THUNDER BAY — Heading into the final weekend of Pumpkinfest, Sue Gammond couldn’t express her gratitude enough for the community’s support over the last 30 years.
Earlier this year, the Gammonds, who own and operate Gammondale Farm in the Slate River Valley, announced this 30th anniversary year of the popular fall festival would be its last, as the couple inch closer to retirement.
Gammond said her husband Gerry has been trying to lighten the couple’s workload and Pumpkinfest, which runs every weekend in October, is a huge endeavour.
“This five-weekend festival is a big commitment and a lot of work that starts in August and even tidying it up afterwards takes us into the middle of November,” said Gammond. “By scaling that back, it will be a big workload relief for us.”
“I’m not a really happy camper,” said Gammond, with a laugh. “But I recognize it’s time to do a little bit less work.”
What Gammond will miss most about the festival, which features a variety of family-friendly activities on the farm, is interacting with the people — not only the patrons, but also the people who help put on the festival, particularly the youth who work on the farm for Pumpkinfest.
“I will miss that, big time,” she said.
This may be the last Pumpkinfest. However, the farm will still be hosting its sleigh rides, birthday parties and even weddings during the summer months.
The festival has been seeing record-breaking attendance this month with more than 1,000 people visiting each day last weekend says Gammond.
Gammond attributes that to the unusually warm October weather, but she said many people have been coming because they know this will be the last Pumpkinfest.
“We are so grateful people like to come,” she said. “We are pretty excited when we see lots of people.”
Gammond says she keeps saying thank you over and over again to everyone who has made the festival possible these 30 years.
“To the people who come and the families that have enjoyed it over all these years and thank you to the families and kids who have worked here,” said Gammond.
Going into this final weekend, Gammond is hoping for a “regular, ordinary day and I will see lots of people.”
The final days of Pumpkinfest are Saturday and Sunday. Details, including online ticket sales, can be found https://www.gammondalefarm.com.
