find everything pumpkin at this show, naturally and artificially flavored, from homemade pumpkin pie to pumpkin-flavored sloppy joes sold by athletic boosters, from sweet, sugar-coated pumpkin min-donuts to pumpkin spice coffee beans, and from long stretches of pumpkin taffy to generous scoops of pumpkin ice cream. The line for the mini-donuts though. . . it may be the longest at the show, but it’s worth it, every time!

I’m always tempted by the pumpkin pie, which is hard to resist at $3 a slice. Most years I restrict my pumpkin pie consumption to Thanksgiving week, but the pumpkin show is where I’ll make an exception and indulge my sweet tooth. I do seek out homemade pie, whenever possible, rather than something I could pick up at Kroger or Walmart. I’m happy to support the local economy, school groups, bands, and sports boosters. Even if I don’t visit Circleville as often as I did in the late 1990s and early 2000s, I want to see this small town thrive.

Always the 3rd Wednesday – Saturday in October, the show has historically required a tremendous number of volunteers, but the community is invested and participates in the festivities. Just like a state or county fair, there are prizes for things like best quilt, painting, fruitcake, pickled vegetable, tablescape, Jello mold, or fudge. There’s a baby contest (yes, you read that right), parade float competition, and even a window decorating content. Color Bar Hair Studio was last year’s winner for their tie-dye, peace-loving, hippie-themed window display. (Note: there were no photos of the babies on the show’s website, so I can’t comment – one way or another – on how cute the babies are.)

If you’re ready to shop, vendors are selling the best items from the local produce stand alongside the season’s ‘must have’ arts & crafts. There’s a hometown feel to many of the booths. You can end up with something that’s one-of-a-kind, special, made by a small town, rural Ohio local. But, in my experience, there aren’t as many local artists and suppliers as there used to be. You’re just as likely to find so-called antiques that are actually imitations, colorful airbrushed t-shirts, < $5 plastic jewelry, mass-produced toys, and faux-wood signs declaring “Live, Laugh, Love.” With so much to choose from, one might say there’s something for everyone, no?

For context, and in case you’re unfamiliar with country kitsch home decor, “Live, Laugh, Love” is a popular motivational phrase and interior decor slogan that evolved from a 1904 poem into a widespread cultural cliché.

“Success” by Bessie Anderson Stanley, begins: “He achieved success who has lived well, laughed often, and loved much.”

Advice columnist Dear Abby shortened and re-popularized the sentiment in a 1990 column (misattributing it to Ralph Waldo Emerson).

The exact three-word slogan surged as wall art, wooden blocks, and merchandise between the late 2000s and early 2010s. (“Live, Laugh, Love” on Wikipedia)

With this staying power, I have no doubt you’ll find the popular slogan on a variety of items at the pumpkin show, even in 2026.

One fall treat that I’ll never go without is seasonal coffee flavors. At the Circleville Pumpkin Show these are offered up by Silver Bridge coffee. Their might be no competition between Pumpkin Spice and Highlander Grogg, given the nation’s unexplained love of pumpkin spice, driven by Starbucks, Cheerios, Oreo, Pepperidge Farm, and others. But this is the pumpkin show, so I suspect that Silver Bridge’s Pumpkin Spice sales take the day! They describe it as follows:

“Step into the crisp embrace of fall with Pumpkin Spice flavored coffee, a seasonal sensation from Silver Bridge Coffee that captures the essence of autumn in every cup. Picture golden leaves dancing on the breeze, while you indulge in the warm, comforting flavors of pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. This enchanting blend evokes memories of cozy sweaters, crackling fires, and the spicy aroma of freshly baked pumpkin pie. (Silver Bridge Coffee website)

Okay, the reminder that it is ‘Sweata Weatha’ and the alure of a crackling fire is tempting.

“With Pumpkin Spice coffee, every sip is a celebration of the harvest season… creating a symphony of flavor that’s as comforting as it is invigorating. Whether you’re starting your day with a touch of seasonal magic or unwinding in the evening with a moment of indulgence, Pumpkin Spice coffee promises to transport you to a world of autumnal bliss, where every moment is infused with the warmth and richness of the season.” (Silver Bridge Coffee website)

Seasonal Magic? Autumnal Bliss? Wow – that’s some aggressive marketing! Okay, okay, they claim it’s comforting and invigorating at the same time? I hold that the nation is taken by this, convinced, bamboozled. What’s wrong with people? My own experience of fall is flavored by Highlander Grogg.

“Nobody hasn’t heard of Highlander Grogg coffee; it’s everywhere, and for good reason. This deliciously spiced and balanced flavored coffee combines the essences of butterscotch, rum and just a hint of vanilla. And while you can find a Highlander Grogg coffee in many places, Silver Bridge Coffee’s Highlander Grogg is one of our best-selling flavors in Ohio because we do flavored coffees differently… We approach flavoring the Highlander Grogg coffee with the goal in mind that we would drink it by itself – no creamer needed. We only use the most natural flavorings on the market today, and there’s no sugar, gluten, calories or chemicals added in the process. The result is the best cup of Highlander Grogg flavored coffee that you’ve ever tasted.” (Silver Bridge Coffee website)

I would agree – and who needs creamer anyway? Highlander Grogg for the win! I stock up!

Getting back to the pumpkin show, there absolutely is a nightly parade, which shuts down the rest of the show’s pedestrian traffic. The biggest fans of the evening spectacle have laid claim to their spots with lawn chairs in place since early afternoon. High school bands, charity clubs, realtors, dance troops, and beauty queens march, dance, or ride floats down Main Street. This is a highlight of the show and a way to showcase local talent, civic engagement, and small businesses. They throw candy too, which is to be expected, especially around Halloween.

It would not be a show, a hometown fall festival, a community gathering, without a queen. It appears that the queen is a local ambassador for the community and a symbol of youth and civic pride. In nearby Chillicothe, OH a queen is crowned as part of the Fall Festival of Leaves and the 2024 queen’s expression of what it’s like to be crowned sum up this tradition.

“When I was a little girl, my favorite part of the Fall Festival of Leaves was seeing the queens and naming the floats from every festival. If you had told my younger self she would become the queen of her hometown festival one day, she would not believe you. Now I have received 365 days of one of the greatest honors I could wish for: I am the queen on the float and hundreds of little girls look up to me.” ~ Miss Fall Festival of Leaves Queen – 2024

Just some of the Miss Pumpkin Show past winners, since 1933, are shown below.

(Photos from Circleville Pumpkin Show website)

To round things out, I’ll share some of the art that’s on display during the Circleville Pumpkin Show. It’s entertaining to see how many ways there are to incorporate pumpkins into artwork, especially in the style of the old masters. It looks like a fun creative challenge and I applaud the artists. Bravo!

An art gallery intermingles tongue-in-cheek pumpkin art with beautiful rural autumn scenes that exude small town charm. Blown glass, jewelry, sculpture, and wall art are on display, sometimes as part of a competition and often for purchase. Take a stroll through the gallery with me!

The title is Hindsight is 2020. The painting is a stark reminder of how difficult the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic were – the Circleville Pumpkin Show was cancelled, after all – and cheeky fun. Did you notice the mask on the pumpkin in the foreground and the curious cow on the far left? The pumpkin-shaped water tower in the background is straight out of Circleville and worth driving down to see. When events like the pumpkin show, the Arnold Classic, and baseball began to be cancelled we knew that the pandemic was serious, confusing, and poorly understood.

We don’t live in a world without Covid, but the vaccination allows us to attend the show once again.

Shuttle service is a sign of the popularity of the show in recent years. This service is new to me. Decades ago, I remember waiting patiently on State Route 23 to get into the show, heading south after work on an October-perfect Friday night. I waited less patiently to get out of the show, when everyone was anxious to make their way north out of Circleville. As a Circleville ‘insider’ – remember, I took dance lessons there for years – I learned to park on the south end of town, allowing for a quick exit at the end of the evening. I’d hop quickly onto the highway and bypass most of the show traffic.

Circleville is keeping up with the times, promoting their “Park. Ride. Enjoy the Show.” campaign with the help of AI. The promo looks like something out of a Hallmark movie, but it’s not free. See the website for details: Circleville Pumpkin Show 2026 – Shuttle Service