Anyone who ever dreamed of floating down the Miami River inside a giant pumpkin will have a chance this weekend.

A giant pumpkin race will be just one event in a three day, pumpkin-oriented arts festival called Operation Pumpkin. A first-year event, it is the brainchild of James Snyder, a local amateur grower.

And just how big are these pumpkins? “They’re about the size of a Volkswagen,” Snyder said. “We probably won’t break any world records this year because of the drought, but we’ll have pumpkins that weigh around 1,600 pounds. We’ve got growers coming in from Knoxville (Tenn.), New England, all over the eastern side of the country.”

Local businesses will be participating in the giant pumpkin race. They will have a limited time to modify their pumpkins however they wish, whether it be with sails, oars or outboard motors. The winning business will keep the trophy until next year’s festival, when they’ll give it to the new winner should they be dethroned.

During the festival, patrons will also have the chance to launch pumpkins from trebuchets at a floating target in the Miami River. Unlike the giant pumpkin race, there’s no trophy for the winner.

“You just get a pat on the back,” Snyder laughed. “Not many people can say they launched a pumpkin from a catapult.”

Snyder said that Hamilton used to have a Halloween-oriented street festival, but it closed down in the 1970s for economic reasons.

“It used to be a one-day event and was basically just a costume contest,” Snyder said. “It was pretty much my crazy idea to bring it back with a twist, make it into a three-day arts festival.”

Snyder caught the pumpkin growing bug when he went out to buy giant seeds for his young daughter, on the assumption that she would want the biggest of the lot, as he did when he was a child.

“Now, she’s 13 and wants nothing to do with it,” he said. “And I’m the fanatic. I get a lot of satisfaction seeing the look of amazement on peoples’ faces when they see what I’ve grown. I want to share it with the city. I’ve attended festivals that had all the elements that we’re doing, but not in the same location. Downtown Hamilton is the perfect venue, with the river running right through the middle of it and all the historic buildings.”

Operation Pumpkin has more than 100 confirmed arts and crafts vendors. There will also be more than 35 food vendors, wine and beer gardens, live music and entertainment groups, a 5K race, professional pumpkin sculptures, amusement park kiddie rides, a children’s workshop, and even a mentalist.

“Home Depot is bringing the children’s workshop,” Snyder said. “Each child will get a tool belt and a kit to building something like a birdhouse. Volunteers will help them build it, and the kids will get to keep them. Our main goal is to have a fun family event, where people can have hours of fun, take home gifts and spend very little money.”

Indeed, Operation Pumpkin purchased 1,000 pumpkins to be delivered to every fourth-grader in Hamilton’s schools, public and private. Teachers will help the kids carve the pumpkins and every single will one will be displayed at the festival. Afterward, the kids can take them home.

Snyder is a project manager for Coon Construction, and the proceeds of the festival will go to the local YMCA, the YMCA’s Camp Campbell Gard and the Butler County Courthouse Restoration Committee.

“Hamilton has been trying for years to raise the money to fix the steps and a lot of the stonework on the courthouse,” Snyder said. “At some point, we’d like to establish a grant for anyone who wants to revitalize a building in the downtown corridor. We’ve struggled with sponsors this year, it being our first year and not having a lot of history behind it. We’re hoping for $20,000-$30,000 but we’ll be happy with what we put out even if we don’t have all the funds. We’ll see how it goes. We seem to have a lot of momentum. A lot of people are talking about it.”