The 19th Annual Keene Pumpkin Festival will take place Saturday, October 17, in Keene, New Hampshire. ” The arrival of the Pumpkin Festival has a warming effect, like the aroma of coffee brewing in a morning kitchen”, according to The Keene Sentinel.  “The Pumpkin Festival began as a modest event for the people of Keene and their friends.  It was great fun, and sure proof that there is more than one way to carve, cook and stack a pumpkin.  [Nineteen] years later, all has changed.  Keene’s once cozy little celebration has gained world-wide stature.  It is, for lack of a better word, a spectacle.”  In the past, over 25,000 pumpkins decorated the streets.  Over 1,000 costumed children take part in the Costume Parade, non profit organizations take in more than $200,000, a 1,300 pound pumpkin, the largest pumpkin ever displayed at the time, was brought in, sometimes weddings are planned, craft and food vendors line the streets, and more than 800 volunteers donate their time.  For more information, and directions, log on to www.pumpkinfestival.com.