The magic behind Sinkland Farms
By Noah Hayden
Oct. 31, 2021
The annual Pumpkin Festival is a necessary for of economic boom for the people of the New River Valley.
Christiansburg, Va. October 31, 2021: The Pumpkin Festival - People from all over the New River Valley come to Sinkland Farms to experience the best Pumpkin Festival in Virginia.
The Sinkland Farms Pumpkin Festival helps hundreds of people every year by giving small and family owned businesses a chance to expand their network.
When Sinkland Farms began hosting the Pumpkin Festival 30 years ago, the intent was to educate people about agritourism by using musical and recreational attractions. However, today we see that the festival has become much more than just a form of entertainment.
For the last 30 years, the businesses of the New River Valley have flocked to Sinkland Farms in the hopes of securing a stall for the Pumpkin Festival. This festival spans the entire month of October taking place every weekend and presents the opportunity for businesses to make a lot of revenue.
“For me personally, I am old fashioned and always with old fashioned trade, I am by word of mouth,” said black smith demonstrator Adam Mount. “So for me, this is probably the only way people get to actually see me during the year when I'm here.”
However, it’s about more than just revenue for these vendors. It’s about getting their name to people who would have no way of discovering these businesses if it weren’t for this festival. Owner of Sinkland Farms, Susan Sink says that this festival is all about networking.
“It’s building a client list, it’s building a customer base, it’s long term, not a short term kind of hit-and-miss transactional type thing,” said Sink. “It’s not transactional; it is transcending I think, in that it is continual.”
With the amount of vendors that come back each year, it’s no wonder this festival is ranked as one of the best pumpkin festivals in Virginia. As Sinkland Farms continues to grow its reputation, it will only be a matter of time till the Pumpkin Festival becomes a staple on everyone's calendar.