Circleville, Ohio -
Pumpkin Water Tower

I try to attend the Pumpkin Show at least every couple of years. You may think the food would be your normal "food fair" menu, but not in this town. Enjoy homemade salt water taffy, or some of the most delicious salt and vinegar fries, made fresh to order. But do not forget the the Pumpkin Hamburgers, Pumpkin Ice Cream, and Pumpkin Cheesecake, plus many more. Not to mention you can check out the monsterous pumpkins that local farmers and farmers around the area, take pride in growing every year to see who can grow the largest. [Lene, 06/01/2011]

Many believe the stem on top of the tower holds water, but in fact it doesn't. It was added to make the tower look like a pumpkin. The tower was repainted a few years back, both inside and outside. The annual Circleville Pumpkin Show is the highlight of the year for Circleville. This year (2005) we will have to see if there is going to be a bigger pumpkin than last year's record of 1,353 lbs. The Pumpkin Show is the sixth largest festival in the United States, with an annual attendance in four days and nights of over 300,000 persons, and its claim to being the "GREATEST FREE SHOW ON EARTH" as no admission charge or entry fee is made. [JR, 06/13/2005]

Circleville is home to the annual Pumpkin Festival. The town's water tower is shaped and painted like a giant pumpkin. Drop into the fest for pumpkin crafts, cookies, ice cream, etc. [Heidi Crabtree, 12/15/2004]

[RA: The 2005 festival is October 19-22 -- it is always the 3rd Wednesday through Saturday in October. A Miss Pumpkin Show Queen will be crowned.]

Along Route 23 is Circleville, OH, which has a watertower painted like a pumpkin, complete with stem, in honor of the town's annual Pumpkin Show. Circleville is also the home of the Ted Lewis Museum, named for an obscure actor. If you're lucky enough to visit in October, stop for the Pumpkin Show and be sure to look up the Pickle on a Stick booth, where a man dressed like a pickle serves up deep-fried delicacies. For the complete pumpkin experience, stop for a frosty adult beverage at Tootles Pumpkin Inn downtown. [Brian Albright, 08/18/2000]