Halloween spirit shines for one more night at Prescott Pumpkin Parade

Halloween in the town of Prescott isn’t over just yet, with the spooky season staying alive for one more night as hundreds of carved pumpkins will be on display.

Town crews were out early Tuesday morning collecting jack-o’-lanterns, after they welcomed trick-or-treaters on Halloween night.

"This is our second truckload," said Tyler Dukelow, grabbing pumpkins on James St. E. 

The town asks residents to put their jack-o’-lanterns at the curb by 9am to be picked up every Nov. 1.

Those truckloads are then unloaded downtown for the annual Prescott Pumpkin Parade.

Workers picking up pumpkins on Tuesday morning in Prescott, Ont. (Nate Vandermeer/CTV News Ottawa)

"This year we have them spread throughout Riverwalk Park," said Manager of Community Services Samantha Joudoin-Miller. "We also have a local band called Tinted Wisdom playing at the amphitheatre and we'll have the Prescott Farmers and Crafters Market set up at the base of the lighthouse."

The tradition is in its fifth year, giving those artsy jack-o’-lanterns one more time to shine before heading to the compost.

"We do light up every single pumpkin, so it's a light show in itself," she added. "It's a fabulous way to bring everybody together, the pumpkins get one more night and everybody gets a chance to be together, hopefully with nice weather."

Pumpkins in a truck in Prescott, Ont. (Nate Vandermeer/CTV News Ottawa)

Hundreds of pumpkins will be on display showcasing multiple designs families may have missed while out trick or treating, from the very small, to gigantic gourds.

"It's become a nice Fort Town tradition for the fall, people look forward to it, hundreds of pumpkins out," said Prescott mayor Brett Todd, stopping by the park to drop off his creation.

"I'm no expert carver," he said with a laugh. "I did this in about 10 minutes yesterday afternoon but I try to do one every year now too, something I haven't done since I was a kid.”

"It's incredible how many people do carve pumpkins now. The event is a tradition, but what's becoming a new family tradition is to carve multiple pumpkins and there's some great artistic efforts you'll see on display here tonight too," Todd said.

Jack-o'-lanterns on display at the annual Prescott Pumpkin Parade. (Nate Vandermeer/CTV News Ottawa)

Carved pumpkins include everything from ghosts and goblins, to movie characters and phrases. 

"You see some incredible stuff every year when you wander through and it's not just one or two it's like a good couple of dozen," noted Todd. "There's always an Iron Maiden, one or two, with the classic Iron Maiden cover on there and it's just incredible what people are doing now to carve pumpkins." 

Prescott residents are also eager to let their pumpkins go and be displayed in the parade.

"I am absolutely going down tonight," said Nancy McFarlane. "My friends are coming from Ottawa and she saw it on Facebook this morning and said we absolutely have to do this tonight."

"One of the very fun parts is when the kids come down and they look for their own pumpkin, so it is a really neat way for them to show off what they've done as well," added Joudoin-Miller.

There will be a scavenger hunt for families to enjoy, along with a popcorn cart, coffee stand, and some other Halloween items on display, like a giant skeleton waving from the lighthouse. 

"It's actually a pretty spectacular scene when you come down to the park," said Todd. "You're right on the beautiful shores of the St. Lawrence, but then you are greeted by this spooky sight. It's also pretty majestic of all the jack-o’-lanterns of Prescott lit up again for one more night to ring out Halloween 2022."

The event runs Nov. 1 from 6 to 8 p.m., and admission is free.