While the rain, rain, rain came down, down, down, dedicated Wilton Historical Society and Wilton Kiwanis Club volunteers held their own over at the society on Saturday afternoon, Oct. 14, for the third annual Great Wilton Pumpkin Fest.

The autumnal event teams the two nonprofits, with the ongoing outdoor Kiwanis pumpkin sale that takes place alongside the society’s various colonial and pumpkin-related activities throughout October.

“We like to partner with local nonprofits in Wilton because it sort of enriches everybody,” Historical Society director Nick Foster explained. “Every year they host their big charity pumpkin sale out on the lawn, which raises money for them, and then also they use some of that money to support us as the host site, so essentially we sort of sponsor each other.”

Meanwhile, the society itself gave visitors an indoor taste of colonial life during the change of seasons, with old-world, hands-on demonstrations on weaving looms, butter churning, and the hearth baking of old-school English muffins.

Kids also enjoyed a chance to paint and decorate the pumpkins and gourds they purchased from the sale.

“Other than the fact that everyone in Connecticut knows we’ve had so many weekends of rain,” Kiwanis volunteer Day Shields said, “it’s going great.”

“Our pumpkin sales are 15% higher than last year, so the community is really being supportive, despite the bad weather,” he said.

The sale itself runs every day through October, with a vast assortment of pumpkins of all sizes, as well as some more unusual gourds and squashes, flowers, plants and more.

“Pumpkin Fest is just an awesome time,” Foster said. “It’s a great way to get out of your house and hang out with your kids, hang out with your family. We always like to say, kids of all ages.”

“You can always learn something new, try something new, and just go out and enjoy yourself and make a great day at a place that is fun and vibrant and, of course, try all things pumpkin,” he said.

  • Rain touched down on the pumpkin sale. Credit: GOOD Morning Wilton
  • Despite the heavy rain, dedicated Kiwanis Club volunteers kept the pumpkin sale going Saturday. Credit: GOOD Morning Wilton
  • Some of the sale items through the Kiwanis Club’s pumpking patch at the Wilton Historical Society. Credit: GOOD Morning Wilton
  • Some pumpkin choices from the Kiwanis Club sale. Credit: GOOD Morning Wilton
  • Peyton Savitsky, 11, left, and Ray Janis-Dillon, 11, both of Weston, try the butter churn. Credit: GOOD Morning Wilton
  • Selectman Ross Tartell, a Wilton Historical Society volunteer, watches Kai Lane, 8, of Wilton playing the tic-tac-toe game. Credit: GOOD Morning Wilton
  • Willow Reed, 3, from Highbridge, N.J., arrives for the Great Wilton Pumpkin Fest at the Wilton Historical Society. Credit: GOOD Morning Wilton
  • An old-fashioned baking demo from volulnteer Moira Craw. Credit: GOOD Morning Wilton
  • Visitors work at making English muffins. Credit: GOOD Morning Wilton
  • Kai Lane, 8, of Wilton gets a hand from volunteer Ellen Goldman. Credit: GOOD Morning Wilton
  • Nathan Lam, 10, and Samantha McGarry-Negron, 9, both of Bridgeport, enjoy some old-fashioned baking. Credit: GOOD Morning Wilton
  • Evie Alperin, 8, of Norwalk works on her cursive. Credit: GOOD Morning Wilton
  • Laura Gusta of Wilton watches her son Leo, 6, do some decorating. Credit: GOOD Morning Wilton
  • Angela McNamara of Wilton and her son Lucas, 4, decorae a gourd. Credit: GOOD Morning Wilton