This year marks the 30th anniversary of Anamosa, Iowa being named the Pumpkin Capital of our state. The town hosts Pumpkinfest every year, says executive director of the Anamosa Chamber, Blaire Lawton. They smash cars, toss pumpkins, carve pumpkins, smoke pumpkins, roll pumpkins, but get this: you can test your pumpkin agility skills using big construction equipment! (With supervision of course) That's crazy!

The Anamosa Pumpkinfest originally began as a tribute to Ryan Norlin after his passing. Norlin died young and his parents wanted to do something in his honor. Because he had a love for pumpkins, they started with a small pumpkin weighoff competition. But the event has substantially grown, getting recognized state-wide. 

See the full show notes: https://iowapodcast.com/anamosa-pumpkinfest-blaire-lawton