Our 34th Annual Allardt Pumpkin Festival King is Mr. Alton Gernt. Alton is a lifelong resident of Allardt with family roots that go generations deep in the community, including an original founder.
He is the son of Nancy Gernt and the late David and Lola Gernt. His grandparents are the late Walter and Flossie Gernt. Alton's great grandfather, the late Bruno Gernt, is well known as an early settler, landowner, business owner, and founder of the settlement of Allardt.
After immigrating to America from Germany in the 1800s, Bruno Gernt moved from Michigan to this part of the Cumberland Plateau area and was instrumental in persuading other German families to move here also. You will notice Bruno Gernt's name on the Memorial Park sign just across the street where the vendors are set up.
Alton is a graduate of Alvin C. York Institute in Jamestown and attended the University of Tennessee In Knoxville. He served as a lifeguard at the old Allardt County Club.
Although Alton suffered a traumatic brain injury in a motorcycle accident in 1982, he for many years helped get Allardt properties ready for its annual pumpkin festival. He mowed the parking fields, the car show area, and other locations in Allardt, making them neat and beautiful and getting them ready to welcome our festival crowds. Alton's family – uncles, aunts, cousins, and other family members – have generously allowed the use of all these privately owned properties for the annual festival. Needless to say, there would be no pumpkin festival possible without them.
Alton enjoys watching football and other sports on TV. He likes music, especially the oldies, and enjoys chatting with friends on the phone and social media.
