Race in a Giant Pumpkin Boat at Pumpkinfest & Regatta in Damariscotta, Maine

Let's admit it. We're all in on the fall activities at this point.

With the Cumberland County Fair here, and the Fryeburg Fair coming up shortly, don't miss out on your chance to watch these pumpkin masters at work!

According to mainepumpkinfest, you can watch "pumpkin masters" motorize pumpkins that weigh over 2,000 pounds and are described as "pumpkin boats" eligible to race in the water.

The fun part this time is that WGME's meteorologist Charlie Lopresti 's award-winning, 2,070-pound pumpkin will be in the water this year.

READ MORE: Maine Meteorologist Grew an Award Winning 2,000 Pound Pumpkin

Check this out. I dug up some videos from previous years so you could put an image to the idea, and it's absolutely absurd. In the best way possible though.

When did Maine's Pumpkinfest Regatta originate?

This is actually a really cool story. It actually dates back to 2005, over 18 years ago when the first pumpkin was dropped into the harbor by a man named Buzz Pinkham.

The Bangor Daily News said, "Buzz Pinkham was the first person to captain a pumpkin in the harbor in Damariscotta. Eighteen years later, people come from all over the country to race pumpkin boats in Damariscotta’s Pumpkinfest Regatta."

The 2024 races happen at The Pupkinboat Building on Friday, October 11, 2024, from 9 a.m to 2 p.m.

I'm unsure how you get yourself qualified to race in one, but word of mouth has told me it's possible.

Another fun fact, Buzz and his co-pumpkin partner, Billy Clark, had convinced the town of Damariscotta to make Pumpkinfest official and succeeded.

Now, the festival is held annually for five days from October 12-14.