Pumpkin Fest
Encyclopedia
Keene, New Hampshire
Keene is a city in Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 23,409 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Cheshire County.Keene is home to Keene State College and Antioch University New England, and hosts the annual Pumpkin Fest...
, New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
around Halloween
Halloween
Hallowe'en , also known as Halloween or All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly holiday observed around the world on October 31, the night before All Saints' Day...
. Each year, Keene residents and citizens from around the area attempt to amass the largest number of lit jack-o'-lantern
Jack-o'-lantern
A jack-o'-lantern is typically a carved pumpkin. It is associated chiefly with the holiday of Halloween and was named after the phenomenon of strange light flickering over peat bogs, called ignis fatuus or jack-o'-lantern...
s in one place, trying to meet or beat the world record (which they have held for many years).
The Keene Pumpkin Festival previously held the record (as recognized by the Guinness World Records
Guinness World Records
Guinness World Records, known until 2000 as The Guinness Book of Records , is a reference book published annually, containing a collection of world records, both human achievements and the extremes of the natural world...
) of 28,952 set at this celebration on October 25, 2003, but this was broken when Boston, Massachusetts collected 30,128 on October 21, 2006.
At first it was believed that Boston did not have an official count, merely a sign-in for each pumpkin. But it was later determined that each pumpkin was indeed registered and counted, causing Guinness to confirm the record in a certificate issued to Camp Sunshine, the event beneficiary and organizer of the festival. Camp Sunshine is a national non-profit retreat for children with life-threatening illnesses and their families.
The organizers attempt yearly to beat this record by encouraging businesses, organizations, schools and individuals to create and donate jack-o'-lanterns which are displayed on many enormous banks of shelves and all available surfaces around the center of town.
The festivities also include fireworks
Fireworks
Fireworks are a class of explosive pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. The most common use of a firework is as part of a fireworks display. A fireworks event is a display of the effects produced by firework devices...
, music, and food, and draw in people from all over New Hampshire and adjoining states.
Almost immediately after the festival is over, the pumpkins are hauled away by volunteer work crews and given to pig farmers, to use as food.
The event is held on a Saturday in mid- to late-October. Keene Pumpkin Festival 2009 was held on Saturday October 17, and an estimated 70,000 people attended the event. The official total, announced on October 21, was 29,762 pumpkins, a new Keene record, but not enough to beat the world record. The largest ever crowd to attend the event was in 2006, which drew an estimated 80,000 people from around the world to downtown Keene.
By comparison, the population of Keene is nearly 23,000.
In 2010, the Keene Pumpkin Festival organizers, Center Stage Cheshire County, stepped down from running the event, leaving it in limbo for 2011.. The festival was able to secure new organizers, however, and the Pumpkin Festival continued in 2011, taking place on October 22.
Yearly pumpkin count
- 1991 - Harvest Festival - (600)
- 1992 - 1st World Record - (1,628)
- 1993 - 2nd World Record - (4,817)
- 1994 - 3rd World Record - (10,540)
- 1995 - "Rainy Pumpkin Festival" - (9,812)
- 1996 - 4th World Record - (13,044)
- 1997 - 5th World Record - (13,432)
- 1998 - 6th World Record - (17,693)
- 1999 - Pumpkin Festival - (16,349)
- 2000 - 7th World Record - (23,727)
- 2001 - Pumpkin Festival - (22,633)
- 2002 - "Second Rainy Pumpkin Festival" - (18,882)
- 2003 - 8th World Record - (28,952)
- 2004 - Pumpkin Festival - (27,584)
- 2005 - "Year of the Flood" Pumpkin Festival - (22,157)
- 2006 - Pumpkin Festival - (24,682)
- 2007 - Pumpkin Festival - (25,644)
- 2008 - Pumpkin Festival - (22,568)
- 2009 - Pumpkin Festival - (29,762)
- 2010 - 20th Annual Pumpkin Festival - (22,943)
- 2011 - Pumpkin Festival, "Let it Shine!" - (16,186)
See also
- Barnesville Pumpkin FestivalBarnesville Pumpkin FestivalThe Barnesville Pumpkin Festival is an annual festival in Barnesville, Ohio, dedicated to the growing and harvesting of pumpkins and other fall harvests. The festival, which has been held since 1964, is conducted by a locally appointed committee and attracts an average of 100,000 people during the...
- Circleville Pumpkin ShowCircleville Pumpkin ShowThe Circleville Pumpkin Show is an annual festival held in Circleville, Ohio. The festival, which is held to celebrate local agriculture, is headed up by the Circleville Pumpkin Show Corporation. Considered to be the biggest festival dedicated to pumpkins in the United States, it is billed as The...
- PumpkinPumpkinA pumpkin is a gourd-like squash of the genus Cucurbita and the family Cucurbitaceae . It commonly refers to cultivars of any one of the species Cucurbita pepo, Cucurbita mixta, Cucurbita maxima, and Cucurbita moschata, and is native to North America...
- Pumpkin queenPumpkin queenA pumpkin queen may be either a fictional character or a real person associated with a variety of beauty contests held in North America.A fictional pumpkin queen serves as the basis of a webisode that can be seen online at "The Great Queen Pumpkin" served as a major character in the film Curse...
- The Virginia Pumpkin FestivalThe Virginia Pumpkin Festival-Festival:The Virginia Pumpkin Festival is an annual event held in the town of Virginia, Co Cavan in the Republic of Ireland. The festival takes place every bank holiday weekend at Halloween at the end of October...