UNION COUNTY, Pa. — When you walk into the Buffalo Valley Produce Auction near Mifflinburg, you're met with a sea of pumpkins.
"Probably have 5,000 bins here today. We usually have 2,000 or so every Tuesday and Thursday throughout the year, but this is looking like it's probably going to be the peak volume for the year," said Mark Kurtz, Buffalo Valley Produce Auction Manager.
People from all over the East Coast come to the auction, where they can find pumpkins of all shapes, colors, and sizes.
"We buy pumpkins, and I take them back to Penn State and sell them to the students and their fraternities. That's usually why I'm here, but this is the biggest pumpkin sale on the East Coast, and as you can see, it's pretty crowded, and I enjoy it," said Tim Snyder, State College.
Since its inception, Cary Nalls has traveled from Virginia to the auction in Union County. He's buying gourds for himself and six others.
"They've got the service. They know how to do it; they do a really great job here as far as wholesale sources on the East Coast," said Cary Nalls, Alexandria, Virginia.
This is Jackie Paszinski and her sister's first time at the auction. They traveled from New Jersey to buy pumpkins for their business.
"Last year, we started a pumpkin connoisseur business that we decorate from porches or business fronts or storefronts, so that's what we're starting to do, so we're sourcing our pumpkins today," said Jackie Paszinski, Monmouth County, New Jersey.
The pumpkin auction runs every Tuesday and Thursday through the end of October at the Buffalo Valley Produce Auction.