We’ll come right out and say it – we look forward to Pumpkinfest each and every year.
We understand there are the naysayers out there who think the festival overcrowds the towns and that there should be less, not more, advertising for the event. To these Squash Scrooges we say a firm “Bah humbug!” or whatever the fall festival equivalent may be.
There is something unexplainably magical about suspense of the weigh-off, the orchestrated deployment of oversized fruits around the Twin Villages, and the camaraderie between artists spending the day carving and painting. And that’s just the visible prep work, the peek behind the curtain at what a whole host of people has been working toward for the better part of the year.
Even if you’ve been every year, it’s always worth carving out time to attend the giant pumpkin parade. With respect to other towns in the county, Damariscotta and Newcastle hosts some of the best parades in the area, and the Pumpkinfest parade demonstrates this in spades. The sheer creativity expressed in the floats and costumes is unrivaled, in our opinion.
The crowning jewel of the weekend, however, must be the regatta. There is a small percentage of the world that has seen grown adults paddling boats made from giant pumpkins in a large body of water, and we are lucky enough to have this event in our own backyard!
We know it can be frustrating to navigate the crowds, but we encourage everyone to take a moment to reflect on all that Pumpkinfest provides the community, including the financial boon for businesses before the long winter.
Our thanks to the people who make this event happen each and every year. Your hard work is appreciated beyond words.
