by Marina Romanelli, a guest columnist from Turning Pointe Autism Foundation
Update, Sept. 24, 2022 / The 2022 Naperville Pumpkin Race is set to run on Sat., Oct. 29, with festivities and registration ($25 per kit) beginning at noon near Rotary Hill and Moser Tower along the Riverwalk.
Also note… A story about this year’s race appears on the front page of the October publication. That story, likely attracting readers here, will appear on this website sometime after Oct. 1, 2022.
Meanwhile, distribution of copies began Sept. 28. After copies of the publication were dropped off at Turning Pointe, Director Barb Brauer sent the following photo: “Here is a picture of me and Berny (Turning Pointe Compliance Director) catching up on what is going on in Naperville.”
Update, Oct. 30, 2021 / And the winner of the Naperville Pumpkin Race is a pumpkin racecar! Cheers to all participants, sponsors and spectators! Watch for the 2022 Pumpkin Race to return next year.
The Naperville Pumpkin Race runs for fun from noon to 3PM Sat., Oct. 30, 2021, near Moser Tower at Rotary Hill
What do I think of when you hear “Pumpkin Race”? I think of pumpkins racing each other on big wheels down a long driveway. That’s exactly what it is, except better!
Turning Pointe Autism Foundation has had its annual Pumpkin Race for the last four years. Even during COVID, our Adult Day pilot program was busy filling & shipping orders across the country. The cool thing about our Pumpkin Kits is that you can order them even if you’re in a different state so that you can have your pumpkin race at home. How cool is that?
Turning Pointe’s pumpkin race is held at The Carillon in Naperville. We have lots of booths from different vendors, a lot of them benefitting Turning Pointe. There’s usually some sort of delicious food from one of our very own local restaurants. The day usually starts with a sign-in, meaning we check you in with your email, name and ask if you have a pumpkin race kit. Suppose you have a race kit already, great! If you don’t, we sometimes have kits available on the day to purchase. You then go to the building/creativity booth, where you can fix up your pumpkin & decorate it to your heart’s content. From there, we have a practice hill, where you can race your pumpkin & make any changes you need to make before the race starts.
The race itself usually takes (sometimes more or less) 3 hours. I forgot to mention; we have costume contests for kids and adults; some competitions for the most creative pumpkin, spooky pumpkin, and cutest pumpkin. In 2019, a Bubble Guy came & blew giant bubbles for us. No surprise, all the kids loved having him. We like having variety at the race; it makes for a different but fun atmosphere. It’s an enjoyable event. I strongly recommend it to anyone and everyone. The race also really helps provide Turning Pointe with needed resources for our students. If you end up going this year, you will not regret it, I promise.
Marina participated in the Turning Pointe employment program five years ago and has remained a valued team member since. She served in several roles to benefit the operations and team. She is a light to her colleagues with her sharp wit, deep compassion, and endless store of skills yet to be discovered. Such as writing a guest column!
