Since just after the 2010 event, Keene Pumpkin Festival has been presented by the non-profit organization Let it Shine, Inc. From the Pumpkin Wars HGTV show, to winning the World Record back, to the trouble that led to the move to Laconia, to the rekindling in Keene, the nonprofit has been committed to letting it shine.
When Let it Shine was founded, the State of NH Attorney General’s office wouldn’t permit the first several names submitted for the nonprofit organization. Our anthem, “This Little Light of Mine, I’m Gonna Let it Shine,” was chosen for promotional purposes because it fit the notion of a small city becoming center stage to the world for a day. (Center Stage was the name of the long-time event organizers.) In frustration, attorney John Hayes applied for the name Let it Shine, and the organization and its name have endured.
Al Braden Photgraphy: Images of Keene’s Pumpkin Festival by longtime area resident Al Braden, now living in Texas.
Mickey Pullen Pictures exquisitely capture the unique character of the 2010 Pumpkin Festival.
Here’s a TREAT! Let it Shine! Unforgettable images of Pumpkin Fest plus our original Let it Shine anthem features memorable comments from the original Facebook page that started the spark that saved Keene Pumpkin Festival after 2010.
