Pumpkinized Reunion

My Wife and I Overdressed for Pumpkinfest

My wife and I had such a fun day yesterday up in my hometown, Keene, New Hampshire.  We wandered downtown for the annual Pumpkinfest around noontime.  This was just in time to see the kickoff parade where kids wear their Halloween costumes.  The parade was more of a mass of humanity moving down the street with at least two un-costumed adults for every kid but there were a lot of cute costumes.  The best was a toddler in a lobster costume being carried around by her father in a lobster boiling pot.

The weather was incredibly warm for a New Hampshire late October day, clearly into the 70s.  I’ve been to the Pumpkinfest where it snowed and my wife usually complains how cold her feet get.  No such problem yesterday where there were plenty of shorts in evidence.  We, of course, dressed warmly for the anticipated cold weather.  The Pumpkinfest is one of my true guilty pleasures.  All schmaltz and corny excess but I love going to it each year.  I’m hearing they fell short of setting the world record for lit jack-o-lanterns with “only” 29,000 but it was a sight to see.  I was a little distracted this year as we were also having the annual high school reunion (poor planning there).  I was also sad to see the ongoing demolition of one of the movie theaters I used to patronize as a kid.

I was a little jumpy trying to get my wife through the fest because I wanted to get to the reunion and catch up with some high school classmates, including the cantankerous friend.  My wife scored her obligatory clam chowder in a bread bowl and even passed on the carny like shopping opportunities allowed.  Of course she did this because I promised to bring her back after the reunion.  She is a huge fan of the HG channel and there was one of the stars of the show, Property Brothers, running around Keene.  She spied him and made a bee line to get a photo taken with him and tell him how much she enjoyed the show.  He was a little harried with a number of middle aged women following my wife’s example.  He handled it all with humor and grace.

We made it to the reunion in time to be treated to some delicious cheeseburgers prepared by none other than the cantankerous friend.  We sat down together and swapped stores and drank beer as the sun set and more appropriate fall temperatures asserted themselves.  I graduated with some really superb people, even the guy making inappropriate jokes.  The reunion itself seems to be losing a little bit of steam but next year is our 40^th (YIKES!!!) so we’ll see.  I just enjoyed the time spent with some really nice people. 

We returned to my Keene friend’s home where he was hosting some other really nice people, my sister and her family who came up for the fest.  It was one of those days where there was just too much going on, all of it fun, but one where I wish there was more time to spend with each phase because for each there just wasn’t enough time to devote that each deserved.

Downtown

Coming into Town

The Wife Texting Pictures to Friends

Band Leading the Parade

My Wife in Central Square

Some Inventive Decorating

Central Square Fountain

Big Crowd

My Wife with one of the Property Brothers

Beloved Movie Theater Coming Down

Bread Bowl Chowder

Cantankerous Friend Preparing Burgers Under a Watchful Eye

Discussing the Larger Issues of the World

Really Fun Group

Too Much Fun in One Day - Wish it was Longer