Retired Sycamore cop named 2022 Friend of Sycamore Pumpkin Festival

SYCAMORE – Steve Cook, a liaison to the Sycamore Police Department, has helped keep the Sycamore Pumpkin Festival safe since 2015. Now retired, he is being honored as this year’s Friend of the Festival.

Cook, a Sycamore resident and retired deputy chief of the Sycamore Police Department, said he “was pretty honored” to be named the Friend of the Festival, especially because he considers the pumpkin festival a signature Sycamore event.

The festival will kick off Oct. 26 and run through the weekend, Oct. 30, featuring a pumpkin display contest outside the DeKalb County Courthouse and events throughout downtown Sycamore.

“It’s the thing that I think represents Sycamore the most,” said Cook, 59. “You know, when people think of Sycamore, that’s what they always think of – the pumpkin festival.”

Keeping the festival safe was something Cook said he took pride in, not just because of the marquee status of the event but also because “it’s such a huge festival.”

When Cook was involved, the police department would bring about 100 volunteers to assist with traffic control and security for the festival.

“So that’s why I really enjoyed working on it, and that’s one of the things I was most proud of,” Cook said.

Over the years, Cook was tasked by the police department to conduct security, parking and crowd control for the festival. Beyond safety, Cook also has been intimately involved in planning the annual five-day festival as a member of the Pumpkin Fest Planning Committee.

“As the city’s liaison to the Pumpkin Fest Committee, I went to all of the meetings and was part of the actual committee, too,” Cook said. “So it’s a little bit of a two-part thing.”

Although Cook said he doesn’t have a specific favorite memory of the festival, he does remember feeling exalted once the festivities finish.

“It’s just every year, you know, it’s a big event, and every year when it’s done you’re so proud of the fact that it worked,” Cook said.

A favorite event among Cook’s to help close out the festival is the parade, which travels through downtown Sycamore on Sunday, the final day of the festival.

“The centerpiece is the parade, and that’s the part that I really like being involved in and making sure that works because that’s when most of the people come into town,” Cook said.

Festivalgoers are expected to gather for the Pumpkin Festival Parade at 1 p.m. Oct. 30. This year, they’ll see Cook prominently featured in the parade as the Friend of the Festival.

“So that’s the centerpiece, that’s the part that I always enjoy the most – the parade,” Cook said.