Versailles Pumpkin Show: A Fall Tradition That Gives Back

A Beloved Ripley County Gathering: From Giant Pumpkins to Lions Club Service

(Versailles, Ind.) - Every fall, the Versailles Pumpkin Show, officially recognized as Indiana’s oldest festival, transforms the Ripley County Courthouse Square into a place that feels like part festival and part family reunion.

The celebration began in 1899 with Alfred H. Beer, a Versailles jeweler looking for a creative way to advertise his store. In 1907 the other Versailles merchants joined to stage the annual show. Since 1942, the Versailles Lions Club has been responsible for operating the show, a job that requires year-round planning by dedicated volunteers.

The Lions motto is simple: “We Serve.” The Versailles Pumpkin Show is one of the most visible expressions of that commitment. They re-create a traditional celebration from over a century ago that brings thousands of people together so the Lions can then support the children of our community throughout the year.

Every September, the square fills with rides and lights, the parade brings marching school bands, musical acts fill the stage, and vendors add the sights, sounds and flavors that have become part of autumn in Ripley County.

Families put out their lawn chairs before the Saturday parade. Kings and queens are crowned, baking contest and art show winners receive ribbons, and friends find one another near the food booths. Visitors who once came as children now return with strollers and introduce the next generation to the same traditions.

The Giant Pumpkin Contest was one of the show’s early attractions and remains a signature event today. The very first winning pumpkin weighed 74 pounds, 5 ounces. By 2023, the record-holder pumpkin had reached 1,765 pounds!

Long before the first ride trailer arrives on the square or the first elephant ear is served, Lions members are already working behind the scenes. They book entertainment a year in advance, reserve sound equipment and technicians, arrange contracts with ride and food vendors, and coordinate with the Town of Versailles for water and electrical hookups.

They schedule with local restaurant/caterer, The Rolling Pin, to prepare more than 225 pounds of pulled pork, along with enough flour, sugar and cinnamon to make more than 700 elephant ears. As the dates get closer, Lions members make daily trips to place yard signs at over 70 local business sponsors.

Lions Club members Jerry Wilson, Robbie Everage, Jack Everage, Doug Daggy.

The Lions Club food booth has become a cherished tradition of its own. The original-recipe elephant ears and pulled pork sandwiches are familiar favorites, but the food represents something larger than a good meal. The proceeds help fund the Lions’ year-round community service.

The Pumpkin Show is ultimately about more than one weekend in September. Proceeds from the event support children’s vision programs in 52 schools, Special Olympics, the Tyson Library summer reading program, scholarships, soccer programs, disaster relief, school food programs and Camp Woodstock for children with special needs.

That means every sandwich sold, every elephant ear dusted with cinnamon and sugar and every volunteer hour helps support local programs and local children.

That is why, for club members, putting on the Pumpkin Show is a labor of love, making sure visitors can enjoy the celebration without seeing the effort required to make it happen. In fact, some longtime members say they hardly remember ever simply walking around the Pumpkin Show as guests - they are usually too busy working.

Their work is supported by the Milan and Osgood Lions Clubs and the Infamous Few Ripley County charity group, whose volunteers add to the community effort.

Jack Everage, president of the Versailles Lions Club, and his wife, Robbie, know the family tradition connection firsthand. Both have been active in the club for many years, and they hold the distinction of bringing the youngest Pumpkin Show worker ever to the square - their son, Abel, was just four days old when he made his first visit. He was following in his grandfather’s footsteps. Carter Everage was a founder and 65-year member of the Versailles Lions Club with 55 years of perfect attendance. Other longtime members, Jerry and Janet Wilson and Doug Daggy, are examples of the volunteers who keep the show going year after year.

As other Lions Clubs in Southeast Indiana have faced declining membership and closure, the future of Ripley County traditions and services depends on people willing to give what time they can - whether that means a few hours during the Pumpkin Show or helping with projects throughout the year. You can get a membership application at the Lions Club at the corner of 1st North St and Washington St on the square.

The rides will leave, the lights eventually come down and the square returns to normal, but the service behind the celebration continues. The 2026 Pumpkin Show is Wed – Sat, September 23-26. See The Versailles Lions Club Facebook for times and schedule.