In 1992, a small group of Republic citizens formed a committee to organize a harvest festival. They wanted something unique to draw interest and attendance from across the region. The hard work of those dedicated men and women were the founding creators of what's now known regionally as Republic Pumpkin Daze. In addition to all of the great fall festival activities, Pumpkin Daze is an official weigh-in site for the Great Pumpkin Commonwealth.

The fascination with giant pumpkins first gained international attention at the turn of the 20th century when William Warnock of Goderich, Ontario Canada, sent a 400 lb. pumpkin to the Paris World's Fair in 1990. To further establish his place in the record books, Warnock exhibited a 403 lb. pumpkin at the St. Louis World's Fair in 1904. His record stood until 1976.

With a Missouri connection to giant pumpkin history and the enthusiasm of the committee, the Kiwanis Club of Republic sponsored the World Pumpkin Confederation Weigh-Off in Republic on October 3, 1992. 

From the beginning, the need for organization was recognized and the Giant Harvest Association, Inc. was created. This non-profit organization coordinated the World Pumpkin Confederation Weigh-Off and Pumpkin Daze Harvest Festival in 1993 and 1994. In 1995, the Pumpkin Daze Committee switched to the Great Pumpkin Commonwealth as their official weigh-in sanctioning agency and the non-profit organization became Republic Pumpkin Daze, Inc.

For many years, Republic Pumpkin Daze was held the first Saturday in October on Main Street.

In 2021, the City of Republic and the Republic Pumpkin  Daze Committee joined forces to bring about a huge celebration to mark the 30th Anniversary of Pumpkin Daze and the 150th Anniversary of the City of Republic. The event was moved to J.R. Martin Park in Republic to accommodate more people, more vendors, and more entertainment offerings.

In 2022, the event was expanded yet again to a two day fall festival and saw the addition of Kiwanis Club of Republic to the planning team. The event was rebranded to the Pumpkin Daze Fall Festival, combining Republic Pumpkin Daze and the Kiwanis Fall Festival into one mega event! 

Save the date for the 2024 Pumpkin Daze Fall Festival on
Friday, October 4 & Saturday, October 6!

For questions regarding the Pumpkin Daze Fall Festival event, e-mail info@republicpumpkindaze.com.