http://www.pumpkinfestival.org/
I am thinking that maybe we should run a couple of tables south of the official fest area with space for the LSFund and the College guys and the paper. What say you?
I think we need to get a deal on a bunch of pumpkins (Dawn?) and meet early to hollow them out and carve them to spell out stuff like: NHFREE dot com, KEENE FREE PRESS dot com, and have enough for: FREE ___________ ! (Russell, Lauren etc.) you know, just in case.
Then get them downtown and get good spots for them.
That sounds fun.
Maybe Nick could get us a bunch from his farm.
Nick said buy them at Walmart. So I guess we don't have to do a special buy. We can just buy for ourselves and then go crazy on that day. :)
Might be a shortage in your area. I wonder if Dawn can get us a deal?
I don't have any pumpkin contacts and don't have any in my garden.
All these years living in the country and you haven't made any Pumpkin connections? :o
Psst hey buddy you want some good Pumpkin> I got some Oregon Orange that will nock your socks off.
Supply and demand, baby...
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/N/NH_PUMPKIN_PROBLEMS_NHOL-?SITE=NHMAL&SECTION=STATE&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
Oct 5, 3:10 PM EDT
Heavy rains mean empty pumpkin patches on many Mass. farms
By ADAM GORLICK
Associated Press Writer
MONSON, Mass. (AP) -- Leaves are beginning to change on the sugar maples that tower over the stone walls near Westview Farms, but there's something missing from this New England autumn scene: the pumpkins.
Instead of countless pumpkins covering Westview's pick-your-own pumpkin fields, weeds have taken over the land.
The $20,000 that farmer Dave Bradway spent planting pumpkins in mid-June may as well be rotting in the earth with the seeds ruined by too much rain.
"This time of year, you're supposed to see nothing but orange. Solid orange," Bradway said recently as he surveyed 53 acres of what he called a "total crop failure."
Massachusetts farmers and agriculture experts said as much as half of the state's pumpkin crop may have been washed away by heavy rains in May and June.
"Some fields were so wet that the seeds didn't germinate," said Ruth Hazzard, a vegetable specialist at the University of Massachusetts Extension Agriculture and Landscape program. "Some farmers couldn't plant at all because it was too wet."
The National Agricultural Statistics Service, which keeps records of annual crop yields, won't have an official tally for this year's pumpkin production for several months. In 2005, the agency reported that Massachusetts pumpkin patches yielded about 9,300 pounds per acre. Maine's total was 9,100 pounds per acre, while Vermont's 2005 per-acre total was 13,000.
Gerald Tillman, a deputy director for the service, based in Concord, N.H., said Massachusetts farmers seem to have been the worst hit in New England. Other crops, like corn and potatoes, were hurt by the rain, but nowhere near as badly as pumpkins, Tillman said.
"I've heard from farmers saying they didn't have one vine that produced a pumpkin," he said.
New Hampshire Agriculture Commissioner Steve Taylor said even competitive growers of giant pumpkins suffered this year. "We didn't have any of the 13- to 14- hundred pound behemoths that we have seen in recent years, the biggest things we had were 800 to 1,000 pounds each," he said.
George Hamilton, an agricultural resources educator at the University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension, said a series of problems afflicted this year's crop of the state's official fruit. Heavy rain delayed planting, impeded pollination and contributed to rot on blossoms and fruit; powdery mildew stunted pumpkin growth; another ailment, "damping-off" constricted pumpkin stems and contributed to the early death of many plants.
"The crop is all over the board," said Hamilton, who works in Hillsborough County. "There is a crop out there it is not as large as we usually see." Last year, New Hampshire farms produced 15,000 pounds of pumpkins per acre.
But those seeking the perfect pumpkins to carve into jack-o'-lanterns or puree into pie filling shouldn't notice a shortage.
"There are plenty of pumpkins for us to buy from New York, Canada and Ohio and sell on our own farms," said Rich Bonanno, whose pumpkin crop was washed out in Methuen. "The public is really disconnected from the food supply. They see pumpkins at the farm stand and think they're from that farm."
Many farms in western Massachusetts, especially those in the Connecticut River valley where sandy soil allows rain water to easily drain away, were spared.
"We planted about 60 acres, and we got all of it," said Doug McCrary, a South Hadley pumpkin farmer.
But the unlucky farmers, particularly in central and southeastern Massachusetts, fell victim to heavier rainfalls and soil that retains more water. Some farmers will likely rely on crop insurance to recoup some of their losses.
Bradway said a few decent pumpkins made it through the downpours on his land, but not many. He estimates he wound up with eight good acres out of his 53.
"I thought I knew how to grow things until this year," said Bradway, 66, a fifth-generation farmer. "But I guess I was wrong."
Oops, someone at the AP's
thought control editorial department screwed up. This never should have made it into print:
Quote
"The public is really disconnected from the food supply. They see pumpkins at the farm stand and think they're from that farm."
Nor should this:
Quote
Some farmers will likely rely on crop insurance to recoup some of their losses.
People might start getting Wrong Ideas. ;)
I wonder if the farmer spent all the time attaching the pumpkins I bought to the vine... ::)
Pumpkin carving at our house: 88 Sparrow St. Keene at about noon on 21st, before going to the festival.
:pumpkin1: :pumpkin2: :pumpkin3:
The insanity of Pumpkin fest almost reaches your house. :)
Pumpkin fest is so big our city can almost not handle it all.
Looks like clear skies for the Pumpkin Festival. We will try to have a table manned just outside the official area on south main street.
There will be a party at our house starting at noon. People can head back and forth from the insanity in downtown from a nearby parking lot.
I will be looking for Brian Sullivan.
If we want to spell out anything like: NHFREE.COM, or, the more expensive: KEENEFREEPRESS.COM we might want to get them downtown early. I've got 5 pumkins hollowed out ready to carve.
Fun :) Mine's going to say "FREE LAUREN"
They were already getting stacked up at noon today.
I will be in Keene about noon tomorrow! :pumpkin3:
hey, i think we might pack up the girls and drive out to keene for the festival.
where might we find you guys?
chris & kate
Will Main St. be closed to traffic?
About half of it....the part around central square.
Quote from: orvanic on October 21, 2006, 09:55 AM NHFT
hey, i think we might pack up the girls and drive out to keene for the festival.
where might we find you guys?
chris & kate
Rk said they are going to have a table on S.Main Street.
I will be there with my kids and friends from out of state. Look for a girl in a pig costume.
I think he decided against the table...too windy.
no table ... only guarantee meeting place is at our house.
We were there most of the afternoon (1:30-4:00 PM)
It was quite fun; we got a lot of pictures.
It would be a Very Cool Thing to get 16 pumpkins and carve
"F R E E T A L K L I V E . C O M"
or, with just 10 pumpkins:
"N H F R E E . C O M"
... but we didn't think of it till we got there :)
Hope a good time was had by all.
We had a great time...It was a super fun event.
Quote from: d_goddard on October 21, 2006, 07:28 PM NHFT
We were there most of the afternoon (1:30-4:00 PM)
It was quite fun; we got a lot of pictures.
It would be a Very Cool Thing to get 16 pumpkins and carve
"F R E E T A L K L I V E . C O M"
or, with just 10 pumpkins:
"N H F R E E . C O M"
... but we didn't think of it till we got there :)
I have been mentioning this for a while (to Manwich and other weeks ago) and recently on the FSP Forum. I've also linked to it on the FTL BBS and here.
So at first I thought that the best thing at the festival was seeing my daughter's face light up when she saw the Cinderella carriage pumpkin.... but then
I saw the Keene Free Press newspaper box on Main Street. You have to to love that!
Friggin' cold but still had a great time.
We liked the cinderella pumpkin too. I saw one that said MVP and wondered if Sandy did it? ;D We ran into Julia and Wayne.
Castle Chaser is Mrs. Dreepa?
Quote from: Kat Kanning on October 22, 2006, 07:30 AM NHFT
Castle Chaser is Mrs. Dreepa?
Nope, Mrs. Orvanic.
I have to agree with the bride...Keene looked great yesterday! The town puts on a heck of a party. Thanks to all who made it happen.
We left around 5:00. The traffic on Rt. 101W was backed up for miles. How were the fireworks? I tried, but couldn't find a webcam of downtown.
Dang...I thought orvanic was a woman. ::)
We wanted to leave at 7:30pm.... and waited for the bus until 8:55pm ::) ::)
Next year we are NOT parking in the event parking!
I hear Boston has the new record for pumkins.
Quote from: Lloyd Danforth on October 22, 2006, 12:11 PM NHFT
I hear Boston has the new record for pumkins.
So, they're Smashing Pumpkins records?
Quote from: Lloyd Danforth on October 22, 2006, 12:11 PM NHFT
I hear Boston has the new record for pumkins.
Friggin' Boston:
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2006/10/22/boston_breaks_keenes_record_for_most_jack_o_lanterns/
Quote from: Dreepa on October 22, 2006, 01:45 PM NHFT
Quote from: Lloyd Danforth on October 22, 2006, 12:11 PM NHFT
I hear Boston has the new record for pumkins.
Friggin' Boston:
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2006/10/22/boston_breaks_keenes_record_for_most_jack_o_lanterns/
Wow, a city of 600,000 (metro area of 4+million), can get more people together than a town of 24,000. Who'da thunk?
Quote from: Kat Kanning on October 22, 2006, 10:25 AM NHFT
Dang...I thought orvanic was a woman. ::)
Actually, orvanic is our van...I borrowed the handle for the boards.
Quote from: Dreepa on October 22, 2006, 10:55 AM NHFT
We wanted to leave at 7:30pm.... and waited for the bus until 8:55pm ::) ::)
Next year we are NOT parking in the event parking!
Me either. I will just drive people down and not park.
Quote from: Soundwave on October 22, 2006, 05:24 PM NHFT
The people at work are so bitter
I had no idea Panera Bread served Soylent Green.
Soylent Green is................BITTER!
Quote from: Russell Kanning on October 22, 2006, 07:24 PM NHFT
Quote from: Dreepa on October 22, 2006, 10:55 AM NHFT
We wanted to leave at 7:30pm.... and waited for the bus until 8:55pm ::) ::)
Next year we are NOT parking in the event parking!
Me either. I will just drive people down and not park.
My sisters parked near the college for 12 bucks. They walked up one side of Main and down the other, saw all of the pumkins, some shops, had a good time and left. If they had followed my advice and gone to Peerless and endurred the bus, they might not have had as good a time.
Perhaps next year we can stash a couple of return cars downtown, preferably for free, someone can drop folks off and come back to town on the bus. We can all return in the stashed cars.
12 bucks? I'll do it for half the price next year. :o
Quote from: Dreepa on October 21, 2006, 10:30 PM NHFT
So at first I thought that the best thing at the festival was seeing my daughter's face light up when she saw the Cinderella carriage pumpkin.... but then
I saw the Keene Free Press newspaper box on Main Street. You have to to love that!
(http://www.soulawakenings.com/underground/tikiwiki/show_image.php?name=KFP-box-2006-Pumpkin-Festival.jpg)
KFP box conveniently located beside the Dunkin' Donuts triage tent. :D
Nice Hollywood.
My wife and I were smiling when we saw that. That was right were we stopped to have some fries.