26 th Annual Milford Pumpkin Festival!

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1 The Award-Winning 26 th Annual Milford Pumpkin Festival! Friday- Sunday, October 9-11, 2015 Presented By: The Milford Improvement Team on behalf of the Town of Milford, New Hampshire P:

2 Welcome to the 26 th Annual Milford Pumpkin Festival!! 2015 Milford Pumpkin Festival Map P:

3 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Milford, New Hampshire, Annual Pumpkin Festival FESTIVAL STATISTICS In 2014, there were 35,000+ attendees Festival Statistics: 1500 people were spooked on the Haunted Trail! The 8 th Annual Talent Show on Saturday night was a spectacular success. 43 auditioned for the Talent Show, from as far away as Kingston and Concord NH to Townsend, MA, and 18 final contestants performed in the show. 900 faces were painted at the Face Painting event 350 scarecrows were made by families at the Scarecrow making event 533 pumpkins were painted at the Pumpkin Painting event 600 people enjoyed the Beer and Wine Tasting on Friday night 1512 hours of volunteer time, valued at $34, invested to the Festival and community. 15 tons of trash was generated at the Festival. NOTABLES: Hippo s Best Of NH Awards, Best Community Event 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014; Souhegan Valley Best of Awards voted Best Local Event 2014; Featured in Parade magazine, May 2011, in Fifty Fabulous Festivals ; Featured in Amazing Festivals, 100s of Hometown Celebrations, by Donald Vaughn and Eric Peterson. Publications International Ltd., 2011 FESTIVAL OVERVIEW Each Fall, Milford s Great Pumpkin Festival draws tens of thousands of visitors to the town s downtown. During this event, visitors experience Milford at its finest. Participants engage in a wide range of fun activities designed for all ages, but they also witness the community spirit of local volunteers, the support from local businesses, and the important role the downtown area plays in our community. Purpose of the Event Special events like the Great Pumpkin Festival provide great visibility for the Town of Milford and help foster civic pride and a positive image of the community as a whole. The festival is targeted as a traffic-building event, focused on providing a multitude of fun, family activities and venues. The Festival brings the community together and allows nearly 40 Milford area non-profit and civic groups to participate and raise funds to support their own endeavors. Over the years, the Milford The Milford Lions Club annual hotdog booth at the Milford Pumpkin Festival THE MILFORD funds IMPROVEMENT their charity TEAM activities each year. P: DIRECTOR@MILFORDIMPROVEMENTTEAM.ORG

4 Pumpkin Festival has become a highly anticipated regional and statewide event. Attendance in 2014 was estimated to be upwards of 35,000 over the three days of the event. Attendees come from the Souhegan Valley, Monadnock Region, Nashua, and Manchester areas, also greater Boston and New England. The ripple-effect or multiplier benefits of the Pumpkin Festival include several positive elements to sponsors, local government and businesses. These include: Increased awareness of the greater Milford region as a travel/tourism destination Increased knowledge concerning the potential for investment and commercial activity in the region Increase in interest and participation in the types of permanent level activity associated with event Strengthening of regional values and traditions Increased local pride and community spirit Increased awareness of non-local perceptions (i.e. visitors from regions outside of the immediate area) Festival Details 26 Years and Continuing to Grow! Traditionally, this 3-day Festival takes place on Columbus Day Weekend and occurs in Downtown Milford on the Oval, the Community House Lawn, Emerson Park and South and Middle Streets, Milford Town Hall and the Amato Family Performing Art Center on Mont Vernon Street. Signature Festival events include: the Great Pumpkin Weigh-in, Pumpkin Painting, Pumpkin Sales, The Pumpkin Catapult, an Arts & Crafts Show, Scarecrow Making, Great Food, The Haunted Trail, Face Painting, two stages of LIVE Music and Entertainment all weekend, Food Vendors galore, the Talent Show, a Zombie Walk and more! The Beer and Wine Tasting Tent takes place on Friday night showcasing local wineries and brewers. In our 25 th year, we added bounce houses, Carnival rides by Fanelli Amusements, and a scholarship contest. Not to be missed: the spectacular Fireworks Show Friday night! Overview of Fundraising Benefactors The Milford Pumpkin Festival is organized on the Town's behalf by the Milford Improvement Team (MIT). All the organization, publicity, public contact, and publications are handled through the MIT office. All monies raised by the Milford Improvement Team during the Milford Pumpkin Festival are re-invested directly back into the community, allowing us to support the activities, events and programs implemented by the organization that promote, revitalize and enhance the historic, social, natural and economic vitality of the Town of Milford. Moreover, the Pumpkin Festival provides the opportunity for forty+ other community groups and non-profit organizations to run events during the weekend in order to raise funds for their programs. For most, the Pumpkin Festival serves annually as their single largest source of revenue. These monies are reinvested back into our community in the form of band uniforms for the high school, ambulance & fire equipment, athletic programs for our youth, and numerous other programs. In years past, groups associated with area schools, scholarship programs, church groups, support services, the local library, and businesses have all joined MIT in helping to make the Great Pumpkin Festival a successful event. Over 200 volunteers participate in the three-day event with many of them contributing time throughout the year to prepare for events. P: DIRECTOR@MILFORDIMPROVEMENTTEAM.ORG

5 Thank You for Your Support! We hope you will join us for the 26 th Milford Pumpkin Festival on October 9-11th, We welcome all comments and suggestions for both the Festival and information in this report. Wendy Hunt Executive Director Milford Improvement Team One Union Square, PO Box 551 Milford NH The Milford Improvement Team is a 501(c)6 non-profit. Our mission is to work as a public-private LIBRARY partnership ANNEX BUILDING, working 39 NASHUA to promote, STREET, MILFORD, revitalize NH and enhance the social, natural, P: historical and economic DIRECTOR@MILFORDIMPROVEMENTTEAM.ORG resources of Milford New Hampshire.