MONTAGUE — Jack-o’-lanterns, spiced beer, pumpkin pies and even pumpkin fries — it might not be called “Pumpkinfest” anymore, but the Great Falls Festival still showcases the versatile squash, along with other hallmarks of autumn in New England.
In the span of six closed-off blocks in Turners Falls Saturday, flocks of people listened to music, tasted treats and enjoyed the 9th annual Great Falls Festival.
“It’s both (a celebration of autumn and Turners Falls),” said Mary Williams, who has attended the festival every year since her son, Michael Nelson, started it.
Williams, who was with M&M Removal Service, which composts and recycles pumpkins and trash leftover from the event, said the festival has grown more and more of a Franklin County staple each year.
“It’s amazing. There’s lots of people here, lots to do and see,” she said. “It used to be the place to go was the Franklin County Fairgrounds, now people come to the Great Falls Festival.”
Those six blocks on Avenue A were lined with dozens of vendors and thousands of people. The all-ages event had something for everyone: good food, costumes, contests and games — “Roger the Turkey made it too,” Williams said, referring to a real turkey led around on a leash, adding some extra fall flair to the event.
Nelson said the variety of things offered at the event is what makes it great, like the music, which Scott Kuzmeskus, the festival’s entertainment director, said offered a “wide variety for many generations.”
Local bands showcased funk, rock, blues, reggae and metal, which music-loving attendees like Brian Gerald appreciated.
“It’s great because of the variety this year. I could probably take my grandma and she’d have just as much fun as me,” Gerald said.
And, of course, there were the pumpkins. Children’s painted and carved pumpkins were submitted and displayed in long rows down the center of the street.
“We had about 500 pumpkins just on this end,” said Carol Tobey, who worked one of the pumpkin “check-in” stations. “And they must have had a few hundred down at the other end (of Avenue A). It’s been great fun.”
Reach David McLellan at dmclellan@recorder.com or 413-772-0261, ext. 268.