Hundreds of pumpkins, thousands of kids line downtown Cedarburg for annual Pumpkin Walk

 

CEDARBURG, Wis. (CBS 58) -- A special Halloween tradition returned to downtown Cedarburg on Monday night.

Thousands of trick-or-treaters took to the sidewalks for the town's annual Pumpkin Walk.

The Cedarburg Chamber of Commerce expected around 5,000 people to attend the downtown even, which is now more than a decade old.

"I think Cedarburg just has a special feel," said the chamber's executive director, Maggie Dobson. "It has that Hocus Pocus feeling, that vintage nostalgia."

The Pumpkin Walk brings out kids to trick-or-treat at their favorite downtown businesses.

Visitors are greeted by hundreds of pumpkins lining Washington Avenue, and this year, 200 of them were carved by the Cedarburg Crush softball team.

"We had about 30 families carving pumpkins yesterday, 200 pumpkins total. Took us two hours, which I'm pretty sure is a record," said the team's secretary, Charlotte Butzler.

Each year, the Chamber of Commerce selects a group as a fundraiser for the Pumpkin Walk.

That group carves the hundreds of pumpkins ordered by the participating businesses in exchange for a donation by the chamber.

"It's a cool way for us to get our name out there, and a great way for us to give back to the community," said Cedarburg Crush president Tom Caravella.

On Halloween morning, the girls delivered the pumpkins to businesses throughout downtown.

On Halloween night, the illuminated pumpkins are the town's main attraction.

"When they put the candles in, it's cool to see all the flickering and all the faces," said Crush player Madison Dirks.

"It feels pretty cool knowing that we spent a couple hours on this, and now they're all going to see our wonderful Picasso creations," said player Katie Weeden.

The Pumpkin Walk was from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.

The Cedarburg Chamber of Commerce will pick a new group fundraiser to carve next year's pumpkins.