Pumpkins To Converge on Cooperstown By Land and By Sea This Month for PumpkinFest 2010

COOPERSTOWN, NY (09/16/2010)(readMedia)-- Pumpkins will be weighed, awarded, cooked and eaten, painted, paddled, raced and even serenaded as PumpkinFest returns to Cooperstown on Saturday and Sunday, September 25 and 26.

PumpkinFest 2010, presented by the Cooperstown Chamber of Commerce – with support from the Cooperstown Concert Series, the New York State Giant Pumpkin Growers Association, Otsego County Tourism and the Village of Cooperstown – kicks off on Saturday, September 25 with a weigh-off in the Doubleday Field parking lot. Giant pumpkins from throughout New York State and the northeast will be transported to Cooperstown for an official weigh-off to determine this year's festival champion, competing for top honors and $2,000. Squash and other oversized vegetables will also tip the scales for cash prizes and titles in their respective categories. Pumpkins grown in Otsego County will receive special recognition and an additional $250 will be awarded to the pumpkin and/or squash that breaks the state record. Weigh-off registration is from 7:30-9:30 a.m.

Craft and food vendors will be set up at the same location from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., where there will also be pumpkin painting for the kids courtesy of the Cooperstown PTO and a special musical presentation by Tim Iversen performing Harvest- themed songs. Local musical favorite, Fritz Henry, is scheduled to perform at 2pm. Winners of a pumpkin-inspired food contest will be announced at noon. To top things off, a special Beer Tasting event, for adults only, is scheduled on the Lawn of the Inn at Cooperstown from 2-5pm featuring some specialty one-of -a-kind brews made locally especially for PumpkinFest including a 9-spice ale from Brewery Ommegang!

On Sunday, PumpkinFest moves to Lake Front Park for the annual Regatta as, from 7:30-10 a.m., pumpkin growers and event sponsors prepare to take to the water in the shells of what once were 400-pound-plus pumpkins. Beginning at 11 a.m., in two separate heats, these unconventional crafts will be captained from the "starting line," and back again, competing for the top prize of $250. Then, for the first time ever in the event's six-year history, guests ages 16 and up will have an opportunity to paddle pumpkins in a series of community races for small prizes. Pre-registration is required.

Craft and food vendors will offer up their wares from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the park, where children's activities – including corn husk doll making, sack races and scarecrow building – will run from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. At the completion of the races, compliments of the Cooperstown Concert Series, Slick Fitty will take to the stage with its blend of rockabilly, country and 50s rock-and-roll.

For more information on PumpkinFest 2010, visit the Cooperstown Chamber of Commerce website at www.cooperstownchamber.org, e-mail info1@cooperstownchamber.org or call (607) 547-9983.

Sponsors of PumpkinFest 2010, including cash and in-kind donations, are: Great Pumpkin ($5,000 and up) Otsego County Tourism Program; Pumpkin Spice ($1,000-$2,999) New York State Giant Pumpkin Growers Association, The Farmers' Museum; Syracuse.com; Jack-O-Lantern ($500-$999) Cooperstown Concert Series, The Daily Star/Cooperstown Crier, Hickory Grove Motor Inn, NBT Bank; Pumpkin Paddler ($250-$499) Davidson's Jewelry, Fly Creek Cider Mill, Gordon B. Roberts Agency, Hampton Inn, New York Pizzeria Cooperstown (vendor), Otsego County Conservation Association, Smith Cooperstown, Inc., WL Taylor and Son, Wilber National Bank; Pumpkin Peddler ($100-$249) Apple Converting/Mike and Carol Manno, Barlow Concessions (vendor), Brewery Ommegang (vendor), Cooperstown Cookie Company (vendor), Cooperstown General Store, Cooperstown Youth Baseball (vendor), Diastole Home Decor (vendor), Friends of Glimmerglass State Park (vendor), Gateway Inn and Suites (vendor), John Mitchell Real Estate, Kingsley Design , Milford Inn (vendor), Mt. Wellington Market (vendor) , Patchwork Meadow Alpacas (vendor), TePee Pete's Chow Wagon (vendor) , Upstate Office Equipment, WSKG Public Broadcasting; Pumpkin Seed ($50-$99) Bayside Inn and Marina, Dog Wild Canine Supply, Leatherstocking Railway Historical Society, Leatherstocking Region Federal Credit Union; Safe Kids of Otsego County; Community: Northern Catskill Dental Associates.

PumpkinFest 2010 Schedule

Saturday, September 25

Doubleday Field Parking Lot

7:30-9:30 a.m. – Giant Pumpkin Weigh-off Registrations

10 a.m. – Weigh-off Begins, Ends When Completed

9 a.m. to 3 p.m. – Craft and Food Vendors

9 a.m. to 3 p.m. – Pumpkin Painting with Cooperstown PTO

Noon - Food Contest Awards

2pm - Musical Performance by Fritz Henry

2-5pm - Beer Tasting on the Lawn at the Inn at Cooperstown, 16 Chestnut Street

Sunday September 26

Lake Front Park

7:30-10 a.m. – Pumpkin Regatta Preparations

9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. – Craft and Food Vendors

9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. – Children's Activities

11 a.m. – Regatta Races Scheduled To Begin

Paddle a Pumpkin: Community Races Following Regatta (Ages 16 and Up, Pre-registration Required)

Noon – Musical Performance by Slick Fitty, Presented by Cooperstown Concert Series

Ongoing: Patchwork Meadow Alpacas; Corn Husk Doll Making, Farm & Field; Pumpkin Putt Golf, Barnyard Swing; Gem Mining, Barnyard Swing; Spin Art, Barnyard Swing; Sack Races, Barnyard Swing; Scarecrow Building, The Farmers' Museum; Live Animals, The Farmers' Museum; Bird Feeder Building from Recycled Materials, Paper Kite Creative; And More!

Posted Thursday September 16, 2010 at 06:01 am by Cooperstown Chamber of Commerce
Last Updated Friday September 17, 2010 at 02:10 pm