The 17th annual Pumpkinfest was held at Lester’s Farm on Sunday, October 13, inspiring local families to visit the farm for some kid-friendly fun.

With games, prizes, contests – a kids and adult pie eating contest, two worm digging contests, a costume contest,  and a 19+ hot pepper eating contest  – costume parades, storytime, a princess singalong, a dance party, and a pumpkin catapult, there was a lot of action packed into just over six hours at the farm.

Family Tradition

Operating in support of the R.E.A.L Program and the Mount Pearl Sports Alliance, Lester’s Farm’s Pumpkinfest has raised over $200,000 since 2001, helping over 1,000 families in need.

This is an especially remarkable feat considering the price of admission, which is just $5 per person or $20 per family. Conception Bay South resident Megan Hamlyn has made Pumpkinfest an annual tradition with her daughter Hailey.

They start off every year’s Pumpkinfest by picking out their pumpkins. “Hailey wanted to do hers herself, so she went through all of them until she found the one she wanted,” Hamlyn shared. “Apparently none of the ones I showed her were good   enough,” she said with a laugh.

Meeting Princesses

Next up was a visit to the greenhouse, where Hailey took part in some of the scheduled activities, colouring a cat mask and winning a pumpkin cookie in a fishing game. Soon after, she spotted a wonderful sight for any little girl – princesses.

“She just had to get a picture with them in her mermaid costume. She loved meeting them and loved that they really liked her costume,” Hamlyn said. “Ariel wanted a picture of the two of them as well because they were two mermaids.” The family decided to skip the haunted maze – “She was having none of that after going through it last year,” her mother joked.

Wanting to do “everything at once,” Hailey then enjoyed a tractor ride through the field, pointing out characters made out of hay to her mother.

She had fun bowling, doing a gourd toss and of course, winning little prizes. The corn maze was next on the to-do list. A smart little girl, Hailey decided to lead the way, and found the way out all on her own. After that bout of excitement, she was content to hop in a barrel on wheels, attached to a quad, to enjoy another leisurely ride in the fields, calling the experience, “really fun.”

Excited for Next Year

The fun continued with a tunnel slide, and finished off in the bouncy castle. Hailey is already excited for next year’s Pumpkinfest. “We’ve been going every year and she loves it. They had a lot of great things this year, even more than the last,” her mother said.

“Hailey always asks where the pumpkin catapult is when we get there because one year it was up by the parking lot and backfired. The pumpkin landed under my rig. She never forgets that,” Hamlyn recalled fondly. “It was very entertaining and we enjoyed it, as we do every year.”