Well, I blinked and summer came and went — at least that’s how it feels to me.

Today is the first official day of fall. The signs are everywhere. With recent drought conditions, leaves have been turning from green to yellow, red and orange for weeks. And now, in many cases, they are beginning to fall to the ground.

Perhaps the clearest indicator of autumn’s arrival, though, is the return of the Barnesville Pumpkin Festival. It officially gets underway on Thursday with a late afternoon ribbon cutting, but the real action starts Wednesday night with the Giant Pumpkin Weigh-Off.

It might sound strange in many corner of our country, but people will turn out in droves to watch as growers from near and far arrive at the intersection of Main and Chestnut streets throughout the evening, hauling their enormous gourds to be weighed, measured and marked as the vie for the crown of King Pumpkin.

Every year, there is plenty of excitement in the air as judges determine which fruit is the largest locally grown pumpkin, which is the prettiest pumpkin and, ultimately, which heavy hitter will reign supreme over the festival, which continues through Sunday on the streets of downtown Barnesville.

When the festival got its start back in 1964, grower Tom Rockwell set the bar with a 72-pound king. Since those days, the weights of the gigantic royals have increased by far more than ten fold, with some setting festival, state and national records. At least three past kings have weighed in at more than 2,000 pounds. The all-time biggest winner ruled in 2022 and tipped the scale at 2,405 pounds.

Each year in our newsroom, we place our guesses as to the weight of the winner. The person who comes closest without going over gets a pumpkin-based treat that I pick up while covering the weigh-off. Usually, that is a delicious loaf of pumpkin bread prepared by the staff and students of Olney Friends School and sold at their annual Pumpkin Shed stand.

This year, I am again looking forward to the weigh-off and the entire festival. I suspect, though, that this year’s weather will take a toll on many of the entries seeking to become King Pumpkin. Dry weather is always a challenge for growers, as pumpkins weighing upwards of 1,000 pounds require a LOT of water — hundreds of gallons in some cases.

So, we will just have to wait and see what the result are. I for one will place my bet on a lower weight for the winner, and I doubt that any records will be broken in 2024.

The weigh-off will be livestreamed again this year, courtesy of the Belmont County Tourism Council. The same is true of the Giant Pumpkin Parade, which steps off at 12:45 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 28, from Barnesville High School. That way people can watch the parade without having to drive around the village in heavy traffic looking for an elusive parking spot.

There is much more to enjoy at the Pumpkin Festival no matter what day — or days — you plan to visit. There are contests to determine everything from longest beard to best mustache, greatest ability to spit tobacco, best pumpkin pie recipe, most adept fiddle or banjo player, best hog caller and most talented.

There is plenty to see and do, with dozens of craft vendors set up in various locations, a car show, a tractor pedal pull for kids, a pet show and the tractor cruise around the area on Saturday morning.

Of course the usual carnival rides and games will be on site, along with a wide variety of food vendors. In addition to the usual festival food such as funnel cakes, deep fried Oreos, french fries, pizza and other popular snacks, local vendors will be selling everything from Coleman’s fish sandwiches to homemade dishes at Assumption Catholic Church, Amish delights at the Barnesville Senior Center, pumpkin-based goodies at the Pumpkin Wagon, and much more at local clubs and restaurants.

There is the annual 5K Pumpkin Run on Saturday, as well as the yearly book sale at the Watt Center for History and the Arts. The Squashcarver will also return to show his skills at turning a plain old pumpkin into a work of art right before your eyes.

Evenings during the festival will also be filled with entertainment. Live music will be performed on several stages throughout the downtown area on a nightly basis.

So, if you have never been to the Pumpkin Festival, make this year a first. And, if you are like me and have visited the festival year after year, get ready to head back to Barnesville.

No matter what your interests, you will sure to find something that fits your modd and makes your day.