Saturday and Sunday, October 10 and 11, 2009
11:00 am – 7:00 pm daily
Admission: Adults $9, Children $7
Pumpkin Carving Contest
If you have an eye for sculpture and work well with sharp objects, enter the Pumpkin Carving Contest at the New Mexico Pumpkin Festival. The sky is the limit – go traditional jack-o-lantern or Martha Stewart. Pumpkins can be purchased at the maze for $4; groups wishing to submit a large number of entries can apply for a donation of pumpkins by emailing specific request to Dawn@HelpingHandsEvents.com. Carved pumpkins must be turned in at the Mesilla Valley Maze between October 8 and 2:00 pm on October 11. Pumpkins will be judged on creativity, uniqueness, and skill in three categories: 12 and under; Teen, and Adult. Prizes in each category will be awarded by the Pumpkin Princess at 6:00 pm on Saturday October 10 and then all of the entries will be lit for the Pumpkin Glow.
Click here for entry form.
Fall Decorating
Do you see all the pretty fall wreaths and centerpieces and wish you could make them yourself? Beverly Floyd will show you how. Stop in the classroom at 1:00 and 5:00 each day for a demonstration on using natural fall décor in your own home.
Pumpkin Shuffleboard
How do you accurately roll or toss an odd-shaped, unbalanced gourd? That’s for you to figure out . . . . Join us for “shuffleboard” in the big tent. Roll or toss your fist-sized pumpkin down our shuffleboard and aim to get it as close as possible to the goal without going out. Prizes awarded each day in the kiddos (under 7), youth (8 – 16) and adult categories.
Pie Eating Contest
Can’t get enough pumpkin pie and can’t wait for Thanksgiving? Now’s your chance – the whole pie is for you! No utensils but you can use your hands. Eat the pie the fastest and you could earn the coveted Fastest Pumpkin Pie Eating in the West prize. Contest held Saturday and Sunday at 3:00 pm. Prizes awarded each day. Tums not included.
Carnival Tent
Join the Optomists, Girls Scouts, NM Museum of Natural History and others in the Carnival Tent. Nominal fees for these games and activities support these local charities and civic organizations. Games include:
Pumpkin Bowling
Seed Spitting
Pumpkin Painting
Balloon Animals
Guess the Weight of the Pumpkins
And the Pumpkin Lab
Let your creative juices flow and enter your best pumpkin recipe. Categories are general to allow a lot of creativity: Best Traditional Use of Pumpkin, Most Unique Use of Pumpkin, Use of Pumpkin in a (non-alcoholic) drink. The only rule is it must have pumpkin in it. Prepared product must be brought to the festival by 2:30pm on Sunday, October 11 to be judged live in the Big Top Tent. Prizes awarded immediately following the judging.
Click here to download rules and entry form.
You really wanted to enter the Carving Contest this year, but you just weren’t sure how to do more than Charlie Brown? Stop in and watch a demonstration on how to carve that pumpkin in all sorts of new and unique ways. Demonstrations in the classroom at 12:00- and 3:00 each day.
Break out the pencils, crayons, and markers! Be the best in coloring the official New Mexico Pumpkin Festival coloring page and turn in by Friday, September 26. Your whole class could get tickets to come to the Mesilla Valley Maze, plus you get the prize and tickets for your whole family. All winners, Runners Up and Honorable Mentions will be displayed around the maze for all to see. Prizes given in three categories: Preschool (aged 5 and under), Lower Elementary (Kindergarten through 2nd grade) and Upper Elementary (3rd through 5th grade).
Every festival needs a princess! Contest is open to 5th grade girls in Las Cruces, El Paso and the surrounding area. Download the application, include a photo and short essay on why you want to be the Pumpkin Princess. Deadline to apply is September 12.
The Pumpkin Princess will be the official representative of the Pumpkin Festival and will need to be present at the following events: Maze Kick Off Party on Thursday, September 24, ride the Pumpkin Festival Float in the Whole Enchilada Parade on Saturday September 26, visit the Mesilla Valley Maze booth at the Southern NM State Fair, attend both days of the festival to award prizes to different contest winners, and come back in 2010 to crown the new Pumpkin Princess.
The Pumpkin Princess will receive a unique Prize Pack with all sorts of goodies including gift cards to local businesses, a pizza party for her friends, and of course the tiara and ribbons.
Click here for application.
