According to Merriam-Webster, a pumpkin is "a large, round, orange-skinned fruit of a trailing vine belonging to the gourd family (Cucurbitaceae)."
While most people use this winter squash as a source of food, with it's flesh and seeds both edible and delicious roasted, pureed or baked into pies or breads, folks in Damariscotta have come to celebrate their pumpkins for all the other things you can do with them.
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They revere this glorious gourds to such a degree, they've dedicated an entire weekend's festivities to the giant orange orb, in a way only Mainers could come up with.
How did all of this start?
For almost 20 years (their first big foray into promoting pumpkins was in 2007) the Damariscotta Pumpkinfest and Regatta has been all about educating folks about just how great the pumpkin really is.
"Damariscotta Pumpkinfest & Regatta™ is an innovative program that promotes horticultural education to gardeners of all ages regarding the specific agricultural science required to grow Atlantic Giant Pumpkins."
"This program culminates in a family-oriented festival, held for ten days in early October thorough Indigenous Peoples’ Day weekend each year to showcase the pumpkin growers results in a number of creative ways. "
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What impact has the pumpkin had on this region?
The quiet little community in Lincoln County becomes a hustling and bustling haven for tourists and pumpkin-enthusiast for a short while in fall, as roughly 60,000 visitors make their way to the mid-coast region for the celebrations.
What can visitors expect?
The weekend's festivities include (just to name a few activities) a pumpkin pancake breakfast, pumpkin art, a dessert contest full of pumpkin goodies, a giant pumpkin parade, a kids zone with Mr. Drew and his animals, too!
There's also a pumpkin pie eating contest, a Tour de Gourd 5k & Walk, a pumpkin hunt, a pumpkin drop, a free kids' movie, a pumpkin derby, a whole bunch of pumpkin art and of course the famous Pumpkin Regatta where folks dry to stay afloat in their pumpkin boat!
"The Pumpkinboat Regatta, featuring numerous 400-700 pound, hollowed-out pumpkins with motors attached or paddled, piloted by volunteer captains, racing one another in the Damariscotta Harbor. This event is live-fed into the local theater."
The official Damariscotta Pumpkinfest & Regatta website says the event is completely free to attend and also 100% run by volunteers!
Where do the pumpkins come from?
Well, according to organizers, it all starts in the spring of each year, when "50 third-grade students at local Great Salt Bay School volunteer their time to fill 600 pots with soil and amendments for each year’s seeds."
Those seeds are then distributed to a network of around 400 growers who then, under the advice and tutelage of experts, nurture the plants, to see just how big they can get them to grow.
They take notes and keep logs going, recording what works and what doesn't. Then in October, they bring those pumpkins for an official "weigh off" the weekend before the Pumpkinfest and Regatta, to see who has grown the biggest plant.
How big do these giant pumpkins get?
The pumpkins usually weigh in in the range of 200 lbs to 1,400 lbs. This year's winner was whopping 1847 lbs, grown by a repeat champion grower, Elroy Morgan.
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"Seeds from the largest, hardiest pumpkins are dried & planted in the subsequent year, for the purpose of high grading the overall stock."
For a complete list of the weekend's events, you can find that on the Damariscotta Pumpkinfest & Regatta Facebook Page or their website, by clicking here.
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