A week of Indian summer, along with new and improved events contributed to a successful fifth year for the Damariscotta Pumpkinfest.
“The weather was spectacular,” Pumpkinfest spokeswoman Phyllis Guss said, noting advance publicity from local, state and regional outlets didn’t hurt.
Excepting the tragic accident in Saturday’s Giant Pumpkin Parade, the festival “ran really well,” Guss said.
The event continues to be a boon to the area economy, as restaurants were “working to their maximum capacity,” Pumpkinfest co-founder and volunteer Buzz Pinkham said.
The festival instituted a series of improvements to address 2010 issues.
Pinkham credits volunteer Ken Smith and Tidewater Telecom for developing a live, streaming video link from the Damariscotta town landing to Lincoln Theater in order to broadcast Sunday’s Pumpkinboat Regatta.
With Riverside Park at capacity and the crowd overflowing into the municipal parking lot, many spectators chose to take advantage of the feature.
Last year, technical difficulties with air compression slowed the pumpkin chunking at the splash-down in Nobleboro. This year, a loan of equipment from Paul Kelsey, of Reilly Well Drilling, allowed the machines to fire almost four times as many shots.
The resourcefulness, generosity and unique talents of dozens of community members – not just the army of Pumpkinfest volunteers – help “make the festival as special as it is,” Pinkham said.
The most significant addition to this year’s event was the Pumpkin Derby. Pinkham sees a natural progression from this year’s pinewood derby, featuring small, unmanned pumpkin racers, to a soapbox derby, with people in the pumpkins.
It might not happen next year, as organizers will need time to work out the logistics of installing steering and brakes in pumpkins, but “it would be fun,” Pinkham said.
Pinkham sees Pumpkinfest as “a chance for folks to put some of their troubles behind and just enjoy life,” he said.
“Everywhere you went, people just seemed to be happy,” Pinkham said. “In these difficult times, I guess that’s all you could ask for.”
“In a couple weeks, we’ll probably start all over again – start planning for next year,” Pinkham said. Event organizers will prioritize efficiency and quality over further expansion, but Pinkham didn’t rule out surprises for 2012.
“We may have some brainstorm during the winter that just can’t be suppressed,” he said.
