1992
When The Circleville Pumpkin Festival had its beginning in the fall of 1903, Ned Harden had no idea that it would become his life's work! For a total of 55 years, Ned donated much of his time as a volunteer for the festival, 10 of those years, representing the Festival as Director.
Over the years, Ned has received many honors for his dedication and service to the Circleville Pumpkin Festival including the Ohio's Governor's Award for Community Involvement; the Legion of Honor Award from the Ohio Festivals & Events Association in 1991; and The Paul Sherlock Award in 1985 for outstanding accomplishments within Ohio's Tourism Industry.
During this time, Ned also became involved with the International Festivals & Events Association in 1979 and served as President for 1 year. In addition, Ned was one of the founding members of the Ohio Festival & Events Association in 1943 and served as their President from 1976 to 1977.
Created to invite the farmers of the Circleville area to display fruits of their harvest on the streets of Circleville, business interests of the town supported The Circleville Pumpkin Festival with vigor. This same spirit still moves the citizens of Pickaway County as this annual event has attracted worldwide attention and acclaim bringing in over 400,000 visitors to this small community of 12,000 people each year in October and is now considered as one of the major festivals in the United States.