CIRCLEVILLE, Ohio — As vendors prepare for this year’s Pumpkin Show, a silent anticipation fills Circleville’s Mainstreet.
The rides. The pumpkins. The food.
On Franklin Street, prime real estate is already being claimed by way of folding chairs for the festival’s seven parades.
That’s where we found Meagan Webb.
“You caught me in the act,” she joked. “Caught me in the act of setting up some chairs.
She lives in Columbus but grew up in Circleville and has never missed one show in her 46 years of life.
“We love our pumpkin show and we love our parades,” she said.
“This is our 13th year,” Steve Davis said.
Davis owns Corky Que. He spent Tuesday making final preparations. Outside of his shop, Circleville Police acting Deputy Chief David McIntyre knows there won’t be this much room come Wednesday.
“It’ll be shoulder to shoulder,” he said. “No doubt in my mind.”
Each day of the four-day event is expected to bring in 100,000 people.
“It is very crowded,” Davis said. “These streets will be full. Every street in town will be full.”
McIntyre says it’s all hands on deck with reserve officers, full-time officers and undercover officers all on the clock to help keep people safe. That is on top of the sheriff’s office, Homeland Security, departments from local villages and the Columbus bomb squad.
McIntyre says the pumpkin festival is a year-round effort to plan.
“There’s a lot of people, a lot of moving parts to ensure security for this week,” McIntyre said.
“I have always felt safe,” Webb said. “There’s never really been issues at the Pumpkin Show.”
Webb says law enforcement always has things locked down.
“It’s safe, which helps make it so fun,” she said.