Barb Penner
Express Contributor
The vision for Vanderhoof’s annual Halloween Pumpkin Walk came from a ladies magazine, where carved and lit pumpkins were placed along a driveway.
The pumpkins looked spectacular, and I worked together with other members of the Vanderhoof Chamber of Commerce to make that vision become a reality. The first Pumpkin Walk was held on halloween night in the year 2000, and thousands of guests attended. The show grew bigger and better every year after that.
Each year, about 500 pumpkins are carved by local seniors and school students and placed along the roadway at Vanderhoof’s Riverside Campground. The pumpkins have been kept bright using candles or lights, and guests walked along checking out the beautiful jack o’ lantern faces. Trick or treaters stop for a hot chocolate courtesy of Tim Hortons, then go on to get candy and treats at various campsites that are decorated up by businesses and stores. At 8 p.m., crowds gather in the fields and parking area to watch a spectacular fireworks show.
The best part is that it has been free to attend and open to people of all ages.
The pumpkins, candy, candles, firewood, straw bales and fireworks have been donated by locals, and the people operating the campsites have donated the candy and treats they are giving out too. There has continued to be some trick-or-treating happening house-to-house in Vanderhoof; many children still do both. It has been wonderful to see families together at Riverside Park on halloween, enjoying the pumpkins, the treats and the fireworks, and it has been reported that since beginning the Pumpkin Walk, halloween pranking and vandalism has stopped almost entirely.
The show runs at Riverside Park Campground in Vanderhoof on Wednesday Oct. 31, from 5-8 p.m. (Lots of trick or treaters begin showing up just after 4 p.m.!) We hope you will join us too!
Barb Penner is one of the creators of the Halloween Pumpkin Walk in Vanderhoof.