Houstin Pumpkin Festival keeps local VFD running
Porter Gephart Shaner, 1, son of Danielle Gephart and Adam Shaner of Canonsburg, patrols for candy at Houston’s Pumpkin Festival parade Saturday.
Participants in the Houston Pumpkin Festival costume contest pass out candy during the parade Saturday.
Houston’s Pumpkin Festival parade marched Saturday morning along Pike Street in Houston. Marching bands, dance groups, costume-clad children, politicians, classic cars and officials made their way down the street passing out candy to the crowd that lined the street.
Patience Nugent of South Franklin Township claims the pumpkin she’s taking home Saturday at the Houston Pumpkin Festival.
Houston Volunteer Fire Department member Al Nagy, left, and his friend, Lou Oliverio, will use 120 pounds of pepperoni making pizza during the three-day Houston Pumpkin Festival, which continues today.
HOUSTON – A local merchant’s idea for a fall festival to entertain children in Houston is credited for raising enough money to keep the local volunteer fire department in business for more than three decades.
The three-day Houston Pumpkin Festival, which wraps up today, typically raises 80 percent of the Houston Volunteer Fire Department’s annual budget at a time when many others struggle to raise money, fire officials said Saturday.
“It’s our bread and butter,” Houston Volunteer Fire Department President Chad Roberts said while thousands of people crowded the festival at American Legion Post 904 off West Pike Street.
Buzz Meddings, a civic-minded resident who once sold produce in the downtown, convinced the local mayor to embrace the festival 32 years ago, said Neil Kilmer, a board member at the fire department.
“I believe (Meddings) sold pumpkins,” Kilmer said.
“Why pumpkins? I don’t know, probably because it’s the month of Halloween and harvest time,” added John Taylor, another fire department board member.
The festival features a petting zoo, games for kids, food vendors, a rock-climbing wall and the fire department’s booth, which sells pizza made from mostly donated ingredients, Roberts said.
“We have 120 pounds of cheese, 120 pounds of pepperoni and 80 gallons of sauce,” Roberts said.
He said Houston is fortunate to have the festival as it’s difficult for many fire departments to find members and raise money at a time when fire hall bingos have lost business to casinos.
The main event Saturday afternoon was a pumpkin pie-eating contest where people lined up to compete to see who could eat an 18-inch pie the fastest. Bret Johnson held the record at 2 minutes and 22 seconds going into the event Saturday. Austin Gielarowski broke the record Saturday, taking first place by eating his pie in 2 minutes and 13 seconds.