Business winners of the Petawawa Pumpkin Folks display contest

The second annual Petawawa Ramble and Pumpkin Folk Festival brought some seasonal joy in an otherwise dreary year.

Everyone’s favourite part of this Oct. 15 to 18 event was undeniably the pumpkin folk displays that were found all around town over the weekend. A self-guided tour allowed residents and visitors to discover some very creative autumnal scenes.

“It’s nice to be able to go out and walk around in a safe environment,” said Mayor Bob Sweet about the festival.

Most of the businesses in town participated, putting on their best pumpkin folk display - all in the hopes of taking home the much-coveted golden pumpkin.

The winners were announced on Oct. 30 in front of a crowd at McKie Pools and Spas, who sponsored the Business Pumpkin Folks Display Contest.

“We were very happy to participate in this project, and we are happy to see how it will expand,” said Kelley Whitman-McKie.

The final results were tallied after an outpouring of public votes.

First place for the Best Business Harvest Displays went to Waito Homes for their “Home Build” display. The second place went to The Shed with their “Shed Family” display while the third place went to Sunny Side Up Breakfast Buffet with their “Sunny Cafe” display.

The Best Community Display award went to Watch My Six and Dog House Brewing Company Ltd. for their collaboration at the community location on Murphy Road and Petawawa Blvd.

An honourable Mention - Public Choice pumpkin prize went to Starbucks Petawawa for their “Star Gnome” display.

The Crowd Favourite turned out to be a tie between St. John’s Lutheran Church for their “Outdoor Sermon” and Music for Young Children with their “Musical Scale” display. These two distinct but side by side property displays received an even high volume of votes.

“We are so pleased with the volume of business participation in creating these amazing pumpkin folk-inspired harvest displays,” said Val Hyska, one of the Petawawa Ramble organizers, in an official statement. “We look forward to even more businesses, community groups and residents participating in the next Petawawa Ramble.”

The Petawawa Rambler Business Sponsors donated prizes, and the entire event was made possible through the hard work of Petawawa Ramble organizers like Christine Mitchell as well as the sponsors.