Pumpkin Fest 2023 is a wrap as of Thursday, November 2, about 3:30 pm. It was a very successful fundraising year due to great attendance, our first price raise in 9 years, and 2 event sponsors (Rotary Club of Brevard and Brevard Music Center) plus many music sponsors (all nights but one) and many other companies and groups that contributed with services or financial contributions.
It was also a very successful volunteer year, with more than 300 volunteers, including students from the local high schools (JROTC, Rosman High National Honor Society, Parks and Rec Youth Council and Brevard High’s Interact and Thespian Clubs). Community volunteer groups included Brevard Rotary, AAUW Brevard NC Branch, Slick Rock Mountain Friends, the Transylvania Art Guild, and many, many other community-minded individuals who responded to our needs to raise money to support Silvermont Park and Mansion and put on a fun community event!
It was a challenging year for our leadership group, who are mostly in their 60s and 70s, and find the long days of set up and take down harder each year, but we were blessed by many volunteer helpers and hard working young men from Schenck Job Corps who assisted on the big move in and out days.
Special kudos go to our Pumpkin Fest leader, Joe Dapkins, who puts in more long hours and works harder than the rest of us after planning the work and being a resource to all. And thank you to the rest of the Pumpkin Fest leadership team, without whom it would never happen: Chet Wright, Ruth Wright, Jeanne Hunter, Kristen Alpert, Pinkie Byrd, Jenny Tierney, Joni Pavlik, Erik Rasmussen, Frances Rasmussen, Alice Moran, Mary McGinnis, and Maury Bandurraga. Each has his or her own area to manage in addition to contributing to other areas. We have a great need for others to join this team to spread the load. Please let us know if you’d like to learn more!
Shown below is a pic of the final punch list for our big move out day. Amazingly, we got it all done in addition to loading and unloading multiple truck loads of the displays to move to our storage place!!! It was very satisfying to cross each item off the list.
Now the leadership will meet to discuss whether or not we are up to doing this again next year, or want to take a year off, a decision we discuss after every Pumpkin Fest. We will also discuss what went well and areas of improvement, and work needed (like repairs to damaged pumpkins) in the off season.
If you attended Pumpkin Fest this year, do you have any feedback? If so, please comment, message or email pumpkinfestbrevard@gmail.com.
Do you want to help with repairs in the off season or help in some other way? Please email pfestbrvdvols@gmail.com.
