Pumpkin Races Speeding Back into Downtown

What do a pumpkin, a set of wheels and a mallet have in common?

They’re all key ingredients to making a smashing success.

The event is being put on by the Oswegoland Optimist Club in downtown Oswego (Main and Jackson streets) at noon Saturday, Oct. 22, with registration at 11 a.m.

Secretary for the Tina Conley has been the driving force behind the pumpkin race and is once more in charge of it this year.

The idea came about, she said, from her old school in southern California where they’ve been doing pumpkin racing for 20 years.

“We decided to try it out last year and the community’s response was overwhelming,” she said. “It didn’t matter if you were 2 or 70; everyone was jumping up and down like kids.”

The premise behind pumpkin racing is competitors select and decorate a pumpkin and then attach a set of wheels through an axle to the pumpkin. It’s set off down a hill and first one to cross the finish line wins. But it’s not quite so innocent sounding as it seems.

Conley explained the idea of “cheater pumpkins” that get entered in the race.

“The entire purpose of the Oswegoland Optimist Club is to bring out the best in kids and show that cheaters never prosper," she said. "We want to demonstrate that at the pumpkin race.”

Cheater pumpkins can be anything that don’t follow the rules of a pumpkin attached to an axle. “Watermelon painted to look like a pumpkin? Cheater. Watermelon on a skateboard? Cheater. Watermelon with rockets? Cheater,” laughed Conley.

Last year the Optimist Club submitted their own, a watermelon in disguise. When it was caught at the start of the race the came out, handcuffed it and then smashed it to bits with a giant wooden mallet. 

“Everyone was cheering and laughing," Conley said.

The event is in the process of growing, this year including a chili cook-off before the event as well as a “pumpkin patch” where the pumpkins will be shown off and awarded for “scariest” or “cutest” before they are raced. Ironically, Oswego Patch will be in charge of the creation and naming of the awards for the pumpkin patch.

According to Conley, there are so far more than 20 local businesses sponsoring the event – either by entering a pumpkin or offering deals through their stores. Conley’s hope is to get five businesses of the same nature to participate and race against one another.

“Can you imagine if we had them competing to be the fastest pumpkin racing bank? It would be hilarious.”

The race gives “everyone a chance to be a kid again,” said Conley. “It builds opportunities for parents to work with their kids on their pumpkins and enjoy the fall festivities.”

There will be both a business division and an individual division. The cost for businesses to enter is $25 and the cost for an individual is three canned goods. Anyone can enter up until the start of the race.

"Our club is always looking for new ways to raise funds, make our community aware of who we are and what we do, and have some fun at the same time," said Oswegoland Optimist Club President Mike Lazansky. "I'm looking forward to the continued success of this new event."

For more information, visit the Oswegoland Optimist Club’s website.