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Chester County Press

Great Pumpkin Carve coming to Chadds Ford Oct. 18 to 20

10/02/2018 10:46AM ● By J. Chambless

The much-loved annual Great Pumpkin Carve will draw crowds to Chadds Ford this month.

The Chadds Ford Historical Society hosts the 43rd Annual Great Pumpkin Carve from Oct. 18 to 20. The quintessential Brandywine Valley experience is a great way to get into the Halloween spirit.

The Great Pumpkin Carve was started by Andrew Wyeth, Jamie Wyeth and Jimmy Lynch in the 1970s to decorate the Chadds Ford Inn for Halloween. The event has grown each year, and is now an autumn tradition for thousands of people.

The family-friendly festival features 70 local artists competing by carving huge pumpkins into jack-o-lanterns on Thursday night. The pumpkins, which may weigh as much as 400 pounds, will be lit with candles and displayed at the end of the carving on Thursday, and illuminated again on Friday and Saturday nights. Pumpkins are judged and winners declared in several categories: Best Overall, Most Halloween, Best Carving, Most Original and Best Use of Pumpkin.

In addition to the huge pumpkins, the event offers entertainment for adults and children alike, including live music, raffle prizes, hayrides, pumpkin painting and other activities. This year, the pumpkin patch is being enlarged to allow easier viewing of the pumpkins, adding more admissions lines to reduce waiting time, bringing back and expanding the Haunted Trail, and featuring local wine, beer and cider vendors in addition to local food.

The Great Pumpkin Carve is held on the grounds of the Chadds Ford Historical Society (1736 N. Creek Rd., Chadds Ford). Admission is $15 for adults, $5 for children (free for children ages 6 and younger). All ticketing is at the gate. Parking is free. The Great Pumpkin Carve begins at 4 p.m. and ends at 9 p.m. on Sept. 18 and 19, with extended hours on Sept. 20 from 3 to 9 p.m. Registration is required to enter both the pumpkin carving competition and the Scarecrow Display & Competition.

Visit www.greatpumpkincarve.com for more information.

The Chadds Ford Historical Society operates three historic buildings, the John Chads House, the Barns-Britons House, and The Chads Springhouse, as well as the Barn Visitors Center. Proceeds from events help support educational programs, historic preservation efforts and research projects on the history of the Chadds Ford area. For information, visit www.chaddsfordhistory.org.