Bank Street will close to traffic. At the corner, on a small wooden platform, the giant pumpkin becomes the center of attention. Children wrap their arms around it, try to lift it, or simply pose beside the enormous vegetable. Guessing its weight is the goal of the contest organized by the Peekskill Business Improvement District (BID), which has taken place in the city for at least the past seven years.

Guess the Weight of the Giant Pumpkin will be held during the Peekskill Farmers Market beginning at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 25. The rules are simple: visitors stop by the BID booth to write down their estimate of the pumpkin’s weight. The participant whose guess comes closest to the actual number, without going over, wins.

According to Bill Powers, executive director of the BID, the activity is among the most popular it organizes. It is free and meant to bring the community together. The enormous pumpkin attracts even visitors from outside the city. “One of our farmers brings a giant pumpkin and market-goers get to guess its weight. The person with the closest guess wins a $100 downtown gift card,” Powers said.

The contest is free and open to all ages. In previous years, the display has drawn large crowds. People enjoy seeing the pumpkin up close; some question its origin, while others touch it to confirm that it is indeed a real vegetable.

Guess the Weight of the Giant Pumpkin is part of the farmers market, held every Saturday from June through November on Bank Street, between Main and Park. Each weekend, vendors offer fruits, vegetables, local products, and flowers grown on Hudson Valley farms.

In addition to the contest, children will be able to trick or treat that day by visiting the stalls marked with orange pumpkins, where vendors will hand out candy and small gifts. The atmosphere, filled with families and visitors, combines the market’s weekly rhythm with the festive spirit of October.

The winner will be announced at the close of the market, around 2 p.m., once the pumpkin has been officially weighed. In past editions, the featured pumpkins have easily exceeded 100 pounds.