City of Washougal Pumpkin Harvest Festival has been a popular community event for the past six years. Local families would dress in Halloween costumes and gather at Reflection Plaza in downtown Washougal for children’s games, free snacks, entertainment and of course, a free pumpkin! This year planners were forced to reimage the event again to celebrate as a community.
“With so many community events and gatherings being canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we looked for a way to keep this treasured tradition alive,” said Washougal Mayor Molly Coston. “So, we are taking the festival to our neighborhoods!’”
Washougal Pumpkin Harvest Festival 2020 “On the Go” will take place Saturday, October 24. City leadership and staff will lead a parade of sorts, with police and fire vehicles as well as a truck and trailer filled with ripe orange pumpkins surrounded by hay bales visiting five neighborhood parks. At each location children will be given a goodie bag filled with Halloween toys and treats and of course, a free pumpkin of their very own.
The planned route and schedule is:
- 9 a.m. Hamllik Park, 4285 Addy Street
- 11 a.m. Hartwood Park, 2251 49th Street
- 1 p.m. Oak Tree Park, 350 W Y Street
- 3 p.m. Upper Hathaway Park, 799 - 25th Street
- 5 p.m. Reflection Plaza, 1703 Main Street
Pumpkins and treat bags are one per child and available while supplies last.
At each location, a station will be created for children to line up safely to pick their pumpkin and gather their goodie bag.
“We want everyone to have fun and be safe,” explained Rose Jewell, event organizer and City of Washougal Assistant to the City Manager. “We are asking everyone to practice keeping six feet of physical distancing and staff will follow low-contact guidelines. And please, everyone wear a face covering, whether it is a part of your costume or not.”
The event got its start back in 2003-2008. It was resurrected and revamped in 2014 when Gause Elementary second grade students donated and planted pumpkin starts from science class in the garden plot behind City Hall.
“The pumpkins were then cared for and harvested by City Council members and volunteers and then handed out to local children at the event to enjoy for the holiday,” Jewell said. “The festival continued to grow with fun games, booths and more giveaway items as more area business partners and volunteers became involved.”
The Washougal Pumpkin Harvest Festival is presented by the City of Washougal, along with partnerships with Columbia River Realty who donated toward purchase of the pumpkins and Washougal Police Guild that provided reflective bags to hold the treats. The event will take place rain or shine.
For more details, go to https://www.cityofwashougal.us/PumpkinHarvestFestival.
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Contact:
Rose Jewell, City of Washougal
Rose.jewell@cityofwashougal.us
