MOUNT GILEAD — From morning to night, “Pumpkin Fest” will rock Town Creek Indian Mound State Historic Site on Saturday, Oct. 29. An homage to the harvest that respects Pee Dee Indian traditions, visitors will find a day of celebration of early foods and pumpkins by day and the thrill of jack-o’-lanterns and bonfires by night.
The daytime program, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., will feature traditional preparations for winter as the Pee Dee people stocked food stores with dried meats and vegetables to last through the season. Staff will demonstrate this process using an open-pit drying rack, along with the roasting of potatoes and preparation of corn on the cob. The local 4H club will prepare a pumpkin-based dish for visitors to sample. Dried beans, squash and sweet potatoes will be displayed.
Carving a pumpkin will gain visitors a free ticket to the Nature Trail walk that night. Town Creek will supply pumpkins for a $2 fee and will provide woodland or American Indian themed patterns if needed. Guests are encouraged to “free-style,” also. Only pumpkins provided by the site may be used.
Free, guided tours of the village site, which honors the Pee Dee culture of the South Appalachian Mississippian culture (c. AD 800-1200), will be at 1, 2 and 3 p.m.
The evening program, “A Pumpkin Promenade on the Nature Trail,” from 6:30 to 9 p.m., will feature pumpkins carved that day. The decorated and lit pumpkins will light guided trail walks departing every 15 minutes. Torches will mark the north and south tower entrance to the village, and the mound will glow in torchlight. The fee for the Pumpkin Promenade is $3 for adults and $1 for children under age 10.
For additional information, call 910-439-6802.
Tour groups are welcome and encouraged. The site is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 1 to 5 p.m. on Sunday. It is closed to the public Mondays and most major holidays. The historic site is within the Division of State Historic Sites and located at 509 Town Creek Mound Road, Mount Gilead, NC 27306. For more information on Town Creek, visit www.towncreekindianmound.com.