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South Elgin’s SEBA Park will be the area’s center of fall fun next weekend when the village hosts its 22nd annual Pumpkin Patch Festival, a highlight of which is always the pet costume parade.

“We’re hoping for beautiful weather like last year,” village communications coordinator Craig Pierce said.

Good weather can draw as many as 2,500 to 3,000 people the event, which this year is being held Oct. 7, Parks and Recreation Director Kim Wascher said.

One of the highlights of the annual Pumpkin Patch Festival in South Elgin is the pet costume parade, which will start at 10 a.m. Oct. 7.
One of the highlights of the annual Pumpkin Patch Festival in South Elgin is the pet costume parade, which will start at 10 a.m. Oct. 7.

They’re also expecting about 50 pets for their third annual parade, she said. It kicks off at 10 a.m. with the costumed critters following a route down South Water Street.

Awards will be given for the scariest, cutest, funniest and best owner/pet get-ups, Wascher said.

“Each year, the costumes are always intriguing,” she said.

As one might expect at an event called a Pumpkin Patch Festival, there will, indeed, be pumpkins for sale — 500 of them.

Organizers say the climbing wall is a big attraction at the annual Pumpkin Patch Festival in South Elgin, being held Oct. 7 in SEBA Park.
Organizers say the climbing wall is a big attraction at the annual Pumpkin Patch Festival in South Elgin, being held Oct. 7 in SEBA Park.

They come courtesy of longtime Kane County Board member Mike Kenyon, who grows the gourds for the fest on his family’s farm off Barry Road, near South Elgin High School.

Volunteers from the high school typically provide the labor in transporting the pumpkins from the farm to the park. This year, they will include members of the National Honor Society and the South Elgin volleyball and wrestling teams, Wascher said.

Pumpkin prices will range from $1 to $5 dollars, Wascher said. Mini-pumpkins, cornstalks and hay bales will be available for purchase too.

For anyone who buys a pumpkin and wants to paint it on site, the painting station will be larger this year and they’ve added a paint-drying area, organizers said.

Kids can have their faces painted at South Elgin's annual Pumpkin Patch Festival. It's one of several family-friendly activities that will be part of the Oct. 7 event.
Kids can have their faces painted at South Elgin’s annual Pumpkin Patch Festival. It’s one of several family-friendly activities that will be part of the Oct. 7 event.

There will also be pumpkin chucking, where participants can try their luck launching the easily smashed orbs at a target, Wascher said.

A rock climbing tower provided by Ottawa District of Boy Scouts Three Fires Council is another fest favorite, Wascher said. Other attractions include face painting, a hay bale pyramid, a craft show and concessions.

There’s no admission to attend the fest, which runs from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 7, in SEBA Park, 151 S. Water St.

For more information, go to www.southelgin.com.

Mike Danahey is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.

One of the prize categories in the annual pet costume parade at the South Elgin Pumpkin Patch Festival is for the best best owner/pet get-up, which this pair likely entered last year.
One of the prize categories in the annual pet costume parade at the South Elgin Pumpkin Patch Festival is for the best best owner/pet get-up, which this pair likely entered last year.

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