Tens of thousands celebrate 40 years of the North Logan Pumpkin Walk

NORTH LOGAN — Thousands of parents, couples and children gathered in a clumped line, ready to look at creative scenes from movies, books and pop culture crafted from carved and colored pumpkins.

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Pumpkin Walk, a free event at North Logan's Elk Ridge Park that showcases set pieces and the artistic efforts of elementary school classes, nonprofit organizations and independent artists.

An estimated 30,000 people will attend the event that began Thursday and runs through Tuesday, Oct. 24, according to Marie Beutler Godfrey, one of the main organizers of the event and daughter of Pumpkin Walk founder Ida Beutler.

There are over 36 scenes at this year's installment, said Pumpkin Walk committee member Gina Worthen, with some scenes showcasing everything from a pumpkin-and-straw Von Trapp family (from "The Sound of Music"), to a life-size Hansel and Gretel house, filled with pumpkin recreations from the story book.

Other scenes included a pumpkin-ized Jack and Annie from the children's book series "Magic Tree House," a set of terrified vegetable children from "Honey I Shrunk the Kids" and a Taylor Swift Eras Tour rendition, with the music artist decorated with a painted pumpkin head and several outfits from her concerts.

"This event has been going on for 40 years, which is really amazing. It's amazing each year, and incredible that we were able to pull it together with so many moving parts and volunteers each having to come through with their assignments and their responsibilities," Worthen said. "Mainly, we just want to bring attention to that fact, that good things happen in this world, and we can do amazing things when we work together."

Lori Douglass, a previous groundskeeper at Elk Ridge Park, noted how much she enjoyed watching the Godfreys and hundreds of volunteers transform the park she'd once kept clean into a beautiful annual event.

"It's just great for the family to get together," Douglass said. "It's a lot of work they put into it and I think everybody volunteers that does it, and the schools and the Boy Scouts and all the other committees and towns that have done it — it's awesome."

The Pumpkin Walk began in 1983 after Ida Beutler saw that Halloween was "getting a little scary, too dark," her daughter said. A retired elementary school teacher, she noted that her mom wanted to keep the holiday family-friendly.

"She wanted to change the face of that in our community and make a happy place where families could come for free, and see a happy side of Halloween — because she actually loves Halloween," Beutler Godfrey said.

That was when Ida Beutler recruited North Logan's local farmers and artists to create children's stories out of pumpkins, squash, gourds and other fall vegetables, transforming the Beutler farm near Green Canyon into a fun, picturesque experience for their neighboring families.

"Her vision really encapsulated itself," said Ron Godfrey, Beutler Godfrey's husband. "It was like walking through something that Walt Disney would have made. It was just completely child-friendly."

After about nine years of Ida Beutler hosting the event on her family farm, the Pumpkin Walk became too popular for them to host on their plots of land. That was when the city of North Logan offered a helping hand, allowing the Beutlers to use Elk Ridge Park in 1992.

"Our hats are off to North Logan City for the marvelous hospitality they show to all of the communities in the state, and Idaho and Wyoming by helping subsidize this great activity. It's just a remarkable thing that the city does now," Ron Godfrey said.

In addition to the city's assistance, hundreds of volunteers showed up weeks before the event to carve the 500 to 800 pumpkins that line the park's walkway, receiving no payment in return, Worthen added.

"We have people today that are not just from North Logan, who live other places in the valley. We even have one committee member that lives up in the Idaho area. They love it. They love the creativity; they love to be part of it. They want to keep it going," Worthen said.

Beutler Godfrey agreed, adding that keeping the Pumpkin Walk free created "a source of connection" and helped her find love among her community and the volunteers that helped each year.

And the Pumpkin Walk has only skyrocketed in its success since its beginning. For the past 27 years Worthen has been involved in the Pumpkin Walk, she said that the scenes have all "improved greatly since the days on the farm."

For Pumpkin Walk attendees like Camille Simpson, the event did not disappoint. Simpson noted that one of her favorite parts was the way children could step on a platform on the "Honey I Shrunk the Kids" display, controlling a pumpkin set piece to open and close its mouth. As a result of the ever-improving Pumpkin Walk, she said, it's been busier than previous years when she's attended.

"I think it's just kind of bigger; they've just got bigger displays and they were more interactive," Simpson said. "(My friends and I) drove over together, and there's no place to park anywhere near, so I think a lot more people came this year."

One of Simpson's friends, Seya Flake, noted her delight that came from attending an autumn-themed event in the United States — having just come from Japan in March 2023.

"It's really cool that you can see all these displays for free and all the communities make pumpkin decorations," Flake said.

Beutler Godfrey expressed delight in the ways the local event had stretched its influence across generations since the humble beginnings on her mother's farm.

"It seems to get better every year doesn't it?" Beutler Godfrey laughed. "Really, the one thing everyone has in common is they're trying to preserve the magic of childhood — the joy of happy time together around this fun Halloween time where you can dress up, you can have imagination. I think we're all young at heart."

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