In 2003, the city of Keene, N.H., made the Guinness Book of World Records for the most carved and lit jack-o-lanterns gathered in one place – 28,592.
This year, they have a challenger – Bennington, Vt.
Dressed from head to toe in orange, Bob Stannard tossed an orange gauntlet down of the floor of Keene City Hall on Aug. 2, 2006.
Sporting an orange baseball cap with “Pumpkin King” emblazoned across it, Michael E.J. Blastos, mayor of Keene, told Stannard that, “It takes a great deal of courage to wear a suit like that.”
Then the mayor provided Stannard, executive director of Better Bennington Corp., with a CD from the 2003 pumpkin festival on how to “challenge Keene, what can be learned from Keene, and how to loose gracefully to Keene.”
The pseudo event was staged in an effort to publicize both town’s downtown areas.
“Now all we need is 30,000 pumpkins and about 1,000 volunteers,” said Stannard. “This is going to be fun.”
For more information:
Vt.-N.H. pumpkin challenge made official
www.rutlandherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060803/NEWS/608030358/1003/NEWS02
Keene Pumpkin Festival
www.pumpkinfestival.com
1st Annual Bennington Great Pumpkin Challenge
www.bennington.com/bbc
