“Imagine That” theme fuels displays at North Logan Pumpkin Walk
There were witches, ghosts and gnomes. Princesses were singing, pigs flew and movie characters came to life.
No, it wasn’t Disneyland. It was pumpkins.
Organizers of the past weekend’s North Logan Pumpkin Walk were excited about the way in which the new theme, “Imagine That,” allowed for creativity with the displays created with pumpkins.
“I’m excited for this year because the theme really gives our scene-makers a broad range of artistic creativity and imagination to surprise everyone,” said Sallie Petersen, one of this year’s scene-makers.
A tractor with pumpkins decorates the North Logan City Pumpkin walk. The Pumpkin Walk is located in Elk Ridge Park in North Logan and runs on October 17-19 and 21-22 2019
Wrapping up on Tuesday, the annual event features hundreds of carved pumpkins along a path with dozens of intricate displays. The Pumpkin Walk, now in its 36th year, regularly draws more than 20,000 visitors during its five-day run time. Many of the scenes were inspired by popular books and movies, such as “Alice in Wonderland” and “Mary Poppins.”
“Our group wanted to make our scene ‘Frozen,’ to capture the children’s imaginations that walk through this year,” Petersen said.
That display consisted of two scenes from the popular Disney film and songs playing on a speaker.
“‘Imagine That’ is a fun, open-ended theme,” said Aubrey Bailey, another scene-maker, in an email. “It allows for the creators and other volunteers to really show off their skills. If you can imagine it… you can make it happen.”
Gina Worthen, a Pumpkin Walk committee member, said each year, a theme is picked to create a sense of cohesiveness between the scenes and to hone the scene-makers’ creative skills. This year was more open to interpretation than in previous years.
“I think there are really two best aspects to Pumpkin Walk,” Petersen said. “Pumpkin Walk is family-friendly and it demonstrates the creativity and volunteerism that is in our valley.”
Despite the appeals to children this year, Worthen said the event attracts people of all ages, from Utah State students to senior citizens. It is a popular date and friend activity, but, at its core, it is a family event.
“The Pumpkin Walk is such a festive and fun family activity,” said Sandy Ballard, one of the event coordinators. “It is wonderful to participate in something that the whole community can enjoy.”
“It’s just a gift to the community,” Worthen said.
—william.bultez@aggiemail.usu.edu
@willistheginger