The Whitefish Bay Civic Foundation's Great Pumpkin Festival kicks off Wednesday night in Old Schoolhouse Park.

The pumpkin festival will be held Wednesday through Sunday from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. For the first time, the festival will also have a special trick or treat event on Halloween on Oct. 31.

All that's needed to participate is a creative mind and community spirit. Simply pick out your pumpkin and bring it into the carving tent, where tools, candles and table space are provided. Once you've decorated your jack-o-lantern, you can place it on the bleachers in the park, where will be lit on display every night.

Whitefish Bay's pumpkin festival has been a longstanding tradition, ever since Gordy Falk, better known then as Whitefish Bay's Mr. Pumpkin, was told by police to move his extensive jack-o-lantern collection from his Carlisle Avenue lawn to Old Schoolhouse Park, due to traffic congestion in the neighborhood.

These days the event features more than just pumpkins. Each night will feature food from Pandl’s Whitefish Bay Inn, as well as the following musical entertainment:

Wed., Oct. 24: Reilly

Thurs., Oct. 25: Blue Sky Hour

Fri., Oct. 26: Dante's Bop

Sat., Oct. 27: The Gleasons

Sun., Oct. 28: Whitefish Bay's own Pat McCurdy (Note: Village-wide trick-or-treating is from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.)

Wed., Oct. 31: Storyteller Theater of Milwaukee presents: Zombie Jamboree - Songs, Stories and Spooks