The Pumpkin Walk is a Barrhead tradition, one that the community was very close to losing. However, thanks to a group of local volunteers the popular event has been given a reprieve.
The walk sees children receive treats while following a path of jack-o-lanterns carved by local school students.
The event was started 12 years ago by Pembina West Co-op when manager Allan Cote noticed Barrhead did not have any family-friendly, safe alternatives to trick-or-treating.
This year’s event will take place Oct. 26 at the Barrhead Sportsgrounds. Gates open at 6:30 p.m. and fireworks are slated to begin at about 8:15 p.m.
In May, the Co-op announced it wouldn’t be able to organize the event due to its many projects, most notably the construction of a new food store slated for completion this fall, but that they would support whatever business or organization’s efforts.
In August, after no other organization had stepped in to take over the event, Amanda Lambert and Dwayne Magus, coworkers at Rose Garden Chapel, decided to step up and create a committee consisting of community members.
“Everything is in place and we are ready to go,” said Lambert a few days before the Oct. 26 event.
On Thursday, Oct. 25, Lambert said approximately 600 pumpkins will be delivered to Barrhead Elementary School and Barrhead Composite High School (BCHS) so the students can create the jack-o-lanterns that will line the Pumpkin Walk paths.
After school, volunteers will pick up the students’ creations and begin forming the pathway.
“Last year there was a little bit of a problem with people getting onto the course at the wrong place — everyone was gathering near the exit, which caused some congestion,” Lambert said.
To solve the problem walkers will only be allowed onto the course through the entrance on the south side of the Sportsgrounds near the splash park and the funeral home.
Although the Pumpkin Walk is free, participants are asked to bring a non-perishable food item for the food bank. The committee is also accepting cash donations that will be split between the Pumpkin Walk and BCHS grad committees and the Barrhead Rotary Club.
“The support from the community has just been fantastic, and the town has just been wonderful to work with. I think everyone is just so happy it is still going, they were so eager to help,” Lambert said.
