CIRCLEVILLE — A brand-new pirate ship ride imported from Italy will be the headline attraction when the midway returns to downtown Circleville for the 119th Circleville Pumpkin Show, running Oct. 21 through Oct. 24.
Poor Jack Amusements plans to set up 29 rides for this year’s festival, one more than it typically brings. The company is in its sixth year providing the Pumpkin Show midway, with rides aimed at all age groups.
The new pirate ship was delivered to the company in late July and, according to Poor Jack’s Gary Bohlander, drew strong crowds on the summer circuit before its Circleville debut this fall.
Returning favorites include the Freakout, Expo Wheel, Music Express, Orbiter, Fireball, 1001 Nachts, Orient Express and Crazy Bus. The full-size carousel, which made its Pumpkin Show debut in 2025, will also be back.
Setting up a full amusement midway on active downtown streets is more complicated than working a fairground, Bohlander noted, but after six years in Circleville the crew has most of the logistics figured out.
For festival-goers, the expanded midway adds another draw to a week already built around giant pumpkins, parades and pumpkin-flavored everything in Pickaway County.
