4 Huge Pumpkins On Display In Downtown Annapolis, Photo Contest For Gift Cards Underway

ANNAPOLIS, MD — Four 1,000 pound pumpkins are on display around Annapolis. Visitors who share pictures with the pumpkins are eligible to win gift cards to downtown businesses. The pumpkins are located at:

• Visit Annapolis & Anne Arundel County (26 West Street)
• Graduate Hotel (126 West Street)
• St. Anne’s Episcopal Church (Church Circle)
• Market House (City Dock)

"Fall is a beautiful time of year in Annapolis," stated Kristen Pironis, executive director of Visit Annapolis & Anne Arundel County. "Now is the perfect time to visit. Being outdoors with family and friends, taking in the sights and sounds, and exploring the beauty of nature are what the season is all about. Add the magic of four 1,000+-pound pumpkins and you have a combination that’s hard to beat!"

To enter the photo contest, guests should post their pictures or videos to social media with #GreatAnnapolisPumpkins. Planners will randomly select winners throughout the month.

Prizes include gift certificates to local restaurants, shops, attractions and accommodations. Some of the participating establishments are the Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts, the Ballet Theatre of Maryland and HOBO bags.

The Downtown Annapolis Partnership is leading the project for the second straight year. The sponsors are Visit Annapolis & Anne Arundel County, the City of Annapolis and the Annapolis Arts District.

"Our goal is to provide a fun, safe way for individuals of all ages to enjoy fall in Annapolis," added Erik Evans, executive director of the Downtown Annapolis Partnership. "While they may come for the pumpkins, we’ll encourage them to stay for the dining, shopping, and events Annapolis has to offer this season."

The pumpkins first made it to the state capital earlier this month. Bumper Moyer, who leads the Eastport Neat Streets initiative, negotiated the purchase at a weigh-off near Altoona, Pennsylvania.

Moyer arranged their shipment with the help of Garden Girls Landscaping. Annapolis public works crews unloaded the pumpkins with a forklift.

Several other 300-pound pumpkins also decorate downtown. They are surrounded by straw bales, mums, corn stalks and baby pumpkins.

Maryland artists will carve the largest pumpkins into Jack-O'-Lanterns right before Halloween weekend. After the holiday, the city will take the pumpkins to Truxton Park for composting in partnership with nonprofit Annapolis Green.

Residents brought 10,000 pounds of pumpkins to the park to compost after Halloween 2020. Annapolis Green also organized last year's effort, called the Great Pumpkin Drop-off.

Northern Maryland's Veteran Compost will again transform the waste into pumpkin spice fertilizer. This compost will be on sale for a holiday gift.

More photos are posted at this link. The full press release is available here.

Subscribe to your local Patch newsletter. Download our mobile application from the App Store or Google Play.

RELATED:

• Trio Of 1K-Pound Pumpkins Comes To Downtown Annapolis: Report
• 10,000 Pounds Of Pumpkins Composted Since Halloween

Have a story idea? Please contact me at jacob.baumgart@patch.com with any pitches, tips or questions. Follow me on Twitter @JacobBaumgart and on Facebook @JacobBaumgartJournalist to stay up-to-date with the latest Anne Arundel County news.