A time-honored tradition in Meeker is getting a refresher.
The Meeker Pumpkin Festival has been going on for around four decades, and at one time, it was big, with carnival rides and more. Organizer Veronica Tessier is hoping to return it to its former glory and make it into an economic driver for the town.
The festival is set for Oct. 24 from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Fowler Street. There are going to be four or five food trucks, providing burgers, Indian tacos and other goodies. Around 40 vendors are expected, providing crafts, treats and other items. The First Baptist Church is providing a Harvest Village for kids that will include various activities and games. There will also be antique cars and tractors on display.
The She Shed is also participating. Tessier said the business is helping with electricity, as well as offering apple bobbing and possibly some hot cocoa.
There will be a pie baking contest, chili cook-off, a free morning Fun Run, live entertainment, Friesian horses, photo spots and more. A piein- the-face booth will also be set up to raise money for the police department. Tessier is hoping to pull in about 2,500 visitors this year.
It’s been a bit challenging getting the festival off the ground. In recent years, it’s fallen by the wayside with organizers getting older and stepping back, partnered with a lack of participation from younger generations, Tessier said. Last year’s was rather small, but it helped inspire her to get involved.
Earlier this year, she attended a meeting with the Chamber of Commerce and a previous volunteer, Kenneth Massey, to see what could be done. They divided up roles, but Tessier said about two months passed without a word. And then she heard that the Chamber wasn’t doing the festival.
“I was like, ‘Well, that’s not right. We’ve done one every year, supposedly. If you guys don’t want to lead it, I would like to.’ So they said, ‘Go for it,’” she said. “I put a post up on Market Meeker and said, ‘Hey, if I can get... I know the Chamber said it’s not going to happen, but if I can get volunteers to show up and we can all walk out with an assignment, I will run it.’ So we had 25 people show up.” That first meeting, about seven people were assigned to duties, and ever since, they’ve kept a steady stream of volunteers. Tessier said they’ve also raised about $5,000. Her news website, Market Meeker, donated $2,500 and is the premier sponsor. Arvest Bank also donated $250 for lights and Prague Dental donated $1,000.
More in the community have been getting involved. Tessier said a local sign company has been making signs on a tab, a local fence guy has donated fences and barriers, and another local hay guy is donating hay bales temporarily. In the past, the City of Meeker donated money, barriers, trash cans and other items to help with the festival, but isn’t doing so this year. It’s alsonotprovidingcandyfor the downtown trick-or-treat event.
Tessier said some at the Chamber of Commerce were kind of shocked at how well she was able to pull in volunteers and get things done, saying they were convinced no one wanted to participate.
Getting the festival off the ground and growing is also part of her vision for the town.
“I mean, realistically, what inspires me to get involved in the first place is my vision for Meeker,” she said, adding that folks in town may not want to see it grow in population, but they do want more businesses. “You can’t bring more businesses in in its current condition.”
The hope is that as the festival grows, it can bring in more tourists and help drive the community’s economy. This is only year one, so the plan is to show that they can step the festival up a bit.
Regardless,Tessier plans to keep going with the festival, no matter how it turns out.
“I’m torn between it’s going to be amazing, and it’s going to be better than I think, and everybody’s going to love it, and we’re going to do this again next year, and it’s going to be even better,” she joked. “I’m torn between that, and it’s a complete flop, and I’m going to hang my head in shame for a couple months before I try again.”