Allardt Great Pumpkin Festival and Weigh-off

20260917

35th Annual Allardt Great Pumpkin Festival

and Weigh-off, Saturday, October 3, 2026

Revised September 10, 2026

Pre-Festival event ––The Annual Pumpkin Festival Beauty Pageant will be held on September 19, 2026 at York Institute Auditorium administered by Emma Wright and Hailey Stults. The winners will be introduced Saturday morning at the kick-off ceremonies at the Festival. Sponsored by Clarkrange Drug Center.

Festival Kick-off Ceremonies –10 a.m. at Allardt City Hall. Welcome and introduction of the 2026 Great Pumpkin Festival King and Queen with the Festival Beauty Pageant winners. Sponsored by Jimtown Florist.

Pumpkin Run –Online registration is now available at www.runsignup.com At Find a Race, Search: Pumpkin and look for Allardt, Tennessee. This will be a chip-timed race. Day of race registration 7 a.m. to 7:45 a.m. at Allardt Elementary School (220 Portland Avenue). Shirts will only be available for on-line registrations prior to September 27th. Line-up 7:45 am. Start time at 8 am Central Time. Categories of entry are 10K run, 5K run, and 1-mile Fun Run. Conducted by local runners and Flowers Trucking to benefit the YAI Bowling Teams. Additional Sponsor: Builtwell Bank. For additional information contact morgan@flowerstrucking.com.

“James Asberry Memorial Weigh-Off” of Pumpkins and Other Vegetables – Register your pumpkins, squash, watermelons, and other vegetables from 8:30 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. at the Allardt Elementary School East parking lot. Entry fee $10. The actual weigh-off will begin at 10:30 a.m. Allardt is an official GPC weigh-off site.

Prize Schedule

Pumpkins - First place - $2,000 (2^nd – 10th^th place – $800, $600, $400, $300, $250, $200, $150, $100, $50)
Watermelons - First place - $1,000 (2^nd – 10^th place – $700, $500, $300, $200, $150, $100, $50, $50, $50)
Green Squash - First place - $500 (2^nd – 5^th place – $300, $200, $100, $50)
Prettiest Pumpkin - $100

The big pumpkin winner must ride in the parade or be disqualified. See rules and regulations at www.allardtpumpkinfestival.com. Dwight Dickson will serve as master of ceremonies. John Gunter with the UT Extension Service will serve as the Site Coordinator. Weigh-Off sponsors to date: 304 Family Wealth of Raymond James – Matthew Brown; The Quality Family; One Bank; Fentress County Farm Bureau; Builtwell Bank; Clarkranage Drug Center; R&T Trophy; H&R Block; Burnett Grocery, The Florist, and Jacob Rosenbaum, Fentress County Executive.

Antique Auto Show – On-site Registration Saturday, October 3 from 8 a.m. – noon Central Time or until full (Dash Plaques to the first 200) at the 4-Way Stop (corner of Taylor Place Rd. and Allardt-Tinch Rd.) in Allardt. $15 registration fee to help cover Festival costs. Half of the registration fee will go to the Allardt Elementary School. All cars and trucks model year 2000 and older are welcome. 3 Queens’ Choice Trophies announced by 2:00 pm to allow time for entrance in the parade for all interested Car Show entries! $5 50/50 Ticket Drawing immediately after trophies.

Contact: Austin Andrews 626-676-3220
Swap Meet Spaces should be scheduled prior to the day of the festival: $50 due before set up. Call or text Austin at the above number.
30+ Vendors will be set up at the Car Show including food, coffee, clothing boutique, crafts, jewelry, home-made candy and baked goods and much more!

Sponsored by State Farm Insurance – Austin Andrews, Fitness First, O’Reilly Auto Parts, D&D Auto Parts, and Advance Auto Parts.

Tractor Show - 9 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. Central Time at Woods and Water Outdoors, 1853 Taylor Place Road. ALL tractors welcome and encouraged to participate in the 3:00 pm Parade!

Event Chairman – Wesley Anderson – Anderson Farm Services - 931-239-2304. Additional Sponsor: Representative Kelly Keisling

Faith and Blue – The TN Highway Patrol and law enforcement officials will again partner with Mt. Carmel Freewill Baptist Church for the Faith and Blue initiative. They plan to have the THP Motorcycle, the famous THP Litterbug, and the THP Slingshot located at The Allardt Land Company at the 4-Way stop. The Rollover Simulator will be there to show the importance of seatbelt usage. Special Operations will also bring out some of their equipment to display. The Recruiting Division will answer any questions about employment with THP. Free food and drinks, games and prizes for everyone.

Pumpkin Pie & Roll Contest - Registration Saturday from 9 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. Central Time at the Allardt Fire Hall. The $10 entry fee will go to the Allardt Volunteer Fire Department with the actual desserts being served with the BBQ meals purchased at the Fire Hall.

Day of show registration for HOMEMADE only pies and rolls.
1^st place $100, 2^nd place $50, and 3^rd place $25 in each of the two contests.
Winners announced around noon on stage at City Hall.
Sponsored and conducted by Amanda Hicks, Fentress County Clerk; Additional Sponsor: Guffey Law, PLLC.

Children’s Costume Contest - Saturday from 10:00 a.m. – noon Central Time at Allardt City Hall Stage. FREE registration.

Day of show registration only from 9:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. outside City Hall.
Categories: Ages 0-2 years; 3-5 years; 6-8 years; 9-12 years; and group.
Any costume theme acceptable. No live animals, please.
Sponsored and conducted by SmartBank. Additional Sponsor: Guffey Law PLLC.

Pumpkin Festival Parade - 3 p.m. Entries will line up on the Baseline Road starting at 2:00 p.m. To line up, follow Highway 52 E from Allardt past the orange water tower to the Les Franklin Road. Turn left at the Les Franklin Road. Then enter the Baseline Road from the Les Franklin Road only. The deadline for entries is noon Thursday, October 1. Call Ashley Bilbrey at 931-397-0300 to register and for additional information.

FREE Entertainment On Stage – Allardt City Hall, 2015 Michigan Ave. Noon – 3:00 pm: 12:00 p.m. - Ryleigh Arrowood; 1:00 p.m. - Ethan Lively from Season 20 of The Voice; and 2:00 p.m. – Time’s A Tickin’ featuring Jamestown native, Mike Powell. Mike was on the entertainment docket at the very first Pumpkin Festival! William Bilbrey, Entertainment Chairman. Stage provided by City of Jamestown.

Crafts and Food Vendors - Bruno Gernt Park (2018 Michigan Ave.) and directly behind the park at the FCBE Alternative School (218 Portland Ave.), with 3^rd Vendor area located at the Antique Auto Show at the 4-Way Stop. all day 9:00 am – 5:00 pm. Erin Hancock, event Chairman.

A Special Thank You to our 2026 Sponsors to Date

304 Family Wealth of Raymond James; Advance Auto Parts; Amanda Hicks, Fentress County Clerk; Builtwell Bank; Clarkrange Drug Store; D&D Auto Parts; Fentress County Farm Bureau; Fitness First; Guffey Law, PLLC; H&R Block; Jimtown Florist; One Bank; O’Reilly Auto Parts; R&T Trophy; Representative Kelly Keisling; Smartbank; State Farm Insurance – Austin Andrews; The Quality Family; Burnett Grocery, The Florist, and Union Bank.

Allardt Weigh-off Rules and Regulations

Weigh-off Rules and Regulations

GPC Rules and Regulations

Article II Fruits and Growers

1) The entry must be exhibited by the grower or team. In the case of an emergency where the grower or team cannot be present to exhibit the entry,
the site coordinator, club/grower representative, and site representative will make a determination regarding the validity of a grower or team’s absence.
A) “Grower” is defined as a person who has grown and cared for the entry from planting to harvest.
B) “Team” is two growers contributing equally to the care of a fruit/vegetable grown at the same address and exhibited together.

2) All specimens that will be submitted to the GPC for awards and recognition must be weighed on a certified scale with only the fruit on the scale. Any fruit weighed with a tarp, pallet, or any other lifting device will be classified unofficial weight or “EXH”.
   A) A certified scale is one that has been inspected and certified by a governmental agency and must have a current certification sticker attached to the scale. Scales that have been certified by other qualified agencies for commercial purposes as “legal for trade” are also acceptable.
            B) All sites should use a 4’ x 4’ platform scale or larger, sitting level on a solid stable       surface. 

3) No foreign material (i.e.: fungicides, caulking, skin additives et cetera) will be permitted in the weighing of any fruit.
            A) Vines must be trimmed to within one inch of the stem of the fruit.

B) The stem itself will not be applicable to judging as stated below.

4) The specimen must be sound, healthy, and undamaged.

            A) Entries must be free of rot.
            B) Entries must be free of holes or cracks into the interior cavity of the fruit.
            C) Entries must be free of damaged areas that are greater than 3 inches in diameter and greater than 3 inches deep. Any single damaged area greater than 3 inches deep will classify the fruit as damaged (DMG). The dimensions of the damage will be measured after all soft material has been removed with a spoon, if needed.
            D) If there are more than two damaged areas, the pumpkin will be disqualified even if each is smaller than described in 4C.
            E) Small damaged areas are acceptable if naturally healed over with new rind, also known as natural scabs or new cantalouping.
            F) The Judges reserve the right to probe cracks, holes, and to dig out soft spots to judge a fruit official or not. Before the Judges can execute any of the previous they must have the grower present.
            G) Judging is to be completed before a fruit is officially weighed.
            H) Refusal of any inspection to an entry will cause the entry to be classified exhibition     only.

5) The GPC will recognize one entry per grower or team for top ten average calculations. A) Entries other than the grower’s one official entry will be entered as “EXH – exhibition” for legal fruit and “DMG – damaged” for illegal fruit. B) If a grower or team wants to bring multiple entries they must contact the site representative(s) prior to the weigh-off day to ensure the site can accommodate their multiple fruit. 6) No specimen will be allowed into competition at a GPC site if that specimen has been previously entered at another competition.

Article III Color Requirements and Awards

1) Squash will be classified as follows‐ 100% of the following colors or color combinations green, blue, and gray. The surface area of the fruit as grown in the garden, not including the portion that was in contact with, or close proximity to the ground will be considered. This area will include the area between the ribs, around the stem, and the blossom end. This will not include any netting (cantaloping), any discoloration caused by the close proximity to the ground, or minimal amounts of striping or mottling associated with some squash. Mottling may appear as white to cream or beige to bronze.

A) Pumpkins will be all fruit not classified as squash.

2) Only the heaviest entry per class by a grower or team will receive GPC awards.
3) The GPC will only recognize one award per fixed address per class.

A) A fixed address will be defined as a parcel of land used by growers and/or teams to grow their entries.
4) In the event of a tie of two or more places all entries that are tied will have the same award for the places that are tied added together.
5) GPC awards (i.e. jackets) will be given to a maximum of two persons for one entry (in the event of a team). These awards will be given at the GPC’s discretion with the GPC reserving the right to distribute awards as deemed necessary.
6) An entry must be weighed at one of the sanctioned weigh‐off sites, on the recognized weigh‐off date for that site to be eligible for GPC awards.
7) The GPC will only recognize specimens that have been entered into the Bigpumpkins.com “GPC Weigh-off Results” database for public viewing before November 30th

Regulations and Prizes for the Allardt Weigh-off Site

Pumpkins, green squash, watermelons and other fruits and vegetables cannot be shown if previously entered at a fair or some other weigh-off. Entries will be weighed in with one-ounce increments. (All times are Central Time.)

*** Winner must show pumpkin in festival parade at 3 p.m. or be disqualified. **

1) The competition is open to all persons in any part of the world.

2) An entry fee of $10.00 per entry will be charged for each entry of pumpkin, green squash, and watermelon.

3) All other entries will be $10.

4) All other entries include a.) sunflower-width b.)cornstalk - length c.)long gourd - length d.) sweet potato - weight e.)Irish potato - weight f.)bushel gourd - weight g.) ear corn (white) - length h.)ear corn (yellow) - length i.) cushaw-weight.

Added catagories: dipper gourd, tomato, cantaloupe.

5) An entry cannot have been exhibited in any open weigh-off prior to this event. There must be no markings or numbers written on the pumpkin.

6) The country of residence of an exhibitor is the country which will be credited with the results of a competition.

7) A specimen must be grown by the exhibitor.

8) Description of giant pumpkin, green squash, and giant watermelon. SEE GPC RULES ABOVE

9) A specimen must be healthy and completely undamaged, showing no signs of rot or deterioration

10) Every specimen shall have its own carrying device for proper lifting.

11) All specimens will be free from fungicides and pesticides and foreign material found in such places as cracks or holes. This is an environmental hazard and also allows holes leaking to be plugged up.

12) If an entry shows any evidence of holes which have been used for injecting fluid into cavity and then plugged, it will be immediately disqualified

13) Judges reserve the right to cut or x-ray the fruit if deemed necessary.

14) Vines must be out to 1" from the stem of the fruit.

15) A committee of three will qualify all fruit per the rules from 9:30 a.m. to 10 a.m.

16) Specimens of equal weight will be co-winners. Weights will be recorded in 1/2 pound increments rounded down to the lowest half pound.

17) No entrant or spectator shall attempt to influence the judges or impede the proceeding of fair competition.

18) The City of Allardt Site Coordinator is the official representative of the City of Allardt responsible for abiding by and absolutely enforcing the rules of the City of Allardt.

19) All decisions of the judges are final.

Winner must show pumpkin in 3 p.m. festival parade or be disqualified.

***

“James Asberry Memorial Weigh-Off” of Pumpkins and Other Vegetables – Register your pumpkins, squash, watermelons, and other vegetables from 8:30 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. at the Allardt Elementary School East parking lot. Entry fee $10. The actual weigh-off will begin at 10:30 a.m. Allardt is an official GPC weigh-off site.

Prize Schedule

• Pumpkins - First place - $2,000 (2nd – 10thth place – $800, $600, $400, $300, $250, $200, $150, $100, $50)

• Watermelons - First place - $1,000 (2nd – 10th place – $700, $500, $300, $200, $150, $100, $50, $50, $50)

• Green Squash - First place - $500 (2nd – 5th place – $300, $200, $100, $50)

• Prettiest Pumpkin - $100

Dwight Dickson will serve as master of ceremonies. John Gunter with the UT Extension Service will serve as the Site Coordinator.

20260426

The 2026 Allardt Pumpkin Festival and Weigh-off is set for October 3, 2026. The event is always held the first Saturday in October.

Check out our Allardt Pumpkin Festival Facebook page for details about vendor applications and updates for the 2026 festival.

Link to Facebook page.

2025 Pumpkin winner – Ronnie Midkiff, Beaver, West Virginia.

1196.6 lbs.

20251005

Alton Gernt, 2025 Pumpkin Festival King

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.