Our Middlebury Boys & Girls Club representatives had a blast participating in the 53rd annual Middlebury Pumpkin Race!

The excitement started with a club-wide pumpkin design contest. Every member brought creativity to the table, but it was Journie Gunter’s winning vision that took center stage. She, along with friends, transformed a plain orange pumpkin into a beautiful white pumpkin using our Club’s signature gold, green, and blue on the front, accented by swirling designs down the sides that hinted at its natural shape.

This year, we needed expert wranglers to steer a pumpkin of such prestige. Reese and Jolie Beiler, ages 10 and 8, were chosen as our champions. Reese, famous for her crowd-pleasing spirit, and Jolie, brimming with energy and vision, were a dynamic duo. Both adeptly guided our pumpkin racer through rigorous official inspections, as race officials smashed any cheater entries, such as watermelons painted as pumpkins and even a mischievous giant squash!

With all tests passed, Reese and Jolie rolled our pumpkin to the finish line—not once, but twice! They harnessed teamwork, fun, and a little bit of that pumpkin spice magic, capturing first place in the Business/Civic Organization division.

Although our Club wasn’t selected as this year’s nonprofit recipient, we were proud to represent our community and cheer on Ryan’s Place, another outstanding youth organization that benefited from the race’s proceeds. What a wonderful day for Middlebury’s families and future leaders!