Pumpkin Fest crowds were 'elbow to elbow'

LACONIA — As the day turned to evening on Saturday, the crowd at the 2018 NH Pumpkin Festival swelled.

“The crowd on Saturday night was elbow to elbow,” said Karmen Gifford, president of the Lakes Region Chamber of Commerce. “We didn’t shut the tower off until 8:30 because there were so many people. The music played until at least 10 and the (parking lot) was full.”

The festival, held in Laconia for the fourth time this past weekend, has begun to attract visitors from further afield. Last year, an estimated 40,000 people attended. Gifford hasn’t prepared her estimate for this year yet, but she is counting the 2018 event as a success.

All those festival goers contributed nearly 6,000 carved pumpkins to the 34-foot tower and surrounding areas, Gifford said. There were 500 pumpkins carved at the official carving station, where people could buy a pumpkin – which had already been hulled by a volunteer from the New Hampshire Wolves hockey team – and carve it right in the shadow of the tower.

For at least one couple, the festival marked a new experience.

“There was a couple there from France,” Gifford said. The man and woman had been staying in Connecticut and decided to make a day trip to Laconia. “They came up for Pumpkin Festival, they carved a pumpkin, they had never carved a pumpkin before. They were so into the whole experience.”

There were more vendors this year, more amusement rides, the expanded beer garden was packed and the new Jumpin’ Jack car show drew 20 interesting rides. The event started with a “Zombie Walk” on Friday night, which has become a draw of its own. The Runaway Pumpkin 5K/10K road race attracted more than 300 runners despite the cold and the rain, and new records were set for both courses.

Gifford said that the festival is working well in general terms, and she is now focusing on details to improve the event. For example, she would like to make it easier for people to drop off their carved pumpkins so they don’t have to carry them for as long. She is also trying to make the festival plan work for both the vendors who set up downtown as well as the businesses that serve downtown all year.

“We want to enhance those, we want people who haven’t been walking around downtown in a while to know that they’re there,” Gifford said.

There are only two people who work at the Lakes Region Chamber of Commerce, Gifford noted. For them to put on a festival for tens of thousands of people is “an amazing undertaking,” and is only possible thanks to many other people and organizations that contribute their own part of the event.

“To continue to be a success and to grow, we need to continue to have that support. We are so grateful to have it or we couldn’t have a festival at all.” Gifford puts countless hours into organizing the Pumpkin Festival, but she considers it a labor of joy.

“It’s just as much a joy to put it together as it is to have a festival on Friday and Saturday,” she said. Her favorite moment, though, comes during the festival, on Saturday night when they flip the switch and thousands of pumpkins on the tower are illuminated.

“I just love the look on people’s faces. Until you stand there and see it... the enormity of it is really incredible.”