“Rocket Racer” claims Pumpkin Race victory

It wouldn’t be October without the Montgomery Village Great Pumpkin Race and Fall Festival. On Saturday, Oct. 8, pumpkins and people once...

It wouldn’t be October without the Montgomery Village Great Pumpkin Race and Fall Festival. On Saturday, Oct. 8, pumpkins and people once again descended on North Creek Community Center to participate in the area’s most creative fall festival. Colorful decoration, tense racing action, plenty of family fun and pumpkin-themed everything, with the backdrop of music by “The Tolerators” (formerly “45 RPM”) and DJ Big Court, set the mood again this year for the 13th Annual Fall Festival. Families gathered with pumpkin racers in hand to enjoy the festivities and try their luck at racing away with the coveted Pumpkin Racer Trophy.

Each heat had its own set of thrills, whether it was bumping, bouncing off the hay bales or full-on racing down to the wire. But the best part, as always, was the smashing of cheater racers. The most memorable, of course, was the set of competitors who asked for racers to be smashed. In a record-setting heat, emcee “Radio” lined up 5 of the 6 racers and went to town with the mallet!

In the final heat, the Taylor family’s two entries “Rocket Racer” and “Peanut the Friendly Squirrel 2.0” faced off against Joseph Dyer’s “Tomato Head.” All three took off for the finish line for a clean, no bumping, crashing or pushing heat. The Taylor family’s pumpkins took off for an early lead and nearly crossed the line at the same time, but “Rocket Racer” inched over the finish line first, claiming the win.

The Taylor family has been carefully crafting pumpkin racers for years, often making it to the finals. Their perfectly dialed in wheel setup has helped them outlast the competition year after year, and this year paid off with another two racers in the finals, and one with the win! This was the first year that racer Joseph Dyer made it to the finals, after years of decorating and racing some pop-culture icons.

For the rest of the festival, hundreds of residents and community neighbors enjoyed the rides, games and food. It was clear from the number of test runs, pumpkin garage visits and fantastically decorated pumpkins, that competition for this year’s medals and trophy was going to be stiff. There nearly 100 pumpkins entered into the race this year, as well as a full slate of VIP racers and a vendor race!

Before the races started, festival goers had an opportunity to visit with local businesses and organizations, play carnival games, ride the rides, taste the festival food and participate in pumpkin-themed crafts. The test track and racer garage were encompassed in a flurry of activity up to the last minute, with all racers trying to gain the competitive edge—or at least figure out how to roll straight enough to cross the finish line! The last-minute tinkering paid off, as a large number of race heats came down to the wire.

Back by popular demand this year were the beer and wine garden, giving adults a place to taste a beverage with their meal; the balloon launch; and the petting zoo, which kept visitors busy before and after their racers were eliminated.

With a full field of racers clamoring for position in the VIP exhibition, MVF Board of Directors President Scott Dyer’s “Tomato Head” hit the course on the fast track, followed closely behind by EVP Dave Humpton’s “Haunted Candy Bowl.” Montgomery County Councilmember Sydney Katz’s pumpkin rolled straight for the finish line at a slow pace, beating those that bottomed out. The 6th District Police’s “Police Cruiser” and Senator Nancy King’s “Hocus Pocus” battled it out, but no magic was around to help District 39 Delegate Gabe Acevero’s “Koopa 39,” who rolled off the ramp and came to a stop.

In the vendor’s race, Georgetown Hill’s “Hamburger” took a break early, while ServPro’s “Golden Princess” made a slow but steady run, until it turned for the sidelines. The Recreation Department’s “Lifesavers” made it furthest, but was disqualified for being a cheater; it was smashed in a heat later in competition.

Following the opening races, resident racers lined up for elimination heat after heat for the next hour and a half, pitting siblings, friends, neighbors and strangers against each other. Amid a plethora of finely decorated, rule-abiding pumpkins lurked a fair number of cheaters, who, once identified, were at the mercy of the crowd and the referee. It didn’t take much crowd convincing to have those whose pumpkins bent the rules eliminated from competition via the referee’s mallet. Several chants of “Smash it! Smash it!” were heard before the final thud of the mallet sent pumpkin seeds flying across the race track to loud cheers from the crowd. Several racers were smashed this year, including those not even attempting to hide, like the MVF Communications Department’s “Jawbreaker” – a bowling ball perched on a racing sled.

To see the highlights of the event, visit https://youtu.be/P4n8IhCmHUA.

MVF would like to thank our generous sponsors and participants in the event, including: Montgomery County 6th District Police; American Design & Build; Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; DJ Big Court; D’s Smokehouse BBQ; Fantasy World Entertainment; the Frederick Keys; Georgetown Hill Early School; Kona Ice; Lone Oak Farm Brewing Co.; Marieem Caribbean Cuisine; MD AcuMed; Montgomery County GOP; Origo Coffee; Pop-up Poutine; ServPro of Gaithersburg; SkyPoint FCU; Squeals on Wheels Petting Zoo; Roy Rogers Restaurants; The Tolerators; and Trippy Tacos for supporting the event through attendance and volunteerism.

Next year’s Great Pumpkin Race and Fall Festival is sure to bring even more competition and excitement—keep your wheels, or find new ones, and start planning your racer now! The 2023 Great Pumpkin Race and Fall Festival is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 14—see you then!