Pumpkins for a Cure Schedule Is Jam-Packed WIth Fun for Kids, Parents

It's hard to say what's the "best event of the eighth annual Pumpkins for Cure Festival, which takes place Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 29 and 30, in downtown Geneva.

There are a ton of kid-friendly activities, including free giveaways, store promotions, a kids raffle, pony rides, a petting zoo, free hot dogs, story time and a haunted hay ride.

For adults with a more sophisticated pallet and attention span, there are master gardener demostrations, professional pumpkin carvers, Food Network star Judson Allen’s cooking demo and the delicious competition among area chefs in the "Harvest Taste—Sweet & Savory" cookoffs.

All these events support the mission of the Zellmer Childhood Disease Foundation to support education and research related to the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and cure of chronic childhood diseases. 

Here's the schedule of events:

Saturday, Sept. 29

• 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. — Pumpkins For A Cure Festival Opens
• 10 a.m. — Participating Black Hat Day Merchants Open
• 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. — Walgreen’s Health Tent Opens Diabetes testing and talk to a diabetes educator Campbell Street
• 9 a.m. —Free Kid’s Giveaways at Go West Young Mom booth - Courthouse Lawn
• 10 a.m. — Debbie Notoro – Master Gardner Demonstration - Campbell Street Stage
• 11 a.m. — Carol Stevens Macaroni Soup - Campbell Street Stage
• 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. — Kid’s Raffle - Courthouse Lawn Apple Raffle - Courthouse Lawn Allstate Tent
• 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. — Pony Rides Behind the Courthouse Petting Zoo - Courthouse Lawn
• 12 p.m. — Free Hotdogs (hotdogs will be available until they run out) - Campbell Street
• 12 p.m. to 12:30 p.m. — Story Time featuring The Littlest Pumpkin by RA Harmon and read by Diane Clark - Campbell Street Stage 
• 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. — Haunted Hay Ride featuring stories by Donna Latham - Third Street Pete the Scarecrow twists balloons - Campbell Street in front of Country Naturals Face Painting - Courthouse Lawn
• 12:30 p.m. to 1:3- p.m. — Professional Pumpkin Carver Marc Solomon - Campbell Street Stage 
• 1 p.m. — Food Network Star Judson Allen’s Cooking Demo - Third Street Stage 
• 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. — Professional Pumpkin Carver Marc Solomon - Graham’s Chocolate
• 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. — Harvest Taste – Savory Opens - Little Traveler Lawn
• 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. — Harvest Taste – Sweet Opens - Little Traveler Lawn 
• 4 p.m. — Harvest Taste – Sweet & Savory Closes - Little Traveler Lawn
• 4:15 p.m. — State Street Studio Dance - Third Street Stage
• 4:30 p.m. — Harvest Taste – Sweet & Savory Awards - Third Street Stage

Sunday, Sept. 30

• 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. — Pumpkin and Mum Sales Only on the Courthouse Lawn

Patch is a media sponsor of the Pumpkins for a Cure.