BARNESVILLE — The 53rd Annual Barnesville Pumpkin Festival will soon return to the streets of Barnesville, drawing hundreds of visitors to the village for the music, food, rides and, of course, the pumpkins.

Since 1963, the festival has been a staple of Barnesville’s fall schedule. The event draws visitors from all over the Ohio Valley who come to enjoy the fall festival and all that it has to offer. Like most autumn fairs and festivals, the Pumpkin Festival offers a variety of rides, games and contests for guests to enjoy. Visitors can also indulge in a wide range of delicious foods, including pumpkin pie, ice cream and doughnuts.

The Pumpkin Festival is always an exciting time of year for the village of Barnesville, said festival President Tim Rockwell.

“It’s really nice that almost everyone in Barnesville is a supporter of the festival. It really takes the whole town to put it on.”

Rockwell also praised the dozens of hard-working volunteers who make the whole festival possible, as well as the fire and police services of Barnesville for allowing them to use the village streets for the event.

Barb Ballint of the Belmont County Tourism Council added that the event draws a large amount of visitors and business to the county.

“It definitely promotes tourism and brings in tax dollars to the area, because we know it brings in people from a 150-mile radius to the county,” said Ballint.

Visitors to the festival should never lack for something to do. All throughout the festival, amusement rides, games, children’s crafts and a book sale will be available to anyone who stops by. Visitors can also check out the various agricultural and horticultural displays, where the participating individuals proudly show off the fruits of their labor. Visitors who are more mechanically inclined may be interested in observing the displays of both old and modern farm machinery, as well as the classic car show on Sunday.

“”We try to have something for everyone, young and old,” said Rockwell. “We always try to improve on the year before.”

Guests will also have the chance to observe — and even participate in, if they choose — a variety of contests throughout the event. The contests cover a wide range, from fiddling and banjo playing, pie baking and eating, to sillier concepts such as a beard and mustache competition, hog calling contest, and a tobacco spitting contest. Participants can prove their mettle to their fellow festival-goers, and show that they are the best at their chosen field of competition. For those who might have more mundane tastes in competition, there will also be a talent competition, a pet show and a 5k race over the weekend. People attending the event will also have the chance to listen to quite a wide range to musical talents. More than a dozen bands and performers will be playing throughout the festival in a variety of locations, including the Central Stage, the Pumpkin Stage, the Blue Moon Tavern and the Elks Lodge.

Of course, the main attraction to the Pumpkin Festival is naturally the pumpkins. These round orange fruits form the basis of the festival, and their influence can be felt all over. The pumpkin pie baking and eating contests will take place on the Pumpkin Stage on Saturday afternoon, and the Pumpkin Wagon will be serving pumpkin pies, doughnuts, pumpkin flavored ice cream, and more all throughout the festival. Pumpkins will also be on display at the agricultural and horticultural tables, and a “Pumpkin Queen,” “Pumpkin Baby” and “Little Miss and Mr. Pumpkin” will be crowned on Saturday afternoon.

However, the highlight of the festival is always the weighing and choosing of the King Pumpkin, the largest pumpkin at the festival. Farmers come from all over to show off their gigantic produce, and compete for awards including “Best Looking Pumpkin,” “Heaviest Squash,” and the “Founders Cup” for the heaviest locally grown pumpkin. The most coveted prize is that of the King Pumpkin, the largest piece of produce at the festival. The honor comes with a special plaque and the King Pumpkin trophy, and the grower will be awarded $2 per pound of their pumpkin. With some previous winners tipping the scales at more than 1,500 pounds, that can be quite a hefty prize; the 2015 King Pumpkin sold at auction for a record $9,000. Rockwell mentioned that organizers raised the price paid per pound from $1 to $2 this year, and they hope that the increased price will bring in more growers with giant pumpkins. The King Pumpkin weigh-in will take place starting at 6 p.m. Wednesday, and the awards will be handed out on Thursday at 5 p.m.

All of the fun starts Wednesday and runs through Sunday, Sept. 25. The official opening ceremonies will take place at 5 p.m. Thursday, followed by the crowning of the Pumpkin Queen, Princess and Mini Miss and the presentation of the King Pumpkin trophy.

With so much to see, do, hear and eat, the Barnesville Pumpkin Festival has something to everyone. The festival has been pleasing guests for 53 years, and will surely do so for decades to come.

“The whole atmosphere just  feels like a big family reunion. It’s nice, wholesome family event that brings a lot of people,” said Rockwell.