Thousands Attend West Virginia Pumpkin Festival

Thousands of people attended the 2009 West Virginia Pumpkin Festival in Milton during the first week of October and West Virginia Operation Lifesaver volunteers were there to give them our very important safety message. Several volunteers worked throughout the event and the WVOL Mobile Education Unit was also in operation. An antique motorcar and handcar at the WVOL display proved to be one of the highlights of the event as hundreds of people stopped by to have a look at the equipment and to have their picture taken on it. Estimates put the total attendance for the four days at aver 60,000.

WVOL State Coordinator, John Perry said, "This festival gets bigger every year and its a great place for WVOL to be. We make many contacts here that generate presentations each year." Perry added, "We are glad they allow us to be a part of it. Festival President, Bill Kelley, a retired railroader and Vice President Dave Vititoe invited us to come here about five years ago and it has just gotten better each year."

The West Virginia Pumpkin Festival begins on the first Thursday of each October and runs four days.

 Click each photo below for a larger image

WVOL Presenters Ross Dye and Chris Lassak fit paper engineer hats on children as Wayne Sexton prepares them.		Hundreds came to see the antique motorcar and hand car and to have their picture made.

      

Nearly all of the children in attendance wanted an Operation Lifesaver paper engineer hat.		Some of the WVOL Volunteers who helped are shown. Standing are  Anthony Cole (Left) and Ray Murdock, III. Seated are Paula Murdock (left) and Chris Lockwood.

 

WVOL Presenters Dean Hudnall and Ross Dye give a paper engineer hat to some of the thousands of children who atteneded the event.		Ross Dye puts a paper engineer hat on one of the young attendees at the Pumpkin Festival.

 

WVOL Board of Directors member Don Maxwell helps with the hats.		WVOL presenter Dwight Icenhower talks with some folks who stopped to see the display.

 

Dwight Icenhower gives out paper engineer hats as Seth Meeks folds.		Face painting was a big hit at the festival and this young lady looked especially good with an OL hat.

 

Miss WV Pumpkin Festival Teen 2009 stopped for a visit at the WVOL display		Ross Dye puts a paper engineer hat on a child as her family looks on.