Keene Pumpkin Festival 2009

 A few Saturdays ago, my youngest and I ventured out to the 19th Annual Keene Pumpkin Festival. The Keene Pumpkin Festival is a veritable feast for the eyes - from the stands holding hundreds and thousands of pumpkins along the middle of Main Street to the creative costumes in the children's parade to the colorful characters that mill about to see and be seen. 

So many creative pumpkin carvers

 
But us?  Our main reason for paying $10 to park (pretty inexpensive and convenient compared to the other choices) and taking a (very fun) school bus shuttle ride downtown and then (happily) cramming into the streets with thousands of smoking/dog-wearing/stroller-bearing/crazy-making people just like us: the food.

hand-cut fries sprinkled with pepper, salt and malt vinegar (and ketchup)

We watched a band on one of the stages and a group of dancers from somewhere "all over New England" (so said the guy handing out "radical change" pamphlets to the audience members - anyone know who this group was?) on one street and then we spent the rest of the time eating and watching all the people go by.  We stuffed ourselves and then as the sun set we said good bye to all the pumpkins and festival-goers.

It was a fabulous, magical time for this (crazy) mom and very hungry 5 year old.