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 40th annual HALF MOON BAY ART & PUMPKIN FESTIVAL, Oct. 16-18. The World Pumpkin Capital of Half Moon Bay celebrates its bountiful fall harvest and autumn splendor with a spectacular lineup paying homage to The Great Gourd including a special display of gigantically enormous champion pumpkins, three stages of smashing entertainment, live music, the FedEx Great Pumpkin Parade, a bone-chilling Haunted House, harvest-inspired crafts, homestyle foods, expert pumpkin carvers, photos with the grand champion gourd, pie-eating and costume contests, The Golden Gourds Youth Talent Show, The Take 5 Lounge with giant screen TV, festival-label wine and Mavericks Pumpkin Harvest Ale. Admission is free.
Kicking off the festivities, the SAFEWAY WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP PUMPKIN WEIGH-OFF will be held on Monday, October 11 (7 a.m. on the IDES Grounds, 735 Main Street, Half Moon Bay), with $20,000 at stake in this “heavyweight championship” of gargantuan gourds. The World’s Greatest Gourd Growers compete for the coveted title and top prize of $6 per pound to the winner. Defending champion Thad Starr, of Pleasant Hill, OR, obliterated the field in 2008 with his leviathan 1,528-pound Atlantic Giant. The grand champion gourd, along with the top five pumpkins, will be displayed at the Art & Pumpkin Festival, October 16-17.
- Live Music and Entertainment on three stages … the smashing lineup includes Chicago-born bluesman Terry Hanck, The Unauthorized Rolling Stones, Classic Latin rock band Mestizo, country stalwarts California Cowboys, harmonica blues great John Nemeth, reggae/world-beat band Lakay & Mystic Man, folksinger Jim Stevens, the Mike Rossi Band, Bluestate, Big Crawdaddy and Frankie’s Dream. The Family Stage features juggling, comedy, unicycling and magic by the incomparable Grinn & Barrett, Cowgirl Tricks by Karen Quest, and The Golden Gourds youth talent show featuring singers, dancers and bands.
- Food & Drink ... tempting pumpkin-infused treats like pumpkin pie, pancakes, ice cream, cake, cheesecake, sausage, cookies and bread, along with hearty stews of artichokes and Brussels sprouts, tamales, macaroni and cheese with pumpkin seeds, corn-on the-cob, roasted turkey legs, hot beef sandwiches, baked potatoes, fried calamari, clam chowder, Half Moon Bay Winery’s festival-label Sangiovese and Half Moon Bay Brewing Company’s Mavericks Pumpkin Harvest Ale, brewed with a variety of pale and crystal malts and pumpkin pulp.
- Special Attractions ... a special display of weigh-off champion pumpkins, Farmer Mike aka “the Picasso of pumpkin carvers” turning a 1,000+ pound gourd into a masterpiece, take-home keepsake photos with the weigh-off champion pumpkin, a bone-chilling Haunted House, create-your-own wax hands art, Mobile Rock’s 24-foot climbing wall, and face-painting.
- Events and Contests ... Pancake Breakfast (both days, 7 AM), Costume Contest (Saturday, 10 AM), FedEx Great Pumpkin Parade (Saturday, 12 noon), Pie-Eating Contests (Saturday and Sunday, 2 PM), The Golden Gourds Youth Talent Show (Saturday and Sunday, 3 PM), 5 & 10k Pumpkin Run (Sunday, 8 AM), Pumpkin Carving for fun/no judging (Sunday, 10 AM).
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