1991: The first festival produces 600 jack-'o lanterns
Balmy weather at the event
By JON BIRGER, Sentinel staff
Keene's downtown merchants discovered an old way to scare up new business Friday night.
Jack-o'-lanterns -- yes jack-o'lanterns.
Several thousand people crammed Central Square and Main Street Friday night to trick-or-treat and view the 600 lit jack-o'lanterns displayed on and around the square.
Balmy evening temperatures helped make the evening a success, according to organizer Nancy Sporborg of the Keene Downtown Association.
"Isn't this incredible?" Sporborg said. "I can't believe the number of people we've had here."
Sporborg said the association spent six weeks planning the events and convincing local merchants to open their doors to trick-or-treating ghosts and goblins.
Two weeks ago, the association donated 400 ready-to-be-carved pumpkins to local youth groups. The other jack-o'-lanterns were brought to the square Friday for all to see.
Amos Winter V, 11, carved two jack-o'-lanterns and dressed them up with hats and scarves to resemble comedians Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy.
"I spent all last night working on them," Winter said.
Sony a Leslie of Keene brought her preschool-age daughters, Ashley and Elizabeth, to the downtown activities. The girls dressed up as a ladybug and a rabbit and said they had a great time trick-or-treating.
"Everyone's having a good time, and it's certainly a perfect night for it," said Sonya Leslie.
Local business people said they hoped that parents being dragged by children into stores in search of candy treats would later return for more leisurely browsing without their offspring.
"One of the parents tried to linger without much success," said Carol Wright, manager of Creative Encounters art supplies, 18 Main Street. "It was truly (the kids') night."
This dispatch was published Monday, Oct. 27, 1991 in The Keene Sentinel
