In the spirit of all things ghoulish and spooky ‘-‘- and to shatter a Guinness World Record ‘-‘- hundreds of Bostonians came out to carve pumpkins at the Camp Sunshine Pumpkin Festival.
The previous record of 30,128 carved and lit pumpkins, which the festival set in 2006, volunteers started the carving day at noon Saturday. By evening, thousands of orange orbs glowed, climbing every step, surrounding every tree and perched on every pillar on City Hall Plaza. One finished pumpkin proclaimed, ‘I Love My Kids,’ while another simply stated ‘Wicked.’
The Pumpkin Festival raises money and awareness for Camp Sunshine in Maine, a retreat for children with life-threatening illnesses and their families. The camp offers a free vacation to families strained by medical costs that may be unable to afford one otherwise.
Camp Sunshine Executive Director Matthew Hoidal said Camp Sunshine pumpkin festivals take place all over the northeast and that, of the 600-or-so volunteers, a majority of them have worked at the camp before. Volunteers come from colleges, churches and companies all around New England to carve their way through truckloads of pumpkins bought from local farms at a discount.
‘It is a great opportunity for publicity, and also for Camp Sunshine families to gather,’ he said. ‘A lot of families come from Boston and all over the country just for this.’
Volunteer and three-year festival veteran Erica Finnegan said carving pumpkins for a good cause adds to the festival’s appeal.
‘Camp Sunshine is an amazing place,’ she said. ‘People say Disney World is the best place on earth, but they’re wrong. Camp Sunshine is.’
Cheryl Cerato said she and her family started volunteering at Camp Sunshine 15 years ago after her husband was diagnosed with cancer. Volunteering for the camp was a way a to give back to the organization that supported her family during the difficult years of her husband’s illness.
‘Once you go, you’re there ‘-‘- hook, line, and sinker,’ she said.
Southern New Hampshire University volunteer Cassie Kupfer worked at a carving station throughout the day and said that the designs became simpler and simpler as the pumpkins started rolling in.
‘The first pumpkin was the best, but now we’re overloaded with pumpkins, so we’re making them nice and easy.’
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