By Andrew Edwards, Staff Writer/Photos by Edwards and Bob Ealum

Halloween is still a few days away, but you don’t have to wait any longer to get in the fall spirit as historic downtown Prattville has officially begun their Parade of Pumpkins week!

What is the parade of pumpkins, you might ask?

It’s an event that began Oct. 25 and will last through November 2. Anyone interested was invited to carve or paint a pumpkin to place alongside businesses on the main strip in downtown Prattville. There are currently several different haybale locations stationed along the road where the pumpkins are showcased.

In the front of city hall, a beautiful shape of Alabama has been created with the use of small, different colored pumpkins. In the middle of the shape, a larger pumpkin is used to signify Prattville’s location within the state.

Executive Assistant to the Mayor Lisa Byrd has helped immensely to get the event created and started.

“It’s really great to have an event downtown like this that allows the residents of Prattville to have a hands-on approach. We really encourage everyone to come bring a pumpkin down, enjoy some dinner with the family and see all the decorations that the businesses have worked really hard on,” Byrd said.

The decorations that Byrd speaks of are on just about every window of the businesses in downtown. Every business was encouraged by the City of Prattville government to partake in the Halloween spirt, and the best storefront will be voted on by the general public!

Amber Garcia, co-owner of the Wandering Coyote, is definitely noticing the beauty that the pumpkin parade is bringing to the city.

“It’s just so nice to look at and just adds to an already beautiful downtown. When the city came to us and told us about the storefront decorating idea, we were excited to jump on board,” Garcia said.

Katie Castanza, co-owner of Kudzu and Cotton, is also really excited about the opportunities the parade brings to downtown.

“Halloween is actually my favorite holiday, so I was really happy when they told us about the parade idea. I think it’s going to be a bit hit,” Castanza said.