Community Corner

Get Ready, Race, Smash!

Pumpkin race rematch gives Gaithersburg's mayor a chance for revenge against his Montgomery Village counterpart.

All hail the pumpkin.

Saturday promises a plethora of fall-themed folly at Montgomery Village’s second-annual Fall Festival: hayrides, scarecrow making, jack-o-lantern decorating, face painting, kids crafts, live music, good eats and tailgating games.

The festival runs from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at North Creek Community Center, culminating at 2 p.m. as Montgomery Village and Gaithersburg’s top elected leaders vie in an entirely different kind race—that is, pumpkin racing.

Find out what's happening in Montgomery Villagewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Hundreds turned out last year to help the festival take root, and this year’s version is taking shape on an even grander scale.

“It’s going to be a much bigger, a lot more fun,” said Bob Hydorn, president of the Montgomery Village Foundation’s board of directors. “The bigger it is, the more fun it becomes.”

Find out what's happening in Montgomery Villagewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Case in point: the pumpkin races. Whereas last year drew 35 contestants, 75 racing kits have already been handed out this year.

Hydorn’s rematch against Gaithersburg Mayor Sidney Katz gets the racing underway.

The inaugural showdown went in Montgomery Village’s name after Katz’s race ended almost as soon as it started.

Hydorn’s pumpkin is picked out, painted and ready for its finishing touches on race day as he guns for a repeat win over his classmate from Gaithersburg High School’s Class of ’68—not that he really had much say in the win.

“There’s no tricks to it; you just hope and pray. It’s all about luck at the moment, that’s all,” Hydorn said.

Katz is just hoping to see some of that luck to go his way on Saturday.

“Well I can’t do any worse,” he said. “Everybody’s come through with advice. People tell you the weight should be in the front, people tell you the weight should be in the back. The problem is, very few people are experts on pumpkin racing. … My strategy is to do better than I did last year and to continue to have fun. That’s what this event is about. Last year, I had everybody—even cousins from Baltimore—who said it was a neat event and looked really fun, so that’s what I’m looking for.”

Festival details

  • Food vendors will include Holiday Inn (O’Malley’s), Pizza Boli’s, Tony Fetters Fruit Farm and One Sweet Bite
  • The classic rock cover-band 45 RPM will provide the tunes
  • A Jack-o-lantern decorating contest will be judged for the funniest, scariest, best disguised and Montgomery Village “impumpkination”
  • Parking will be available at North Creek, Apple Ridge ballfield, Church of the Latter Day Saints and at the MVF office. Shuttle buses will run between the sites.

For a full listing and schedule, see the Fall Festival Guide (attached)


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

More from Montgomery Village