DeKALB – The Sycamore Pumpkin Festival, which originated in 1962, is scheduled to take place Wednesday through Sunday. Each day will host various events open to the public.
Thursday
Thursday’s events will open up with the Kiwanis Prayer Breakfast from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m at United Methodist Church, 160 Johnson Ave, Sycamore.
Thursday evening will be packed with activities including a Trick or Treat event from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., which will be hosted by the City of Sycamore. There will also be a Pumpkin Celebrations event from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Sycamore Public Library, 103 E. State St.
Friday
The teen and kiddie carnivals will both take place from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. The Teen Carnival will be located on Sacramento and State Street, while the Kiddie Carnival will be on Somonauk and Elm Street. Both carnivals will have a $35 unlimited ride special from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.
A craft show and Pumpkin Festival Flags will open Friday’s events. The craft show will be held from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. in the United Methodist Church, and the Pumpkin Festival Flags event will be held from 9 a.m. to noon at ABC Preschool.
Saturday
Saturday will be the most filled day of Pumpkin Fest with some previous activities continuing alongside several new ones.
To start off the day, St. Mary’s Parish Activity Center will host its Sycamore Rotary Pancake Breakfast. This will run from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m and will be located on 312 Waterman St.
Saturday will also be filled with craft and vendor shows from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The first show will be held at the Aurora Christian Schools Cornerstone Campus, 355 N. Cross St. The second will be located at United Methodist Church. The last show will be held at Sycamore Music Booters Autumn Craft and Treasures Market, 427 Spartan Trail.
From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m, the DeKalb County History Center on 1730 N. Main St. will host its Historic Homes Tour. Tickets will be $25 per person with advance ticket options available online. All participants are required to check in at the History Center the day of the event.
Those interested in golf are encouraged to partake in the Pumpkin Four-Person Golf Scramble located at the Sycamore Golf Course, 940 E. State St.
Saturday will also include smaller activities such as face painting at the Kiddie Carnival, a pie-eating contest at the courthouse lawn and a giant pumpkin trophy presentation, also on the Courthouse lawn.
Sunday
Sunday will conclude several ongoing activities, and two new events will help finish off this year’s Pumpkin Fest.
The Sycamore Armory will hold its Sycamore Chamber 10K Pumpkin Run. The race is set to begin at 8:30 a.m. at 516 E. State St. Registration is available online.
To conclude the festival, the Pumpkin Festival Parade will kick off at 1 p.m. and will include Somonauk, Elm, California, State and Main streets.
The parade is sponsored by several organizations including Ideal Industries, Sycamore Music Boosters, DeKalb Sycamore Chevy/Buick/GMC and Upstaging. A more extensive schedule for the festival is available online.
