Damariscotta Pumpkinfest & Regatta

08/26/2025

Oooh get on this if you can!

Availability Alert! There are 2 oceanfront cottages left for Damariscotta Pumpkinfest & Regatta weekend (Oct 10-13):
- the coveted #9 (pictured here)
- the lovely #14
Also open are Ocean View Cottage #20, Back Cove Cottage #5, as well as a room and apartment in the Thompson House.
Things are filling up quickly!
You can book online (thompsoncottages.net) or email us ([email protected]).

08/24/2025

Ok really this time! The pic on the right was our old shirts, the pic on the left is on the new shirts now at Hannaford (8/24)!! Can you spot the difference and why we pulled the old ones from the shelves?

08/23/2025

Congrats to Leon Busby on his win at the Windsor Fair!!! We’re looking forward to the Damariscotta Pumpkinfest & Regatta volunteer and GPC weigh-offs on October 4/5!!

Congratulations to Leon Busby for winning the Windsor Fair Giant pumpkin contest with his 275-pound pumpkin! His pumpkin came off the 2080 Charlie Lopresti seed, and he has another larger pumpkin growing on the same plant. Leon said he has some other huge pumpkins and squash growing in his patch, so stay tuned for more weigh-off results this fall! Visit mainepumpkins.com for a list of upcoming weigh-offs in the state.

08/23/2025

Artists: Do you look at this pumpkin and see a canvas? Our pumpkin may be your Picasso! Sign up to create pumpkin art at Pumpkinfest! The form is on our website at Mainepumpkinfest.com!

08/23/2025

Hey want to be part of the COOLEST festival in town? Come join the pumpkin posse! Head over to our website (mainepumpkinfest.com) and fill out a volunteer form. We need your help to keep this all-volunteer run ‘Fest what it is!

08/07/2025

The Damariscotta Town Office team has a pumpkin!

08/07/2025

Your pumpkin is two months away from graduation! Heres how to estimate the weight.

Thanks to years of research and effort by a group of growers, there are two methods a grower can use to estimate the weight of an Atlantic Giant pumpkin as it grows through the season. Growers use these weight estimates to gauge progress and interpret what the plant may need or is lacking as weights increase or slack off.
The first method that can be used is by simply measuring your fruit at mid girth
parallel to the ground and bouncing that measurement off a circumference chart
(See Table 2 Below). This method can give a rough idea of weigh, but can be skewed due to the wall thickness of a fruit or odd shape. The most accurate and widely used method is known as the Over-The-Top method or OTT. This method is done by adding up 3 measurements; circumference, side-to-side measurement and end-to-end measurement. For circumference, use the technique described above. The side-to-side measurement is made by holding one endof the tape on the ground vertically below the side of the fruit and stretching it up to the side, over the top of the fruit and down to the ground vertically below the other side. The end-to-end measurement is the same as the side-to-side only it is measured from the ground vertically up the stem end, along the surface over the top of the fruit and down to the ground vertically below the blossom end. Make sure you run the tape vertically down to the ground from the furthest extending point, not along the surface under the
fruit for both the side-to-side and the end-to-end measurements. Add these three measurements together and bounce the total off the OTT chart.

08/05/2025

If you’re wondering where the merch went, it hasn’t been sold out. It was removed to fix a little mistake. We only sell top quality merch so we are reprinting and getting back out there asap!

08/05/2025

More growing tips! Your pumpkin can gain such large amounts daily because the skin is very pliable early on. However cracks in both the skin and stem do occur. It’s natural for the stem to develop splits and heal over as it grows in size, however deep splits are an issue. If a split or crack in the skin of the pumpkin goes deep enough to enter the inner cavity of your fruit, your season is over, as the fruit will begin to rot very quickly. If however a crack or split is superficial, it can be treated by applying a paste of either sulfur or a fungicide called Captan. Be aware that Captan is nasty stuff and you should avoid breathing the powder or getting it on your bare skin. Use common sense as with any chemical. Captan dries the moisture from the split area and prevents disease allowing the crack to heal. Many large pumpkins develop deep stem splits that do not go into the cavity, however if not cared for, they can continue to go deeper and ruin your season. The biggest asset a grower can have is early recognition of a problem and knowing how to react to it. Photo credit Leon Busby