Plenty to pick from at Pumpkin Days

Each year, the streets of Orient, a town of less than 400, fill for the Pumpkin Days Festival. The event sprouted in 1906 and was held annually for 41 years before coming to a halt in 1947. In 1980, the festivities came back and have been ongoing for the last 42 years.

The 84th Pumpkin Days will be held this Friday and Saturday.

Despite the town’s small stature, event organizer Mitch Pashek said Pumpkin Days has more options than most small town festivals. “I think it’s probably one of the better small town festivals in the area,” Pashek said. “Creston doesn’t really have anything like this anymore.”

One of the event’s biggest draws is the carnival which includes rides, games and concessions from Scott Amusements LLC. “We’ve had a lot of good feedback on the carnival,” Pashek said. “It’s a good thing for parents to bring the kids to.” The carnival will be open from 5 to 9 p.m. Friday and 12-4 and 5-9 p.m. Saturday.

In addition to the carnival, Friday there will be inflatables, games, glitter tattoos and face painting.

New this year is an archery tournament held at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Orient-Macksburg gym and an 80s themed baby contest at the same time.

Longtime favorites include the sand volleyball tournament Saturday morning and the parade at 4 p.m. Following the parade is their biggest fundraiser, the baked goods auction where items have sold for as much as $400.

A variety of food and goods vendors will be available throughout the festival.

Pashek said he’s looking forward to Steven Bankey and The Flatland Band playing at 8 p.m. Saturday night. “The band this year, I think they’re going to be good,” he said. “I’ve been trying to get better and better bands. We’ve been able to increase the money available to us. I hope it continues for us.”

The band refers to themselves as a “red dirt country band,” from Kansas City, Missouri, but they’ve played a variety of shows in southwest Iowa. Bankey said they’re used to the small town vibes.

“We’re all from smaller towns,” he said. “We all grew up in that environment. People in these areas don’t necessarily get live entertainment all the time, so they always come out and support.”

Primarily rock mixed with country, the band plays a variety of their own music and covers. They are heavily influenced by the grassroots country music movement originating in southern parts of Texas and Oklahoma.

The four band members have been performing together for two years. “We’ve been pretty fortunate,” Bankey said. “We’ve opened for quite a few national acts. It’s a great experience. We enjoy just getting to meet those people. We might one day play a big stage and the next day play a local bar.”

Bankey said Pumpkin Days should prepare for a fun show. “You can expect a high energy performance; we bring it every time we play,” Bankey said. “There’s lots of guitar work.”

Lead guitarist, T.J. Klein received his master’s in guitar performance from the University Of Missouri Kansas City in 2014. No stranger to big stages he has opened for many acts including Randy Rogers, Eli Young Band and the iconic Marshall Tucker Band.

The night finishes with a bang as Top Notch Fireworks puts on a pyrotechnic display. Guests are advised not to park in the grassy lot by Tuttle Drive prior to the fireworks.

For more information and a full schedule of events, visit the Orient Pumpkin Days page on Facebook.