Stillwater Harvest Fest To Feature Giant Pumpkin, Chili Contests

STILLWATER, MN — Giant pumpkins will take center stage this weekend at the Stillwater Harvest Fest, with $5,000 at stake for whoever brings the biggest gourd.

The schedule for the two-day Harvest Fest is filled to the brim, with numerous events set to kick off Saturday morning.

The 16th annual Stillwater Giant Pumpkin Weigh-off begins at 10 a.m. Saturday in Lowell Park, with an award ceremony starting around 3 p.m., according to the St. Croix Growers Association, which runs the event.

The association is set to give away a total of $20,000 for the 20 biggest pumpkins, watermelons, gourds, tomatoes and marrows, including the $5,000 grand prize.

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Association members can enter the weigh-off for free, while non-members must pay a $20 fee per entry.

The Stillwater Harvest Fest’s 11th Annual Chili Cook Off is set to feature nine local restaurants from 1-4 p.m. Saturday. Tickets are $12 online.

A pie-eating contest sponsored by Joseph’s Family Restaurant is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. Saturday. Tickets for the cook-off and contest are $12 online.

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“Pumpkin pilots” will paddle giant pumpkins down the St. Croix River at 2 p.m. Sunday for the Harvest Fest’s Pumpkin Regatta. Sunday’s events also include a kids costume parade at 11:30 a.m. and a kids tractor pull at 3 p.m.

Both days will feature the Harvest Fest Market, a vendor market, bingo and pull-tabs contests, an inflatable park for kids, and the Giant Pumpkin Drop, which will see pumpkins smashed from a 100-foot crane. The Giant Pumpkin Drop starts at 5:30 p.m. Saturday and 5 p.m. Sunday.

Live music and a beer garden are also on tap for both days of Harvest Fest, with seven acts scheduled to perform.

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Performances will start bright and early Saturday, with The Sunken Lands scheduled to take the stage at 10 a.m.; Grimm & Cruz at 12:30 p.m.; Broken Spoke at 3 p.m.; and the Free & Easy Band at 6 p.m.

The Northerly Gales; Lars Carlson & The Secondhand Hipsters; and Nick Hall, Kristen Solberg & Friends are scheduled to perform Sunday.

Full Schedule For Stillwater Harvest Fest 2021
Saturday, Oct. 9
Harvest Fest Market & free kids activities: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Giant Pumpkin Weigh-Off: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Vendor Market: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Kids Inflatable Park: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Beer Garden: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Bingo & Pull-tabs: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Live Music: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Chili Cook-Off Tasting: 1-4 p.m.
Pie-Eating Contest: 2:30 p.m.
Curio Dance - “Thriller”: 5 p.m.
Giant Pumpkin Drop: 5:30 p.m.

Sunday, Oct. 10
Harvest Fest Market & free kids activities: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Vendor Market: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Kids Inflatable Park: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Beer Garden: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Bingo & Pull-tabs: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Live Music: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Kids Costume Parade: 11:30 a.m.
Pumpkin Regatta: 2 p.m.
Kids Tractor Pull: 3-5 p.m.
Giant Pumpkin Drop: 5 p.m.