Serving the Big Horn Basin for over 100 years
Serving the Big Horn Basin for over 100 years
Witness Worland’s 12th annual pumpkin weigh-off, the largest pumpkin drop to date, and participate in Oktoberfest fun and craft show this Saturday at the Washakie County Fairgrounds, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
This is the first year these events have been combined to maximize the fun with the convenience of holding it in one big area.
4-H BREAKFAST
From 8 to 10 a.m., the Washakie County 4-H group will be serving free breakfast pancakes to kick off the day. Amber Armajo said that this is the group’s way of saying thanks to the community. They’ll have volunteers making the food, and kids in 4-H will be helping to serve up the pancakes. This will be the final day of National 4-H week.
PUMPKIN WEIGH OFF AND DROP
According to Jay Richard of Jay’s Giants, this event is a Giant Pumpkin Commonwealth sanctioned event, meaning attendees will see some of Wyoming’s biggest pumpkins, along with other large gourds. More importantly, Richard said he hopes to see more people participate. Whether it’s the biggest zucchini someone has grown, or if it is a child’s first pumpkin, Richard said he wants to see it there because he is, “trying to get more and more people involved and participate.” Richard additionally said he wants to emphasize the fact that people are not necessarily competing against him, but they’re competing against themselves. People will have the chance to get ideas, tips and tricks and make connections with other growers, according to Richard.
Following the weigh off, Richard said pumpkins will drop nearly 170 feet from a crane, thanks to the help from Swing Trucking & Crane Service. This year, the flying pumpkins will be landing onto a motor home, which was donated by Young’s Camper Repair. Richard said he is grateful for these groups, as they help to make this a great event for the community.
Richard said that he is most excited about seeing new growers, young or old, and watching them have the thrill of growing a personal best.
OKTOBERFEST
Throughout the day, Oktoberfest activities will be open for all people to participate in. According to Caryn Harding, secretary of the Worland Ten Sleep Chamber of Commerce, her nonprofit brought Oktoberfest back to Worland last year and now, it is a chamber event.
There will be a beer garden with various crafts beers, a variety of activities with the tug of war competition as one of the main events, starting at 1 p.m. Harding said that teams need to be registered by noon and the overall team’s weight cannot exceed 1,200 pounds.
Harding said that they will additionally have a memory tent at Oktoberfest. This will be an area where people can see
memorabilia and plenty of photos from previous Oktoberfest events in Worland. Harding said that while there will be new aspects of this year’s Oktoberfest, people will still be able to experience the Oktoberfest they remember, especially because they’ll have cabbage burgers again.
Oktoberfest will finish the day with a concert starting at 3:30 p.m. with an entry fee of $5. According to Harding, the concert will be around two hours long, and will feature Kaleb McDaniels from Greybull and Chad Lore from Casper.
CRAFT SHOW
A craft show, “Fall into Crafts” will also be at the fairgrounds from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., led by Perla Matamoros. They expect to have vendors for food and crafts from Worland and surrounding areas.