By Greg Chandler
Zeeland Record
For the last 40 years, Zeelanders have gathered downtown to celebrate the fall season with the city’s annual Pumpkinfest celebration.
The annual festival returns, starting tonight and running through Saturday afternoon, featuring activities for all ages.
This year’s Pumpkinfest has a circus theme to it, complete with circus-themed art pieces and strolling circus performers that will be downtown tonight, festival organizer Lynette Lam said.
Other happenings tonight include horse-drawn carriage rides, face painting, henna tattoos and a walking tour of the various art pieces that have been set up downtown. There’s about 25 art pieces that have been created by residents and businesses, all with a circus theme to it, that’s been dubbed the Avenue of Art.
“I lead the walk and we go from piece to piece, and if the artist is there, they speak about their piece and what their inspiration was, what it means,” Lam said. “I figure people spend so much time on these pieces, that I want their story to be heard. It’s very difficult to do that, I think, on social media – number one, you’re not seeing it in person, but number two, there’s so many other components to this event.”
One of the art pieces was created by Zeeland resident Helene Keehne – a colorful elephant that features small pumpkins on the trunk with the word “zeel” on them. Keehne remembers taking her grandchildren to Pumpkinfest when they were young.
“I saw on Facebook that you were able to get involved in this, so I told my husband, ‘I want to get involved in this,’ and he said, ‘do it,’” said Keehne, a retired Gentex Corporation employee who has five grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
“To me, Pumpkinfest is all about kids, and kids love … animals, so I decided to make the whole thing about elephants and kids.”
The Avenue of Art tour begins at 6 p.m. in front of Tripelroot. Another happening tonight at Tripelroot is something called “Beer Choir.”
Friday’s activities include a Happy Hour retirement celebration for outgoing Mayor Kevin Klynstra. The mayor’s retirement celebration will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. in the entertainment tent located behind the Howard Miller Library.
Complimentary root beer floats and popcorn will be served, and a special tribute to Klynstra will take place at 3 p.m.
Klynstra is retiring Dec. 1 after 14 years as mayor of the city and 30 years on the City Council.
Kidzfest will begin on Friday as well, running from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Church Street between Main and Central avenues. It includes inflatables, barrel train rides, a petting zoo, carnival games, face painting, and live performances. All events are free. Kidzfest will also take place Saturday from noon to 3 p.m. and from 4 to 6 p.m., after the parade.
Zeeland Recreation will hold a cornhole tournament from 5 to 7 p.m. on Main Avenue. This will be a round-robin tournament that will be played where each team will play every other team in the tournament one time. The team with the best win-loss record at the end of the tournament wins a trophy and a gift card to a local restaurant. The children will compete against each other on one side while the adults will compete against each other on the opposite board. Participants should sign up as a team.
Friday night will include live music from the band Trixy Tang in the entertainment tent behind the library from 7 to 10 p.m., and a laser light show that will take place at the splash pad on Elm Street at dusk.
Saturday’s activities begin with the Pumpkinfest 5-kilometer run to support the Zeeland Athletic Boosters. The 5K begins at 8:30 a.m., and begins and ends at the main office of Zeeland West High School. There’s also a 100-yard dash and a half-mile fun run for kids that will take place before the 5K. Registration is required to participate. You can sign up at runsignup.com/Race/MI/Zee land/ZeelandAthleticBoosters PumpkinfestRun.
The Zeeland Community Band will present a concert at 11 a.m. at the Bridge Youth Center on Main Avenue. At noon at Zeeland Christian School, people can bring their own pumpkins to take part in the annual Great BYOP Pumpkin Roll down the hill near the school. A pet show will be held at 1 p.m. at the corner of Church and Main.
The annual Pumpkinfest parade will begin at 3 p.m., with about 50 entries signed up to participate. There’s been an increase in the number of entrants in this year’s parade, Lam said.
The parade route will run west on Main Avenue from Wall Street to State Street, then south on State to Central Avenue, then east on Central to Maple Street.
After the parade, there will be a pumpkin pie eating contest at 5 p.m. at the corner of Church and Main.
Saturday night’s entertainment features the band Pretty Rage, performing from 7 to 10 p.m. in the entertainment tent behind the library.
For a complete schedule of all things Pumpkinfest, visit zeeland festivals.com or the Zeeland Festivals Facebook page.
Zeeland Record
For the last 40 years, Zeelanders have gathered downtown to celebrate the fall season with the city’s annual Pumpkinfest celebration.
The annual festival returns, starting tonight and running through Saturday afternoon, featuring activities for all ages.
This year’s Pumpkinfest has a circus theme to it, complete with circus-themed art pieces and strolling circus performers that will be downtown tonight, festival organizer Lynette Lam said.
Other happenings tonight include horse-drawn carriage rides, face painting, henna tattoos and a walking tour of the various art pieces that have been set up downtown. There’s about 25 art pieces that have been created by residents and businesses, all with a circus theme to it, that’s been dubbed the Avenue of Art.
“I lead the walk and we go from piece to piece, and if the artist is there, they speak about their piece and what their inspiration was, what it means,” Lam said. “I figure people spend so much time on these pieces, that I want their story to be heard. It’s very difficult to do that, I think, on social media – number one, you’re not seeing it in person, but number two, there’s so many other components to this event.”
One of the art pieces was created by Zeeland resident Helene Keehne – a colorful elephant that features small pumpkins on the trunk with the word “zeel” on them. Keehne remembers taking her grandchildren to Pumpkinfest when they were young.
“I saw on Facebook that you were able to get involved in this, so I told my husband, ‘I want to get involved in this,’ and he said, ‘do it,’” said Keehne, a retired Gentex Corporation employee who has five grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
“To me, Pumpkinfest is all about kids, and kids love … animals, so I decided to make the whole thing about elephants and kids.”
The Avenue of Art tour begins at 6 p.m. in front of Tripelroot. Another happening tonight at Tripelroot is something called “Beer Choir.”
Friday’s activities include a Happy Hour retirement celebration for outgoing Mayor Kevin Klynstra. The mayor’s retirement celebration will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. in the entertainment tent located behind the Howard Miller Library.
Complimentary root beer floats and popcorn will be served, and a special tribute to Klynstra will take place at 3 p.m.
Klynstra is retiring Dec. 1 after 14 years as mayor of the city and 30 years on the City Council.
Kidzfest will begin on Friday as well, running from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Church Street between Main and Central avenues. It includes inflatables, barrel train rides, a petting zoo, carnival games, face painting, and live performances. All events are free. Kidzfest will also take place Saturday from noon to 3 p.m. and from 4 to 6 p.m., after the parade.
Zeeland Recreation will hold a cornhole tournament from 5 to 7 p.m. on Main Avenue. This will be a round-robin tournament that will be played where each team will play every other team in the tournament one time. The team with the best win-loss record at the end of the tournament wins a trophy and a gift card to a local restaurant. The children will compete against each other on one side while the adults will compete against each other on the opposite board. Participants should sign up as a team.
Friday night will include live music from the band Trixy Tang in the entertainment tent behind the library from 7 to 10 p.m., and a laser light show that will take place at the splash pad on Elm Street at dusk.
Saturday’s activities begin with the Pumpkinfest 5-kilometer run to support the Zeeland Athletic Boosters. The 5K begins at 8:30 a.m., and begins and ends at the main office of Zeeland West High School. There’s also a 100-yard dash and a half-mile fun run for kids that will take place before the 5K. Registration is required to participate. You can sign up at runsignup.com/Race/MI/Zee land/ZeelandAthleticBoosters PumpkinfestRun.
The Zeeland Community Band will present a concert at 11 a.m. at the Bridge Youth Center on Main Avenue. At noon at Zeeland Christian School, people can bring their own pumpkins to take part in the annual Great BYOP Pumpkin Roll down the hill near the school. A pet show will be held at 1 p.m. at the corner of Church and Main.
The annual Pumpkinfest parade will begin at 3 p.m., with about 50 entries signed up to participate. There’s been an increase in the number of entrants in this year’s parade, Lam said.
The parade route will run west on Main Avenue from Wall Street to State Street, then south on State to Central Avenue, then east on Central to Maple Street.
After the parade, there will be a pumpkin pie eating contest at 5 p.m. at the corner of Church and Main.
Saturday night’s entertainment features the band Pretty Rage, performing from 7 to 10 p.m. in the entertainment tent behind the library.
For a complete schedule of all things Pumpkinfest, visit zeeland festivals.com or the Zeeland Festivals Facebook page.
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