Ana Prendergast has lived in Sycamore for much of her life, growing up alongside the little festival that has boomed over the decades.
Founded by Wally Thurow in 1956, the Pumpkin Festival has grown from his front yard collection of jack-o'-lanterns to today’s five-day marathon of pumpkin displays, fall foods, carnival rides, and a parade to wrap it all up. But Ana still had questions about her hometown hoopla, particularly about the ubiquitous pumpkin flag. Who designed it? Who profits from it? Is it mandatory? The Under Rocks team decided to take her case.
We met with festival board members and pumpkin superfans Terri Goodman and Jerry Malmassari at the Sycamore Public Library to get answers to Ana's questions...and more. Among their expert qualifications: Jerry is the festival's historian and Terri won the baking contest with her pumpkin bars back in high school.
Our experts produced the evidence we were looking for: The designer of that simple yet powerful logo was Elaine McCarroll, a teen at the time.
Hear all about it and who profits from the sale of the flags in our full podcast, which you can listen to above or subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts.
Make sure you listen to the entire show or you'll miss our resident Illinois Enthusiast weighing in on the flag's design. Seriously, don't miss that conversation.
Got a burning question of your own? Or just want to show us something cool and unusual in your neighborhood? Drop us an email at rocks@niu.edu or send a message at wnij.org/youask
