- Details
- Category: Past Issues
Captions, clockwise from top left:
Left to right: Gabriella Tremont, Jessica Tremont and Natalie Tremont of Putnam wait for more balloon creations in front of the Putnam Public Library.
Connor Hayes, 8, of Webster drew in his own sunshine on a gray festival day.
WINY Radio's The Wizard of OZbrey took first in the scarecrow contest.
Logan St. Martin, 10, of Putnam poses with his Happy Halloween pumpkin which earned him first place.
By Linda Lemmon
Town Crier Editor
PUTNAM --- Classic trains, classic New England weather and all the other autumn touchstones combined for a successful third annual Great Pumpkin Festival around downtown Putnam last weekend.
The train excursions were sold out again this year, bringing in some 350 visitors and taking 375 local residents on a train trip, according to Putnam Business Association President Karen Osbrey. More than 50 vendors took part.
In a tight scarecrow contest, WINY Radio took first with "The Wizard of OZbrey." In second was the Putnam Public Library with Phantom of the Opera and there was a tie for third: U.S. Button with Break Time and Putnam Villager with The Reporter.
The festival has been around for about 10 years, but it was called the Fall Festival. Three years ago it was renamed the Great Pumpkin Festival and the contests, food, vendors, entertainment and train excursions draw more people each year. Osbrey estimated 2,000 to 3,000 folks enjoyed the festival this year.
Feedback from the restaurants, shop owners and vendors was very good, the library was packed all day and "we couldn’t have asked for better autumn weather," Osbrey added.