Whether it's your first time or an annual family tradition, the Hartsburg Pumpkin Festival has something for everyone.
The smells of barbecued meats, kettle corn and funnel cake wafted through the air as about 250 vendors sold everything from custom-carved wooden signs to chocolate-covered bananas to antique chairs. Games, inflatables, live music and a corn maze kept children occupied, as well as some adults.
And pumpkins, of course, were everywhere.
"It's really interesting," said Jodie Grube, whose family was attending the festival for the first time. "I love that it's very family friendly, which is what we were looking for, and just completely festive and fun and outdoorsy."
Grube, who is from the St. Louis area, said her family is always seeking out fun fall activities, and her husband found the Hartsburg Pumpkin Festival online. She said she was "impressed and amazed" at the number of offerings in such a small area.
"Unfortunately, I have my whole entire family with me so I can't stop as much as I'd like to," she said. "But that's OK."
Grube said she would definitely be returning in the future.
The festival has been bringing thousands to the tiny town of Hartsburg since the early 1990s. This year, an estimated 30,000-40,000 flocked to the town, which has a population of about 133 according to the latest census.
Jeri Cooper, who sits on the festival committee, said the festival went "really well," with more people attending Saturday than organizers anticipated. Sunday went about as expected, she said.
"It's kind of crazy," she said about the festival attracting tens of thousands to the town. "People come down for the community, the camaraderie, the fellowship with friends and family, and for a lot of them it's a tradition."
Sophie Angel is one of those people.
"It's a family tradition. I come every year," she said. "I remember mom telling me stories about when I was 1 and we'd come here."
Now a Columbia College student attending with friends, Angel said the heart of the festival has remained the same despite slight changes in the corn maze and new vendors each year.
"It's kind of cool to see advancements," she said. "I think it's definitely gotten bigger over the years and new people come out to sell things."
Lynn Sapp and Alex Steffes manned a booth offering cinnamon rolls on a stick from The Dandy Lion Cafe in Ashland. They both said it was their first time going to the festival.
And it was going well, Sapp said, as they were on the verge of selling out by early Sunday afternoon.
"There's a lot more people than I definitely expected, but it's been very good," she said. "Everybody's been super friendly and very supportive, and wondering what we are because they haven't seen us here before."
"It just pulls in a lot of people from all over Missouri," Steffes added. "A lot of people are coming in from Columbia, Ashland and Jeff City. A lot of people around here just know what's going on and are willing to come support people."
Doug Edwards makes the annual trip from Bonnots Mill to promote his antique chair and seat-weaving business. He worked on creating a new seat on a chair as folks stopped by his booth.
Edwards has been in business for nearly 20 years and has been meeting new clients at the Hartsburg festival for about 15 of them. He said it's always been enough to keep him busy, whether it's immediate business or three years down the line.
"It's a good festival," Edwards said. "I got a lot of people from the Columbia, Ashland and Jeff City area, and a lot of chairs I've done for those people."
"It is a lot of advertising for me," he continued. "I can't afford to advertise other ways, really. This is really the best."
Jo Hackman has been selling pumpkins, mums, apples, squash and gourds at the festival for the past 30 years. She owns Hackman Farm, which is the first lot upon walking into Hartsburg.
She said this year's festival went very well.
"We've got a good crowd, haven't had any rain to spoil it -- usually we'll have one day of rain no matter what -- and everyone seems to be in good spirits," Hackman said. "That always helps."
Hackman said she had about a dozen workers helping her sell her farm produce on Sunday, a couple of which were family. She said the farm is generally a family operation but the festival requires some extra help.
Hackman has been growing pumpkins since about 1977, which put her at the forefront of the festival.
"When they decided to have a pumpkin festival there was another family that raised pumpkins, so Hartsburg always had a lot of pumpkins," she said. "That's why it got started to begin with."
Hackman, who previously served on the organizing committee, said those early days brought maybe 200-300 visitors to the town. It's grown each year to include more vendors, food booths and people, she said.
In the two years since the COVID-19 pandemic canceled the festival in 2020, Hackman said attendance has largely plateaued.
"It just amazes me," she said of the number of people who attend. "It just seems like a lot of the same people come back and sit in line, you know. I guess they just like it once they get here enough to go through the process of sitting in line."
Line times reached about two hours on Saturday, according to one of the workers directing parking.
The festival charged a $5 parking fee and moved the parking lot this year. Cooper, a current organizer, said it didn't impact attendance.
She said the charge helps cover rising costs of putting on the festival.
"It's just inflation," she said. "Everything is just more expensive than it has been in the past. If you think about all the little people that are helping us do this -- the sheriff's department, tow trucks, ambulance, fire department, trash company, parkers, the field owners -- we have lots and lots of expenses that just really went up a lot."
Drivers were directed to a new field to park because the usual field hadn't been harvested in time, Cooper said. That resulted in a longer walk to the festival from the parking area, she said.
Hackman, like Cooper, said she hadn't seen a negative impact on turnout from the new parking changes.
"I really haven't heard anyone complain about a $5 parking fee," Hackman said. "A lot of places charge more than that, they tell me."
Besides some new vendors, Cooper said the festival's offerings and atmosphere have remained largely the same.
Jacob Leffert had a booth at the festival and was selling pumpkins from Valley View Farms, about five minutes down the road from Hartsburg. He's had a booth at the festival for the past couple years.
"It's pretty similar," he said. "There's a steady crowd, a lot of families coming to get pumpkins."
Leffert, who was born and raised in the area, said the crowd the festival attracts is a pretty big deal and makes for "pretty decent" pumpkin sales.
"I'm just here to provide for people that come down here to get them," he said.
Ryan Pivoney/News Tribune photo: Charlie Smith watched over the large pumpkins for sale at Hackman Farm Sunday, Oct. 9, 2022, during the Hartsburg Pumpkin Festival. Hackman Farm has been growing pumpkins since 1977 and is the first lot upon walking into Hartsburg.
Ryan Pivoney/News Tribune photo: Doug Edwards demonstrated seat weaving at his Hartsburg Pumpkin Festival booth on Sunday, Oct. 9, 2022. Edwards owns an antique chair and seat weaving business in Bonnots Mill and has been showcasing his craft and products at the fair for the past 15 years as a way to drum up business.
Ryan Pivoney/News Tribune photo: Jodie Grube perused the jewelry and engraved wood products offered by Hahn Custom Laser Engraving Sunday, Oct. 9, 2022, at the Hartsburg Pumpkin Festival. Grube and her family found the festival online and decided to check it out for the first time this year.
Ryan Pivoney/News Tribune photo: Jessica Sanders and Valerie Foland found their way through the Hartsburg Pumpkin Festival corn maze Sunday, Oct. 9, 2022, after their children led the way.
Ryan Pivoney/News Tribune photo: Jessica Sanders and Valerie Foland found their way through the Hartsburg Pumpkin Festival corn maze Sunday, Oct. 9, 2022, after their children led the way.
Ryan Pivoney/News Tribune photo: Hackman Farm has sold fall produce at the Hartsburg Pumpkin Festival since the annual festival started more than 30 years ago. After selling out of mums on Saturday, Oct. 8, 2022, the farm still had pumpkins, apples, squash and gourds for sale.
Ryan Pivoney/News Tribune photo: Julie Wiser was selling fall-themed artificial flower bouquets Sunday, Oct. 9, 2022, at the Hartsburg Pumpkin Festival. Wiser started her business, Julie's Forever Flowers, after her mother's death a couple years ago and said the festival has helped generate interest.