North Logan Pumpkin Walk celebrates its 40th anniversary

The North Logan Pumpkin Walk, an event with displays made from pumpkins, celebrated its 40th anniversary this year. 

The event was created by Ida Beutler in 1983 as a way to revive the magic of Halloween for kids. 

Marie Godfrey, Beutler’s daughter and volunteer at the walk, said her mom wanted to avoid the scary, dark elements of Halloween. 

“The vision was just to make it a happy place,” Marie Godfrey said. “It was open to all people. It was very inclusive.”

Marie’s husband, Ron Godfrey, said people really saw Beutler’s vision. 

“There were 10,000 people that came the first year,” Ron said. “The second year, I think 10 or 15, and the third year close to 20,000.”

The event started on Beutler’s family farm, where it stayed for about ten years. 

A “Jurassic Park” themed pumpkin display at Elk Ridge Park as seen on Oct. 20.

“They could walk them through the field, or little nooks and crannies in the hay barn or the horse shed,” Marie said. “One year they took that hay grain elevator building and turned it into Old Main.”

In 1989, as the popularity of the pumpkin walk increased, North Logan city began sponsorship of the event. 

The traffic began increasing as well, so the city moved it from the family farm to Elk Ridge Park, where it has stayed for over 30 years.

“It continues to be free,” Marie said. “We just love the vision of volunteerism and connecting with our community with our volunteers.”

Sandy Ballard has been doing displays for the event for 30 years. She originally got involved as a volunteer and has been doing displays with her family and friends ever since.

“It’s fun to just have something that the community can come and enjoy,” Ballard said. “There’s just no pretense because it’s free.”

Ballard said she enjoys seeing the different crowds that come to see the displays.

“You see people smile there,” Ballard said. “You don’t see anybody going around who’s sad or angry or doesn’t like something. It’s all smiles.”

Ron said the influence of the event has extended beyond the city.

“People come from Salt Lake to see it,” Ron said. “It’s just extrapolated into something very beautiful.”

USU had a display at the event, created by 18 members of the human resources team. 

“The theme of the Pumpkin Walk is ‘There is no place like Pumpkin Walk,’ so we were thinking about movies that have a theme of ‘Home,’” Danielle Anderson, an HR employment specialist, wrote in an email to The Utah Statesman. 

Anderson said the HR office voted and decided to do a display from the movie “Up.”

“Our team really enjoys doing the Pumpkin Walk; this is our third year participating,” Anderson wrote. “We find the scene creation to be a great team building exercise.”

Anderson said she went to the pumpkin walk as a child, and she is happy that she now gets to make a scene as an adult.

“I am always so proud of the scenes we put together,” Anderson wrote. “It’s always fun to see the love we get from the community on our scene.”

The pumpkin walk focuses on accessibility and engagement with the Logan community.

“I love that this event is free and is so accessible to the community,” Anderson wrote. “I think it’s such a great way for members of the community to come together and bring some extra magic to the season!” 

Ballard said the community engagement was her favorite part of doing displays for the event. 

“I think it’s just something that gives back,” Ballard said. “It’s just a feeling of happiness that we can give the community without expecting anything in return.”

Ron and Marie agreed that continuing the event was continuing the magic of Halloween in the North Logan area.

“The word community means unity,” Ron said. “Everyone comes together — hundreds of volunteers — to help make it a magnificent experience.”

“I think what we’re trying to do is keep the magic of childhood,” Marie said. “We just like to make it a safe, happy place to keep that magic going.”

The pumpkin walk runs every year in Elk Ridge Park. For more information, visit pumpkinwalk.org.

“If the world had more pumpkin walks, we’d be in a lot better shape,” Ron Godfrey said.

“We think that the magic of childhood is worth preserving,” Marie Godfrey said. “And really, aren’t we all just young at heart?”