It’s time once again for the home-grown gourd celebration that is the Damariscotta Pumpkinfest & Regatta. Once again we celebrate the growers, organizers and the many, many volunteers who come together to make this thing go.
Not too long ago, the idea of sticking a motor on a giant pumpkin and racing about the Damariscotta River seemed like an outlandish thing to do. Now it’s an eagerly anticipated highlight of our year. Who knew?
We wonder sometimes what our town forefathers would think if they could look out on the very waters that once launched their legendary ships, and which now serves as a paved parking lot and an annual race course for motorized giant pumpkins.
However, the town forefathers might be proud of such ingenuity, we believe, and such an event raises the awareness of this unique Midcoast community, brings new visitors and fiscal support and is genuinely welcomed by the locals.
One thing that has always attracted us to this event is the sheer giddy fun of it. Growers take their hobby seriously, but even their earnestness is in good fun and you don’t need to cultivate a record setting giant to get a taste of the excitement. All you need is a little seed of your own.
