Six Sycamore students chosen as junior marshals for Pumpkin Fest

SYCAMORE – Six Sycamore students will get a free chance to ride in the Sycamore Pumpkin Festival parade after their essays, poems and short stories were chosen as part of the Sycamore Kiwanis Club’s Junior Marshal Essay Contest.

The contest garnered 53 entries from St. Mary’s Catholic Church and Sycamore Middle School. Participants included 27 sixth graders, 21 seventh graders and five eighth graders. The annual writing contest picks the top two winners out of each category. They get the opportunity to be junior marshals and ride in the Kiwanis Club’s float during the Oct. 29 parade.

Winners were treated to lunch at Culver’s and had their picture taken at Johnson’s Pumpkin Patch in Sycamore.

Here are the winning entries:

First Place – Poem

Kylie Hines

St. Mary’s Catholic School, seventh grade

Do you know why Sycamore is the best?

It’s sixty-two years of Pumpkin Fest.

Small town fun for five short days,

Don’t forget the pumpkin display.

Head down to State Street,

For some amazing treats!

Grab your family and friends,

Before the fun ends!

A parade, carnival and so much more,

This is one event you shouldn’t ignore.

Pumpkin Fest traditions,

Are a great addition.

Second Place – Poem

Aida Doty

Sycamore Middle School, sixth grade

My favorite things about Pumpkin Fest:

The painting, the carving, the fun,

The brisk fall air, and the smell of food,

Surrounded by the people you love.

Leaves fall from the trees, like flying colors –

Red, orange, and gold filling the air.

The streets are crowded with not just people,

But with leaves and pumpkins too.

People race by, others cheering in delight

At the pumpkin run on Sunday morning.

The high school is filled with arts and crafts,

People buying everything in sight, Jack-o-lanterns fill the windows,

Their friendly faces watching the parade in awe,

There is music, dancing, horses and dog’s galore.

The parade has everything plus more.

Friends and family, the best part,

Pumpkin everything from the start.

Wally Thurow, from history days,

Started Pumpkin Fest and it lives on today.

First Place – Essay

Charlotte Huseman

Sycamore Middle School, seventh grade

“A Weekend in October”

The leaves crunched beneath my feet as I walked through the bunches of red and orange. The air was cold and the wind was brisk, but the sun merely poked its head out of the clouds, making it a perfect October day. I walked behind the line of Sycamore citizens eager to see the display of pumpkins.

Each pumpkin was unique, some with bright vibrant colors and colorful feathers, others that were crafted with tiny hands and big hearts, and even some that seemed like it would have taken ages to make. The cars that drove by on State Street seemed to slow as kids stuck their heads out the window, pointing excitedly at their own work of art.

The smell of candied almonds filled the air and brought a warm cozy feeling to the town, along with the sounds of joyful screams coming from the “Freak Out” ride. The sidewalks were filled with citizens that loved Pumpkin Fest just as much as I did.

I said a quiet “thank you” to Mr. Pumpkin for bringing our town together and making weekends in October so tremendous.

Second Place – Essay

Joe Donahoe

St. Mary’s Catholic School, seventh grade

I love Pumpkin Fest. It’s the best part of living in Sycamore. The carnival rides, food trucks, decorated pumpkins, and the Pumpkin Run are what make Pumpkin Fest Pumpkin Fest. It’s one of my favorite times of the year.

I have decorated a pumpkin for Pumpkin Fest pretty much every year my whole life. It’s always so fun to come up with ideas and see them come to life. The best part is seeing what other people come up with. One year I made Olaf, the snowman from Frozen. When I was dropping it off, I saw somebody else who had made an Olaf pumpkin too!

The Pumpkin Run ends in my backyard, so every year my parents run it and invite friends and family into our house. My mom puts out a plate of cinnamon bread and homemade pumpkin bread for guests to munch on. I have to wait until our company comes to eat it, so I am always dying to get the first bite.

Wally Thurrow, the founder of Pumpkin Fest, made our city a better place. My brother comes back from college just to attend the amazing festival! Sycamore wouldn’t be the same without Pumpkin Fest.

First Place – Story

Chloe Dowat

St. Mary’s Catholic School, sixth grade

“The Last Pumpkin!”

There I was, a tiny pumpkin sitting in a garden. Growing up to be a great nice pumpkin. I learned a lot from my fellow pumpkins. They taught me to be round, spooky, orange, and a great happy pumpkin day by day. Year by year. My great mother Emily always wanted to have a perfect pumpkin. She tried year, after year, after year. She planted my brothers and sister, and watered us till we grew up to be great pumpkins. She was our great Emily because she was our sunlight. We all looked up to her.

Was I ever going to be picked? My fellow pumpkins got picked every year, but not me. Then every last pumpkin was picked, just not me. Then one day my great Emily came home sad because she never got the perfect pumpkin that she wanted. She went to the patch one last time and saw me. She picked me up.

“Oh what a nice pumpkin I never saw before. Well I’ll try one last time.” My stem was beating so fast, I was so scared. Then she got paint and painted a smiley face on me. In my mind this was so basic. She picked me up and said “finally, a perfect pumpkin.” She took me to the showing place, the Pumpkin Fest in Sycamore, and found a place to put me. “Perfect,” she said, “just a great pumpkin.”

Second Place – Story

Addison Heck

Sycamore Middle School, sixth grade

I wake up to excitement fluttering in my stomach. After fully waking up, I yell “It’s Pumpkin Fest!” I get ready and race down the stairs. I can barely hold my excitement in. I sit in the car and wait to see big, decorated floats, shiny rides, and the scent of yummy, fall food. When we get to my Nana’s house to watch the parade, we bring pull-out chairs on the sidewalk by her house and watch all of the colorful rides. After the parade, we set off to downtown Sycamore. I slam the door a little too hard after we arrive. “Addi! Don’t slam the door like that.” “Sorry.” I take a second to look at the beautiful sight. It’s even more amazing than I remembered. The shiny metal rides and the stands of things to buy. The feeling of fall fills my chest. I walk, run, and ride through Pumpkin Fest with a big smile on my face. I look at pumpkins by the courthouse and check out some things to buy at the stands. After all of the excitement, I eat dinner and settle down to sleep. Before closing my eyes, I whisper “Best day ever.”