Fall really is the best time of year, and what better way to kick off this season than by heading over to the annual Hartsburg Pumpkin Festival this weekend?

Since 1991, the town of Hartsburg has hosted the festival, which is fully devoted to celebrating the pumpkin.

The normally sleepy town, halfway between Columbia and Jefferson City, overflows with visitors from all over Missouri, and even from other parts of the Midwest during the festival.

“We usually have around 50,000 people over the weekend,” says Donna Hilgedick, president of the Pumpkin Festival committee. While the festival usually causes a bit of a traffic jam in the tiny town, Hilgedick assures would-be pumpkin pickers that the wait is worth it.

Craft and food vendors are set up throughout the whole town of Hartsburg, providing people with plenty of things to do.

“It’s very family-friendly,” Hilgedick says. “There’s a corn and straw maze, pony rides, U-Pick pumpkin patch, tons of craft vendors — there’s a lot of things for people of all ages.”

And if you’re looking for some good food, you will definitely not go home hungry: The planned spread includes burgers, hotdogs, wings, tacos and more.

Another tradition is the coronation of the town’s pumpkin king at the fair.

“(The King is) usually a member of the community who dedicates time to the community and has helped out with the festival. Before the parade he gets crowned and then he rides in the parade,” Hilgedick says.

If pumpkin picking, good food and a brush with royalty strike your fancy, the Hartsburg Pumpkin Festival has you covered.

_The festival will be held Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For directions, visit the festival’s website at [hartsburgpumpkinfest.com](http://www.hartsburgpumpkinfest.com/)._