Each year, hundreds of children and their parents take part in a fall celebration in Darien known as the Tokeneke Pumpkin Carnival. An annual tradition for over 40 years, the 2012 Pumpkin Carnival will be held on Saturday, Oct. 13, at Tokeneke School on Old Farm Road from 10 to 4. The rain date will be the 
following day.
The carnival features attractions for all ages, including a haunted house, amusement park rides and games, rock climbing, a bake sale and raffle prizes. A few of the new games featured this year are the Zumba Cake Walk, Pumpkin Plinko and the Haunted Treasure Chest. In addition, this year the carnival also boasts a Kids Town for pre-schoolers who are interested in getting in on the fun. Carnival participants will also enjoy a wide array of foods and beverages from local Darien restaurants such as Heights Pizza, Burgers Shakes and Fries, and Upper Crust Bakery and Café.
The Tokeneke Parent Teacher Organization is responsible for organizing the Pumpkin Carnival every year. Local businesses are key supporters of the event have traditionally donated prizes for the raffle. The Darien Sports Shop will once again be the carnival’s title sponsor. Other sponsors include East Coast Irrigation, Fairway Market, Heights Pizza, Darien News, Betterlists, Popped LLC, Michael J. Kramer, Darien Rowayton Bank, Vernal’s Service Station, Dr. David Osherow, TAG Worldwide, The Studio, Pure Love Portraits, Flair Zumba and Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza. This year’s raffle prizes include a Tory Burch handbag, a vintage BMW pedal bike, a mural by Michael J. Kramer, a two day pass for two people to Chelsea Piers, and an Animal Embassy gift certificate. The grand prize this year is an iPod Touch with an Apple gift card.
The funds raised at the Pumpkin Carnival provide funding for the Enrichment Program at Tokeneke School. Over the years, the program has helped bring guests in the arts and sciences into the classroom for personal discussion and instruction with students.
