By Megan Wehring
DRIPPING SPRINGS – Growing up in a family who loved the autumn season and planned their own pumpkin patches, Christopher Durst was inspired to create the Dripping Springs Pumpkin Festival.
The festival was created in 2021 after its founders discovered that the Dr. Pound Historical Farmstead was in need of repair and renovation – the space was shuttered at the time. Durst, the festival’s principal founder, has been organizing pumpkin patches with his family for nearly 30 years.
Pumpkins sit in a wagon at the 2021 Dripping Springs Pumpkin Festival.
Durst considers the Farmstead to be a true Texas treasure as it was the first settlement in what is now known as the city of Dripping Springs. Durst and his team wanted to benefit both a nonprofit organization and the local community, leading them to decide to give a portion of the proceeds from the festival to the Farmstead.
“[The Farmstead] is why Dripping Springs exists,” Durst explained. “The first church, the first school [and] the first medical center. It was a community gathering point. It was first settled in 1854. People rode in their wagons for a day or two to come here and all meet in this area. The family did a lot for the community.”
While the production of the Dripping Springs Pumpkin Festival is an expensive endeavor, Durst said it is all worth it in the end to see the joy on the community’s faces.
“It’s certainly worth it,” Durst said. “When you see the community out here – parents, all of the kids and everybody having a good time, that’s what really makes it worth it to us.”
The Dripping Springs Pumpkin Festival is coming back in full swing, beginning Sept. 24, at the Dr. Pound Historical Farmstead – which is the first settlement in the Dripping Springs area, nestled near heritage oak trees including one that is at least 500 years old.
Since the 2021 festival, Durst said his team has developed a good relationship with the city’s staff, Dripping Springs City Council, Dripping Springs Parks and Recreation Department and the board that oversees the Farmstead property.
“We are really excited to continue it and I’m looking forward to it being an annual tradition for families,” Durst said.
Opening weekend for the Dripping Springs Pumpkin Festival will take place Sept. 24 and Sept. 25. The full festival will run through Monday, Oct. 31 with each weekend featuring different themes and activities. Weekend admission is $10 and weekday admission is $5.
For more information about the festival, including activity and ticket details, please visit drippingsprings
pumpkinfestival.com/.
