1998: With 17,693 jack o'lanterns, Keene sets new record

By JODY REESE for SentinelSource

It was crowded. It was spectacular. It was just about overwhelming.

But in the end, Keene's eighth annual pumpkin festival could be summed up in one number: 17,693.

That was 17,693 pumpkins picked, carved and carted to Keene to be counted.

The pumpkins kept pouring in Saturday until the Elm City had surpassed its own Guinness world record of 13,432 set last year. This year's tally was a whopping 4,261 more.

The crowd was bigger this year too. Keene police estimated between 30,000 and 40,000 people packed downtown Keene to hear the results of the official count, to cheer the news the city had broken its own record, and to ooh and aah over the fireworks that went off overhead.

From a vantage point atop a platform overlooking the crowd event coordinator Pandora VanBerkel could see a sea of people and pumpkins that stretched from Central Square to Emerald Street.

In fact, it was almost a bit too crowded at times. Walter Secord of Keene looked a little bewildered as he was buffeted by the crowd standing shoulder to shoulder. Not that he wasn't enjoying himself.

"I thought it was great. It's good for the city," adding that this year's festival was the best yet. He attended the festival with his two children, Ben and Trevor.

Alan Davis, president of Center Stage, which organizes the festival, said Mother Nature had done her part. It was sunny and 75 gorgeous degrees Saturday, a marked contrast from last year, when a cold rain fell throughout the day, and that really brought out the crowds.

The festival, begun in 1991, has continued to grow over the years, in both size and fame. The city first made it into the Guinness Book of Records for the most jack-o'-lanterns in 1994, and has gone on to outdo itself with each succeeding year.

Scaffolding along Central Square and Railroad Square were the two focal points for pumpkin watchers and counters. Hundreds gathered in front of the pyramids, scanning each pumpkin for its distinctness.

As distinctive as the pumpkins were, the people may have been more colorful. Witches, pirates, bears, ghouls and, of course, pumpkins all paraded along downtown streets.

Of course a gathering of this size also meant some logistical problems for drivers and some major headaches for police. Dozens of children were temporarily separated from anxious parents. Traffic was a nightmare, parking was nearly impossible, and many drivers simply gave up, rolling through red lights and headed the wrong way down one-way streets in an attempt to get out the snarl.

Keene Police Sgt. Frederick B. Parcels said that he sent his officers to the farthest reaches of their patrol areas, a rare command, so they would be free of the gridlock traffic in case of an emergency.

One father shouted to his wife and friends, "Everyone got a kid? Everyone got a kid?" Some parents kept a firm grip on their children, afraid they'd never find them again in the throng. Others kept shouting, "Hey, don't go too far!"

But it was hard not to get excited. Even without the pumpkins there were jugglers, magic shows, balloons, pony rides and musical entertainment. As the sun set, volunteers scurried to light those 17,693 jack-o'-lanterns.

Eleven people from Lehman and Wilkinson certified public accountants started their day at 6 a.m., counting the 17,693 pumpkins that were officially entered.

This story was originally published in The Sentinel on October 25th, 1998.