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July 31, 2020 Update for 2020 Allardt Pumpkin Festival

July 31, 2020

Great News! There will be an Allardt Pumpkin Festival and Weigh-off on Saturday, October 3, 2020.
We will be following the June 2020 Tennessee Pledge – Guidelines for Attractions, Large Venues, & Large Community Events

The Weigh-off itself is a go, according to the Site Coordinator John Gunter, with the UT Agriculture Office. Some growers who have never been to the Allardt event are planning to compete here due to closures at other weigh-off sites.

The Clyde and Zelia Stephens Memorial Auto Show and Cycle Show events are expected to see a large turn out because of cancelled shows throughout the summer season.
Jake Hoot will appear on stage at City Hall as scheduled. Seating will be spread out to provide distance between household groups.

These traditional events will be featured as usual –
Parade
Pumpkin Run

Vendor Park – We will expand the space to include the area behind the Bruno Gernt Park across Portland Avenue in front of the Fentress County Board of Education Alternative School. This was previously used for parking. The Vendor Park will have additional space between vendors and proposed one-way routing for foot traffic.

Beauty Pageants will NOT be held this year due to indoor restrictions and the lack of an appropriate outside venue that would accommodate the usual number of entrants and spectators with shelter from the weather.

The Costume Contest will also be put on hold for one year with Smart Bank planning to gear back up for the 2021 Festival.

The Tractor Show will be canceled this year to protect the mostly older participants in this event.

The Pooch Parade will also be canceled, but we hope to try it again in 2021.

Fireworks will be removed from the event list indefinitely in response to the many requests from pet owners in the area.

We encourage all attendees to follow all safety guidelines for large events, including social distancing, use of hand sanitizers, and masks when appropriate.

We will attempt to provide as much social distancing as possible including some one-way routing for foot traffic, additional spaces between entries and vendor locations, and sanitation stations throughout the area.

We will provide updates well before the event with times and schedules.