The Pumpkin Festival officially kicks off Thursday
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BARNESVILLE -- The Barnesville Pumpkin Festival officially kicked off at 5 p.m. Thursday with a huge crowd gathered around the King Pumpkin in downtown Barnesville.
Local business owners and pastors Roy and Martha Hershberger cut the ribbon for the opening ceremony.
John Rataiczak, the voice of the festival, said that the Hershbergers came to Barnesville in 2003 with intentions of opening a tire store. They later moved to Barnesville in 2007 with their 12 children. They now own Joe's Tire and have become pastors at Shekinah Christian Fellowship in Barnesville. The Hershbergers started a children's home in 2013 in Keyna, Africa known as Abbas Heart Ministries International.
"The Barnesville community has been and is a huge supporter of Joe's Tire and Abbas Heart Ministries International," Rataiczak said.
"I just want to say thank you to the Barnesville community for supporting our business, the church and Abbas Heart Ministries. We are so honored to be here tonight to be a part of this," Roy Hershberger said.
Rataiczak also recognized the 2023 Pumpkin Royalty - Mini Miss Campbell Allen, 9, of Barnesville; Princess Lynzee Ensell, 11, of Steubenville; and Queen Torionna Wine, 17, of Warsaw, Ohio.
The girls will represent the festival in Barnesville while traveling around to other festivals and events for the next year.
Giant Pumpkin Weigh-Off organizer Dean Wehr then presented the pumpkin trophies, sponsored by Doan Ford. The reigning champion King Pumpkin weighed in at 1,950 pounds and was grown by Bill Neptune of New Concord, Ohio. The second place winners were Dave and Carol Stelts of Enon Valley, Pennsylvania, with an 1,853-pound pumpkin, and the third place winners were Lee and Derrick Zappa of Mercer, Pennsylvania, at 1,696 pounds.
Wehr also presented Neptune with the Founders Cup trophy, which is awarded to the largest locally grown pumpkin in memory of Martin Schumacher, former King Pumpkin winner.
"This festival has been going on for 59 years. When people ask me why it's so successful, I always say it's because of the passion and the dedication of so many volunteers in this community that make this one of the best festivals in the state of Ohio," Rataiczak said.
Amber Kohler, representative of U.S. Rep. Bill Johnson, R-Ohio, said that the festival has a positive impact on the community.
"This is such an amazing festival. There are so many people in the streets. This is amazing for small-town America," Kohler said.
She then read a letter from Johnson at the opening ceremony.
"For 59 years, the Barnesville Pumpkin Festival has brought together citizens of, in and around the country to share in this time-honored tradition. The festival is a great way for those in this community to make time relaxing with family members and loved ones. ... The community event is full of tradition and one that will continue for generations to come. I congratulate the Barnesville Pumpkin Festival Committee on the opening ceremony of the 2023 Barnesville Pumpkin Festival," Kohler read.
The annual fest typically brings in around 100,000 people during the span of the event, which runs through Sunday in downtown Barnesville.
For more information and to see a schedule for the remaining events, visit barnesvillepumpkinfestival.com or the Barnesville Pumpkin Festival Facebook page.