Nine students chosen for Pumpkin Parade honor

SYCAMORE – Nine Sycamore students and aspiring writers will get a chance to ride in the Sycamore Pumpkin Festival parade after their essays, poems and short stories were chosen as part of the 2024 Sycamore Kiwanis Club’s Junior Marshal Essay Contest.

The contest had 51 entries from Sycamore Middle School, St. Mary’s Catholic School and Aurora Christian School-Cornerstone campus. Participants included 21 sixth graders, 14 seventh graders and 16 eighth graders.

The annual writing contest picks the top three winners from each category. Winners get the opportunity to be junior marshals and ride on the Kiwanis Club’s float during the Oct. 27 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, eighth grade

“Sycamore’s Pumpkin Fest”

In Sycamore, when autumn’s here,

Pumpkin Fest brings us cheer.

Carved or painted with different faces,

Pumpkin magic fills the grassy spaces.

Food, rides and games to play,

Pumpkin Fest makes for a perfect day.

Parade marches on, with laughter near,

In our town, everyone will be here.

As the sun sets and stars appear,

Sycamore’s spirit shines so clear.

A town united, fall embraced,

Pumpkin Fest is our joyful space.

SECOND PLACE – POEM

Mary Demmin

Sycamore Middle School, sixth grade

“Pumpkin Portrait”

I walk along a path lined with pumpkins,

They stare at me. Different stories behind

Each and every one. Many cultures and folktales

Represented in one place, making it feel like

I’m seeing the world, just in pumpkin form.

I feel special just seeing all the work put into them.

The care put into carving the pumpkins,

To the dedication and creative ideas for

Specific themes.

All aspects of the world that have been

brought through these pumpkins

Open doorways for others to show and express their creativity.

THIRD PLACE – POEM

Naya Collins

Sycamore Middle School, sixth grade

“Pumpkin Fest”

I’m walking downtown looking at all the pumpkin designs,

Watching little kids dressed as angels, with wings that shine.

Kids dressed as dogs, kids dressed as cats.

Kids dressed as spiders, kids dressed as bats

There’s so many pumpkins, I don’t know where to look,

Pumpkins painted as characters, and even one that looks like a book.

Pumpkins with lights, pumpkins with leaves,

Pumpkins with masks, dressed as thieves.

There’s people eating cake, and pumpkin pies,

Funny pumpkins, with big round eyes.

Orange, brown, red, and yellow leaves scattered all over the ground,

And I can’t help thinking that I’m simply spellbound.

I see people with food, raffle tickets, and more.

So I walk over to the food trucks, and see food galore!

There’s so many options: pumpkin lattes, sandwiches, soda, pumpkin pies,

But in the end I choose a sandwich, a latte, and some fries.

But in the end when I’m tired and full of food, and decided I’m done here,

I say to myself, “I think I’ll come again next year.”

FIRST PLACE – ESSAY

Eileen Lehan

St. Mary’s Catholic School, eighth grade

“Pumpkin Fest in Sycamore”

As the days grow shorter and the air turns crisper, anticipation of what’s to come begins to build among the residents of Sycamore.

The vibrant hues of red, orange and gold paint the landscape and mark the arrival of a new season, bringing with it the cherished traditions that the people of Sycamore hold so dear. Adults begin to make plans for parade-watching parties, while kids excitedly chatter about which rides they will go on and what friends they will meet up with.

Along State Street, a delightful buzz fills the air, with carnival rides, creative pumpkin displays, and an array of vendors and booths adding to the festive atmosphere of this amazing festival.

However, Pumpkin Fest brings more than just your typical fair experience; beneath the surface of the activities lies a profound sense of community, togetherness, and a familial warmth that swirls through the air with the falling leaves, enveloping all who attend and taking root deep within their hearts.

This feeling is what draws people back after they have moved away; it is what brings families together, and creates memories that will last a lifetime. It is what Pumpkin Fest is all about.

SECOND PLACE – ESSAY

Olivia Buesse

Sycamore Middle School, seventh grade

“The History of Pumpkins Around the World”

Pumpkins can be found anywhere in the world except, of course, Antarctica.

Pumpkins are one of the oldest crops, corn being the other oldest. They were very popular in Native American history because they can grow in colder seasons and because of how versatile their uses are.

Jack O’Lanterns originated in Scotland and Ireland. The pagans carved skulls and put candles in them to attract deceased family members, but after a while, they started carving pumpkins and turnips instead because they were easier to obtain than skulls – for obvious reasons.

When Irish immigrants moved to the U.S., they brought this tradition with them, and it has now become a household tradition every Halloween, sparking pumpkin-carving competitions and pumpkin shows like Pumpkin Fest all over the U.S.

Fun fact: Illinois produces the most pumpkins in the U.S. We produce 40,000 pounds per acre. California and Texas are close, with 30,000 pounds per acre, but we still have the lead by 10,000 pounds per acre, so we have a nice big lead.

Only about 20% of pumpkins are sold for carving and decorating; the other 80% go toward making food.

THIRD PLACE – ESSAY

Aida Doty

Sycamore Middle School, seventh grade

“Pumpkin Fest with Family”

Fall is my favorite season of the year.

Not only because of the pumpkins or the apple cider doughnuts, the crisp fall mornings or the red, brown and orange leaves swirling around me. No, my favorite part of fall is Pumpkin Fest.

Before my grandparents moved, we would go down to their house on the corner of Somonauk and Vance Street and watch the parade from her lawn with family. One Pumpkin Fest, my cousin Paige and I were outside watching the band practice for the parade, and we got to step up on the stool and rehearse with them. The conductor taught us how to cue the band, and it was a cool experience.

All of our family hangs out during Pumpkin Fest, and we get to see lots of different people. Everybody brings food and desserts, and there is laughter and chattering.

We always go to our grandad’s house and drop off our painted pumpkins at the courthouse. We get hot dogs, and hot chocolate or apple cider, and then we walk back down to Grandad’s house.

Pumpkin Fest is the best time of year, not because of the carnival or the food, but because of the people you spend it with.

FIRST PLACE – STORY

Declan Jaszczak

St. Mary’s Catholic School, eighth grade

“Joe’s Journey Around the World”

Joe was a pumpkin, and all he wanted to do was travel the world. But that’s kind of hard when you’re a pumpkin.

Somebody might want to carve you, and if Joe didn’t stay attached to his stem, he would rot!

Joe was feeling sad that he couldn’t travel, but then his stem jumped out of the ground and started climbing up a building and then paraglided off of it! Joe started to chase after it by climbing up the building using plungers.

Joe then decided to use a flying squirrel to fly after his stem, but when they landed, they were in Canada. Joe was chasing his stem all throughout Canada and during the Northern Lights.

Then Joe and his stem started an epic montage around the world by going to Japan, Brazil, France, Australia and Mexico. Joe also met a bunch of pumpkins that helped him to try and stop his stem.

Joe and his stem ended back in Sycamore, IL and that’s when Joe realized it! When he was chasing his stem, he had traveled the world! Joe then thanked his stem for fulfilling his childhood dream.

SECOND PLACE – STORY

Ethan Eide

St. Mary’s Catholic School, eighth grade

“We All Live on the Same Pumpkin”

Once there was a pumpkin named Jim. Now Jim was very self-centered and rude to others, he believed that the only place on the earth that matters was his homeland and nowhere else.

One night, when it was quiet in Jim’s home, Jim had awoken to a creak in the floorboards. Looming over Jim, at the foot of his bed was Wally, the Pumpkin man.

Jim was startled, jumping in fear. Wally told him not to be afraid and that he was going to show Jim the world. So Wally picked up Jim and whisked him to their first stop: the city of يقطين. Jim was amazed, he saw the clockwork of this city – so different from his home, but just as important.

Then Wally whisked him away to another city: 南瓜. This city was huge, many factories smoking up the sky, and yet, this was another important city in the line of trade and culture.

As Wally whisked Jim away again and again, each city taught Jim something new. The clock struck 12, and Jim awoke in his bed, wondering if it was all a dream. In reality, Jim had been taught an important lesson: everywhere and everyone … matters.

THIRD PLACE – STORY

Annabelle Vega

St. Mary’s Catholic School, seventh grade

“Jack the Pumpkin”

Once, in a small town nestled between rolling hills and lush meadows, there lived a peculiar pumpkin named Jack.

Jack was no ordinary pumpkin; he had a mischievous glint in his eye and an adventurous spirit that set him apart from the rest.

As autumn arrived and the leaves turned into a vibrant tapestry of reds and golds, the townsfolk began their preparations for the annual harvest festival. Pumpkins of all shapes and sizes were carefully selected to be carved into jack-o’-lanterns, each one destined to illuminate the darkness of the coming Halloween night.

Jack longed to be chosen for this special task, to have his insides scooped out and to be adorned with a grinning face that would light up the night. However, as the days passed, Jack remained untouched, watching as his fellow pumpkins were picked one by one.

Determined to fulfill his dream, Jack decided to take matters into his own vines. Under the cover of the moonlit night, he rolled himself to the town square, where the carving contest was to take place. With the help of a friendly squirrel and a resourceful field mouse, Jack managed to carve his own intricate design, turning himself into the most extraordinary jack-o’-lantern the town had ever seen.

On the night of Halloween, as children roamed the streets in search of treats, Jack’s light shone the brightest, casting an enchanting glow that captivated all who beheld it.

From that day forward, Jack became a legend in the town, his story was passed down from generation to generation as a testament to the magic of believing in oneself.