UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Events such as The Arboretum at Penn State’s October Pumpkin Festival draw visitors to parts of Pennsylvania that might not otherwise be considered major tourist destinations, Arboretum Director Casey Sclar told the State House Tourism and Recreational Development Committee. 

The committee hearing held last Friday focused on the role and impact of public gardens in tourism in Pennsylvania and was held at Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square. Sclar, the former executive director of the American Public Gardens Association, is the new H.O. Smith Endowed Director of The Arboretum at Penn State. 

Sclar noted that an estimated 120 million people visit public gardens across the country every year — almost as much as attendance for all major professional sports combined. An estimated 4.5 million people visit public gardens in Pennsylvania each year, he said. 

The Arboretum at Penn State has received multiple grants from the Happy Valley Adventure Bureau, which are funded by a Centre County hotel room tax, Sclar said. Those funds have primarily gone to event promotion, especially for the Arboretum’s Pumpkin Festival in October, which now attracts more than 10,000 visitors each year. The Arboretum grows and gives out more than 1,000 free pumpkins each year to participants in the festival’s jack-o'-lantern carving contest. 

“What could be more American than pumpkins, and more germane to our mission?” Sclar asked. Pennsylvania is one of the country’s top sellers of pumpkins, which are native to North America, he added. 

“Our Pumpkin Festival unites the art, science and business of public horticulture and soundly supports regional tourism and recreation to counties not typically known as popular destinations.” 

Also testifying Friday on behalf of the Pennsylvania Public Horticulture Coalition were Keith Kaiser, CEO of the Pittsburgh Botanic Garden, Nick D’ Addezio, marketing vice president of Longwood Gardens, and Nancy Goldenberg, president and CEO of Laurel Hill, a historic cemetery and garden in Philadelphia. Several regional tourism bureaus, as well as representatives from the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development also gave testimony.