October is here and fall has finally arrived. In the Midwest, this can only mean one thing: pumpkin season is in full swing. This is also the prime time for students at the University of Illinois to celebrate the season by going to the Curtis Orchard’s pumpkin patch in Champaign.
“I went to Curtis Orchard two years ago and I loved it because I love pumpkin picking,” said Taylor Petersen, junior at the University of Illinois.
Fall is a great season because of the crisp and refreshing weather, but the pumpkins definitely add to the festiveness of the season. There’s not better place that captures the essence of October like the Kenova Pumpkin House.
A Victorian style home located at 748 Beech St. in Kenova, West Virginia, the house is a major tourist attraction during this time of year. Around 3,000 hand-carved pumpkins are on display outside of house. The vast assortment of jack-o-lanterns is set up all around the yard, the porch and even a few on the roof of the house.
The illumination that the location gives off is so vast that according to the West Virginia Division of Culture & History website, a woman who lived on the north side of the Ohio River saw the lights from the jack-o-lanterns at her home. She came all the way to the house to check it out and make sure there wasn’t a fire.
According wvpics.com, Ric Griffith, the owner of the house, started the tradition in 1978 with only five carved pumpkins out on display. Since then, the number has grown to around 3,000 pumpkins that are carved by the countless volunteers.
This home has gathered a lot of attention by the community in Kenova and neighboring areas, but the past few years it has also received national attention. It was featured on both NBC’s “The Today Show” and “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.”
“Jack-O-Lanterns are so cool, and it is so fun carving them,” Kelsey Johnson, junior at the University of Illinois said. ”That is one of my favorite parts of October.”
Neither Petersen nor Johnson had heard of the Kenova Pumpkin House, but after looking into it, both said that it sounded extremely appealing and they’d love to visit.
“It looks like a lot of hard work went into that, and it’s not like anything else you would see during October,” Peterson said. “No one puts in that much thought for decorating, so I think it is really cool for people to see.”
This year the Kenova Pumpkin Fest will light up for visitors from October 25-October 26th. If you’re willing to take a road trip to West Virginia, this definitely should be your final stop.