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Health & Fitness

Pumping Up for PumpkinFest 2013

All of the signs are here.  Pumpkins popping up all  over town – sparsely-placed small ones, at first...and the pumpkin-design flags up and down Main street. Soon, the I.D.E.S. Hall will be prepping a spot for the winning pumpkin.  Farmers of ginormous, gargantuan gourds everywhere will compete for $25,000. on October 14, 2013....that's a lot of pie.  All of this is leading up to the Annual Art & Pumpkin Festival - or, as us locals call it: "PumpkinFest".

Since 2009, we have been participating in the selling end of the annual Art & Pumpkin Festival.  This is not as easy as it  sounds.  My husband Michael is a mountain climber. He will be climbing two mountains later this month - both exceeding 12,000. ft.  He acts as if that is nothing, but when he talks about our getting ready for the Pumpkin Festival, he sounds exhausted. 

True, the days are long – both of them – for those of us who set up our canopies, and fill that area with all of our STUFF.  We start at 6 AM, and finish around 7 PM.  We share the lot where our gallery is located with Susan Carkeek, her daughter Morgan of the Fly-on-the-Wall Art School, and our  friend Steve Iacopi.  Fly-on-the-Wall brings in the crowds, as well as does Iacopi, who, as a lifelong Coastsider and gifted photographer,  brings in crowds of his own.   

The first year it was just us and Steve. For first-timers, we  did very well. Actually, it was our best year. It has become our tradition to use the proceeds from the Pumpkin Festival for our much-needed vacations afterwards.  How much we make depends  upon how far we go on vacation!   In 2009 – our best year so far – we went to New  Mexico.  Last year – our "worst" – we made it to Northern California to visit  family and stay with a friend for a few days (saved on motel fees).  That was a fun trip, too, so maybe it doesn't matter how far one goes to enjoy time off.

But  the Pumpkin Festival is not just about money.   It is about connection  with our community.  We visit with many friends during the Art & Pumpkin Festival that we never see otherwise.  We make a lot of new contacts, folks who didn't know that we were here.  It’s become a tradition.  

It should be mentioned with gratitude that the owner of our building, Scott Frazier, has allowed us to use this parking space each year since we moved to 790 Main Street.  He could easily charge money for parking, or be paid by any number of organizations for the use of this valuable space.   Of course, we do have to pay for a permit from the City, which charges about $160. per business.  But that is small potatoes, compared to what the folks in the booths have to pay.

The Beautification Committee does a great job in promoting the Art & Pumpkin Festival. They have a poster logo contest each year, where the winner's design will be used for all of the merchandise sold for the next year. Proceeds go to local civic causes, scholarships, and to the beautification of the downtown area.  Here is the Patch story on last year's winner, of the 2013 design:  http://halfmoonbay.patch.com/groups/opinion/p/2013-pumpkin-festival-design-contest-winner-matt-farra...

Our sales during PumpkinFest depend on a variety of factors. The weather is a big factor. One of the main reasons that last year's sales were sparse is that it rained on the second day.  Our merchandise got damp, and when people previously stopped by to leisurely check out our merchandise wound up running past us, looking for cover, instead.  No shopping around.  There are times when we'd just like to pass on the festival - as many locals do - but it would seem as though we are wasting a good opportunity if we did. We also have a lot of stock to unload!  So, if you'll excuse me, I have to get back into shape - pumping up for PumpkinFest!  

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