CIRCLEVILLE, Ohio — The “Greatest Free Show on Earth,” is wrapping up Saturday night after bringing hundreds of thousands of people to the city of Circleville for the annual pumpkin show.
Local business owners shared that the Circleville Pumpkin Show, which lasts for five days every year, means so much for the local economy and entrepreneurs.
Tom Hutchinson who helps run the “Deep Fried Pumpkin Pie,” truck said by the time the show wraps they will have sold nearly 3,000 deep-fried pumpkin pies.
Hutchinson said, in the beginning, when his team first brought out the product years ago, people didn’t understand what the deep-fried pie was exactly.
It wasn’t until he started using a cowbell to draw the attention of customers that they tried it.
If they liked the pie, they rang the bell. The fun “show,” added to the appeal each year, bringing back customers from all over the country.
"It's just really fun and that's what pumpkin show is all about, look at the people down the street, every business, they'll make money this week,” Hutchinson said. "Even the first-timers ring my bell because they like the pie that well."
Other out-of-state business owners say the extravagant event is worth making the trip year after year, like Steve Hoke and his Beaver Mountain Candle Company from Pennsylvania.
“The impact for these shows like the pumpkin show, you just can't even describe it. We're all small businesses here and it helps the money stay within the community,” said Hoke.
The Queen’s Parade concludes the pumpkin show at 8 p.m.
