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Annual festival a hit; Alan Woolfson is citizen of the year

MILFORD – From Friday evening, when the Pumpkin Runner ascended the fire department’s ladder and lit the big pumpkin in Town Hall as the crowd cheered, until Monday afternoon, when the beer and wine tasting tent was trucked away from the Community House lawn, Milford’s annual Pumpkin Festival seemed to go without a hitch.

Which is amazing, everyone seemed to agree, since the organizing committee had never put on the event before and didn’t have a full year to plan it.

In a very short period of time “they were able to pull everything together,” said Selectman Kevin Federico as he introduced Carol Gates to the crowd at the opening ceremony Friday evening.

Gates is president of the Granite Town Festivities Committee, which formed last year after the town found itself without an organizer for Pumpkin Festival 2018.

During the opening ceremonies, Gates praised her committee members and gave a shout-out to Milford police, DPW and fire department for their help, as well as to all the sponsors and residents who donated money.

Alan Woolfson, longtime president of the Milford Improvement Team, was named Citizen of the Year by the Milford Historical Society.

Heather Flynn, interim president of the Historical Society, talked about his long history of local volunteerism, including work on the festival for 18 years and on the Taste of Milford food festival. He was twice president of the Boys and Girls Club of Souhegan Valley and the main creator of the town website, a Milford Community Athletic Association volunteer and soccer coach.

At the festival Saturday, Dave Alcox was overseeing the Milford High School We the People team’s “Hi-Striker” test of strength. He said the weekend seemed more “grass roots” this year.

“It’s really exciting to see the community rally together to put on the festival,” he said.

Wade Scott Campbell, vice president of the festival committee, said the committee will hold a debriefing session in November and talk about the next Pumpkin Festival, which will be the town’s 30th, and also what other town festivals they might want to tackle.

Campbell likes the idea of a comic convention and says there is a “huge demographic” for one in the Milford area.

“We really have to sit down and go over our next move,” he said.

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