Story and photos by Renae Blum
Cool October breezes stir along a path at Indian Cave State Park, lined with pumpkins painted pink. Dozens of people wearing gray and pink T-shirts stride along the path, stopping to look. Each pumpkin is decorated with glitter, a big ribbon and the name of someone who has had cancer. Recognizing a name, families gather around the pumpkins, smiling and posing for pictures.
This annual event, called the Pink Pumpkin Walk, began in memory of Sharon Holliday of Lincoln. Her son, Kevin Holliday, was the park superintendent at Indian Cave at the time. Sharon died of breast cancer in October 2015.
“My idea to start the event in 2016 evolved from the previous year, when Sharon was fighting terminal cancer,” Park Superintendent Jan Alexander said. “October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, so it seemed fitting to hold this yearly event in memory of Sharon in October.”
In the Pink Pumpkin Walk’s first year, they saw 81 registered walkers. Last year, there were 197 — and the size of the event still surprises onlookers.
“I’ve been asked, ‘What event are you most proud of that you’ve started?’ and it’s the Pink Pumpkin Walk,” Alexander said. “I just feel honored to continue this event, and I hope that somebody else continues it when I’m not here.”
What the Walk Looks Like
The Pink Pumpkin Walk falls on the third Saturday in October — the busiest weekend of the year for Indian Cave. In addition to the Pink Pumpkin Walk, the park also hosts a junk and craft market, trick-or-treating and hayrack rides.
It’s important to call ahead to register, Alexander said, as all proceeds go to one of several local cancer organizations. Those who register will receive a T-shirt, as well as the option to buy a memorial pumpkin to honor a loved one.
Music is a big part of the event, with certain songs played at key moments. The 2-mile walk begins to the sound of “Fight Song” by Rachel Platten, with other selected songs playing throughout. Participants don’t have to walk the entire length of the route, but they may choose to do so.
The hand-decorated and personalized pumpkins are scattered along the route for about an eighth of a mile. They are painted by the participating cancer organization and decorated by Indian Cave staff; Alexander says it takes them about two eight-hour days to create. Last year, they made nearly 50 of these pumpkins.
After the walk, door prizes and raffle gifts are handed out. The song “Rise Up” by Andra Day plays as Alexander recognizes registered walkers with cancer, as well as those who have recovered from cancer, with gifts.
The event is “really kind of emotional, even if you didn’t have anybody touched by cancer and you were just there watching it,” Alexander said.
She feels the Pink Pumpkin Walk is an important event to host because of how prevalent cancer is: “If you haven’t had cancer, typically you’re going to know somebody who has had cancer,” she said.
“I think it’s a good thing for the families, because it gives them support from other people,” Alexander added. “October is a great time to be out here anyway, and enjoy the park.”
A Personal Experience
One longtime Pink Pumpkin Walk participant is Julie Buss of Humboldt, who has attended each year since 2019 with her family. “We have quite a big group sometimes,” she said. “Sometimes 16, 17 of us. Whoever can make it, makes it. I don’t say, ‘You’ve got to come.’”
Buss was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2000 when she was in her 40s. “I did several rounds of chemo and six weeks of radiation,” she said. “It was a lot of trips to Lincoln and back.”
Asked what the experience was like, she said, “I had to stay strong for my family. I just took one day at a time.” Losing her hair, she says, was emotional: “You just don’t think about how that would feel until you actually do it.”
Buss has now been cancer-free for 24 years, and recently retired from her job as a custodian at Humboldt Table Rock Steinauer Public Schools. The Pink Pumpkin Walk is a way for her to give back to the community, she said.
“And it’s good to see that there are survivors out there. It gives you hope,” she added.
Her favorite part of the event is the walk itself. “It’s so peaceful,” she said. She loved receiving her own pink pumpkin from family at a recent walk. “My grandkids were looking through all of the pumpkins trying to find my name on it,” she said with a laugh.
It’s hard for her to describe exactly what the event means to her. “I feel welcome, and I feel at peace when I go,” she said.
She plans to be there again this year.
Sharon Holliday (1949-2015)
The Pink Pumpkin Walk began in memory of Sharon Holliday of Lincoln. Her son, Kevin, wrote the following:
“Mom battled breast cancer for quite some time, which we all thought she had beat. But it had evidently spread to her spinal fluid which was incurable.
My mom was one of the most caring people I have ever met. She would do anything for anyone. She was a teacher at Northeast High School in Lincoln, working in the family and consumer sciences department. Many of her students today have gone on to do great things because of her culinary arts program at Northeast High.
Sharon raised five boys with our dad, Doc. We were raised in the outdoors, fishing, hunting, camping, boating, hiking, mushroom hunting, et cetera. She instilled the love of the outdoors in her kids and her grandchildren.
Mom loved Indian Cave State Park; she spent many weekends there with her grandchildren. She would be at most of the park’s annual events, assisting in presenting for the Bluebirds Across Nebraska organization.
This event means a great deal to me and my family. Every year I get to spend time with my daughter in remembering her grandma — and also being with so many different people who have family that have gone through the same experiences as I have. The people who are fighting cancer now, the people who have beaten cancer and the many we remember who have battled it. We all come together on this special day, and some day we hope there is a cure!”
The Pink Pumpkin Walk in 2024
This year’s Pink Pumpkin Walk will be Saturday, Oct. 19, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Please register before Oct. 5 by calling åAngie at 402-883-0014; registration is $25 for adults and $10 for kids and includes a T-shirt. When you register, you may choose to purchase a memorial pumpkin for $20; this also includes a memorial balloon.
Check-in for the walk starts at 10 a.m. Once the walk is over, take time to check out the Jack-O’-Lantern Junk & Craft Market from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and the food trucks from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m
You can also stay for the 2 p.m. pumpkin roll for all ages, as well as Trick-or-Treat by the Buses from 3:30-5 p.m. and the Haunted Hollow Hayrack Rides from 7-9 p.m.
A park entry permit is required and can be purchased at OutdoorNebraska.gov, from permit vendors or upon entering the park.