The 30th anniversary of Port Elgin Pumpkinfest this fall could feature major changes.
Organizing committee chair Brad Scott told Saugeen Shores council they are working on a plan to move the Pumpkinfest village from the grounds of Saugeen District Secondary School to downtown Port Elgin.
He says they want to breathe some new life into the popular festival to mark its third decade, and moving Pumpkinfest back to its roots in the downtown is the way to do it.
Scott says attendance has been steady at Pumpkinfest, which attracts upwards of 50,000 per year, but it feels like the classic car show in the downtown area and the Pumpkinfest village have grown apart over the years.
"We know that there's not a lot of people that move from the car show up to our site to see everything else that we do, and vice versa, there is a disconnect there in the event itself," says Scott. " And probably just over the years in the community, people are feeling like there's nothing new, there's nothing different at Pumpkinfest, they've seen it all, we feel there's a bit of a disconnect there."
Scott says the preliminary plan is to move the weigh-off events to the former Port Elgin Arena, which is now the Port Elgin Missionary Church, while also renting other existing facilities.
He says this will allow organizers to cut expenses by not renting large tents for the weekend. They are also looking at cutting the admission price, but those details are still being worked out.
A final decision on moving Pumpkinfest to downtown Port Elgin will be made by April 1st.