This year’s pumpkin display at Pierce Farms catches the eye of drivers along U.S. 31. (Photo by Anthony Richards/Advertiser)

The Fall season officially began on Thursday and that means the arrival of pumpkins has also begun.

For residents in Clanton the nearest locations to choose their pumpkins this year will once again be the roadside stands of Pierce Farms and Holleywood Farms, each located along U.S. 31 in Clanton.

The first deliveries of pumpkins started coming in last weekend, and the types of pumpkins available range from decorative to carving.

“That way we’ll be ready for the first of the month, because that’s when people really start decorating,” said Tim Pierce, owner of Pierce Farms.

As the month of October moves along, the interest and sales also begin to gradually pick up.

According to Michelle Holley with Holleywood Farms, the final week leading up to Halloween is the busiest time of the season.

“We usually have the regular clientele and families each year,” Holley said. “We usually go through about three or four loads, and that’s quite a bit.”

Pierce’s pumpkins are displayed on a staircase of hay bales, while Holleywood Farms has an array of homemade Halloween signs that help display the festive nature of the Fall season.

“Every year we try to come up with some kind of display to catch the eyes of those driving by,” Pierce said. “It just came to me the night before we got the delivery.”

More pumpkins are on the way for both stands, as well as mums, which are a flower often associated with this time of year.

According to Pierce, this year’s crop is pretty typical of most years despite the fact that it has been a little too hot, which is why the mums have yet to fully bloom.

“A lot of these pumpkins we grew ourselves and most of the ones we didn’t came from another local farmer or up in Tennessee,” Pierce said. “If you want to sell to the locals, you better have something local.”