A towering 700-pound pumpkin plunged 100 feet through the air over the Timonium Fairgrounds this past weekend, part of the debut of Das Best PumpkinFest and Fall Carnival, a new autumn event that brought rides and family activities to the Maryland State Fairgrounds. The festival's arrival was announced in a story from CBS News Baltimore, which reported the event made its first appearance at the fairgrounds.
According to CBS News Baltimore, the new festival set up shop at the fairgrounds in Timonium, giving the region another option for fall-themed outdoor fun. The event was promoted as included with Oktoberfest admission, according to a listing on marylandstatefair.com, which described the festival as featuring a fall carnival, live entertainment and family activities. General admission was priced at $10 for adults, with children 12 and under let in free, per the same listing.
The festival's marquee attraction was its pumpkin drop, held twice during the day. Event materials on the Das Best Oktoberfest website stated the festival would drop a 700-pound pumpkin from 100 feet in the air at 1 p.m. and again at 4 p.m. The event's pumpkin-seed-ball contest offered prizes of $500, $300 and $200, the site notes.
Proceeds Benefit Local 4-H and FFA Programs
Beyond the spectacle, the pumpkin smash carried a charitable purpose. Organizers stated that all proceeds from the pumpkin smash would go to the 4H-FFA Livestock Fund, tying the carnival-style stunt to local agricultural youth programs.
The rest of the grounds offered plenty to keep families occupied well beyond the pumpkin-drop schedule. Fall Carnival rides included a Ferris wheel and a classic carousel, while the festival grounds also hosted food vendors, music, a costume contest, a pumpkin pie-eating contest, face painting, a hay maze and a petting zoo, according to the event listing.
Getting There and Admission Details
Das Best Pumpkin Fest was staged adjacent to the track and grandstand at the fairgrounds, organizers said, with free parking available through either the York Road or Timonium Road gates. The outdoor festival was billed as running rain or shine, with organizers noting an alternate date would be communicated only in the event of extreme or hazardous weather.
A ticket listing on maingatetickets.com noted admission was valid from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., though a separate search snippet for the festival described hours running from 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. — a discrepancy that was not resolved across the available event materials.
With its debut now behind it, Das Best PumpkinFest and Fall Carnival adds a new entry to the Timonium Fairgrounds' calendar of seasonal events, pairing the thrill of a giant pumpkin drop with a hay maze and petting zoo.
