Community & Events
Main Street Fayetteville seeks carved pumpkins for Great Pumpkin Walk at historic courthouse
The free 10-day display runs Oct. 19–28 on the square of Georgia’s oldest surviving courthouse, with pumpkins due from participating groups Oct. 19–20.
By Staff · October 13, 2026
Main Street Fayetteville is inviting schools, churches, businesses and other local groups to put their own carved pumpkins on the Historic Fayette County Courthouse square for the Great Pumpkin Walk, a free, 10-day public display running Oct. 19–28, 2026. It is an open call, not a city-decorated holiday setup: the pumpkins are carved, painted and decorated by the groups that bring them to the square, and the Walk is described as a recurring fall tradition for Fayette County families in historic downtown Fayetteville.
A county corner with a claim on the town
The square is the county's most visible corner. The Historic Fayette County Courthouse was built in 1825 and is regarded as the oldest surviving courthouse in Georgia. The building is on the National Register of Historic Places, its clock tower was added in 1888, and it was restored after a 1983 arson fire. Main Street Fayetteville, which promotes and preserves the historic downtown while supporting local shops, restaurants, arts and community life, centers its outdoor events on the courthouse lawn. A separate, free Pumpkin Fest is already set for Saturday, Oct. 24 from 4 to 8 p.m. there.
How to get a pumpkin on the square
For school parents, scout leaders and church groups ready to move, the steps are concrete. Pumpkin drop-off runs Monday, Oct. 19 at 8 a.m. through Tuesday, Oct. 20, with every pumpkin in place by the end of Oct. 20. Write the maker's name on the bottom of each pumpkin and place a sign beside it identifying the school, church, business or organization. Registration, extended by organizers past an original Oct. 1 deadline, closed Oct. 12, with forms at Fayetteville City Hall or by email. Questions go to Katelyn Perkins, Main Street Program & Events Manager for Main Street Fayetteville, at 770-719-4172 or [email protected]. Children may take their pumpkins home on Sunday, Oct. 25, and any unclaimed pumpkins and signs will be removed the morning of Thursday, Oct. 29. A pumpkin placed Oct. 19 and left in place can sit on the square through the display's Oct. 28 close, so groups should plan carvings that hold up outdoors through a late-October Georgia week.
The drop-off window opens Oct. 19, and the open question is whether Fayetteville's schools, churches and businesses will fill the county's oldest and most visible corner with their own carved work. The Sentinel hopes they do.