NORWICH – October brings many things to upstate New York, including haunted houses, corn mazes, and the rapid change of the trees into the autumn colors.

October also means yet another year of the Pumpkin Festival in downtown Norwich. And with that comes the annual Pumpkin Pub Crawl on Saturday night.

This year marks the 17th year of the Pumpkin Festival and the third official year of the Pumpkin Pub Crawl.

“The idea came up four years ago after I joined the Pumpkin Festival committee. I had just moved back to Norwich and I was looking to add something that was not only a fundraiser, but also something where my friends and I could enjoy participating in within the festival,” said Tyler Oliver, organizer of the event.

The Pumpkin Pub Crawl will start immediately after the fireworks Saturday night, roughly between 9 and 9:30 p.m.

All proceeds from the event go toward benefiting the Norwich Pumpkin Festival in future years.

By purchasing a wristband, a “pub crawler” will receive an orange Norwich Pumpkin Festival mug, and be able to take advantage of any drink discounts and specials at each participating bar.

“Though we benefit financially from the event, the main objective is bringing a broader scope of people to the festival. We also wanted to develop a ‘night out’ that would not only help our event grow, but also benefit businesses downtown,” explained Oliver.