The Great Pumpkin Race and Fall Festival

Yes, the Pumpkins Have Wheels

Every fall Montgomery Village holds a race where the cars are pumpkins. People decorate a pumpkin, put it on wheels, and send it head to head against somebody else's. There are awards for the best-decorated and most creative entries, so half the fun is walking the line of racers before the heats start. It's Saturday, 11 to 2:30, at the North Creek Community Center.

You can enter your own. Race kits are $25, or $10 if you only need the hardware, and you buy them at the Montgomery Village Foundation office. If you'd rather just cheer, the festival around the race has carnival rides, games and food for sale, plus a beer garden for the grown-ups.

Parking is handled with free shuttles from three lots, running every 10 minutes from 11 to 3. The foundation doesn't list an admission price anywhere, so I'd plan on the race being free to watch but bring money for rides and food. There's no rain date either. If the sky looks iffy, check the foundation's closure page or the RainoutLine app before you head out.

Parent Tips 💡

• ✓Walk the lineup first. Seeing the pumpkin racers up close before the heats is half the fun for kids.
• ✓Use the shuttle. Three lots, every 10 minutes. Easier than circling North Creek.
• ✓Bring money for rides. The race is the free part. Rides, games and food are not.
• ✓Check the weather that morning. There's no rain date, and updates go out on the foundation's closure page and the RainoutLine app.
• ✓Get ideas for next year. If your kid gets hooked, race kits are sold at the foundation office.