JADE HEASLEY/The Luminary Over thirty vendors participated in this year's Fall Festival.  Pictured is Logan Phillips of Live Creations. This talented teenager is shown with one of his two tables of live plants that he grows.  He sells them in a variety of pots, planters, and even designs terrariums and display boxes.

MONTGOMERY – The Montgomery Volunteer Fire Company held their Annual Fall Festival and Pumpkin Roll on Saturday, October 2. This tradition debuted in 2016 and is a popular one that a lot of Montgomery residents really look forward to.

The Fall Festival was held at the carnival grounds and the fun got started early with the members of the fire company selling hot breakfast foods out of the Fireman’s Kitchen. Later in the day they changed to a lunch menu.

The carnival grounds were divided into a space for kids to play games and have fun, and the other half was for vendors. The kids were treated to a giant pallet maze, a perfect height to run around and have fun, and for parents to be able to keep an eye on them. Lots of grinning little ones had a good time scurrying back and forth figuring out which was the right path.

There was also a giant “Kerplunk” game, and a house cutout with wooden “flames” for the kids to extinguish. There were activity tables for the children to color and do crafts as well as other games. There were guessing games for little kids to participate in, and the winners were: Candy Jar – Mavryk Hackenburg, Candy Tub – Taylor Medina, Beads – Taylor Medina, and Legos – Ava (last name unknown).

More than thirty vendors were in attendance, selling everything from handmade crafts, clothes, live plants, food, decorations, toys, beauty products, and nearly everything in between. There truly was something for everyone!

JADE HEASLEY/The Luminary The annual Pumpkin Roll is a much-loved highlight of the MVFC's Fall Festival.  Every year at 2 pm on the day of the Festival, a trailer load of pumpkins is released on West Houston Avenue in Montgomery.  The ten pumpkins that roll the furthest are the winners and monetary prizes are given.

The Pumpkin Roll was held on West Houston Avenue and is a fundraiser for the fire company which temporarily closed the street. Residents purchased tickets which allowed them to choose their own pumpkin for the Pumpkin Roll. The ticket number was written on the pumpkin, and all of the pumpkins were loaded into a trailer and hauled up the hill just above the Methodist Church. The trailer was opened at and the pumpkins come tumbling down the street. Some members of the crowd were loudly gasping in suspense as the final few pumpkins rolled into the furthest positions down at the corner of Brook Street.

After the Pumpkin Roll was over and winners determined, children were allowed to take home the leftover pumpkins to carve. It’s always fun to see their smiling faces as they go home hugging their chosen pumpkins.

The ten pumpkins that rolled the furthest were the winners. This year’s winners were: first place ($200) – Jayden Brown, second place ($100) – Jeff Houseknecht, third place ($75) – Luka Medina, fourth place ($50) – Brynleigh Tucker, fifth place ($25) – Blaze Benyo, sixth place ($10) – Josh and Amber Ellis, seventh place ($10) – Kelsey Zimmerman, eighth place ($10) – Linda Shultz, ninth place ($10) – Carter Martin, tenth place ($10) – Nikki Raup.

The Fall Festival and Pumpkin Roll is always plenty of fun for all ages. It wouldn’t be surprising if some people are already looking forward to next year’s event.