Joyce Savini, of North Smithfield, with her grandson Garen Jackson, 15 months, tries to guess the weight of the Great Pumpkin, grown by Joe Jutrus, of North Scituate, behind, during the Second Annual Great Pumpkin Festival in North Smithfield Saturday, held this year on the high school grounds. Thousands turned out for the annual event. Call Photo/Ernest A. Brown

By DANI SAFFORD

NORTH SMITHFIELD — The people talking about smashing pumpkins on Saturday weren’t referring to a rock band or Halloween practical jokes but the trademark event at the Second Annual Great Pumpkin Festival.

“We have a pumpkin-launching trebuchet. It throws them 150 feet and if they hit a target, they get a T-shirt,” says Donna Kaehler, co-coordinator of the event.
The Great Trebuchet Pumpkin Chuck, a catapulting device designed by Mike Robinson, had children and adults alike lining up to fire pumpkins across the football field and was one of the activities available to guests at the festival that was held at the high school at 412 Greenville Road.
“Basically it’s an event for our community to build community,” Kaehler explained. “It worked out so well last year that we did it again this year,”
Originally held at the elementary school, the Great Pumpkin Festival was moved to the grounds of the high school to accommodate more vendors and visitors. Offering free booths to local nonprofit organizations, the purpose of the festival was to showcase the services and activities available to North Smithfield residents. Fifty local nonprofit and civic organization booths were present, some offering products and raffles and others just showcasing their services.
“This event is to celebrate this town and to showcase our nonprofit and civic organizations,” said co-coordinator Katy Hall. “Every penny spent here comes right back into the town. No commercial vendors because the reason we’re celebrating them is because everything [these groups] do comes right back into North Smithfield.”
“We’re trying to showcase what North Smithfield has,” Kaehler added.
Representatives from North Smithfield Fire and Rescue stood by selling dynamites, the North Smithfield Lions Club served up French fries and dozens of other organizations offered various products, prizes and information.
“It’s very difficult to fund-raise so it’s a fun way to get everyone together, see all the fun groups that our community has because North Smithfield is relatively small but we have quite a bit going on and just for people to be aware and all get together and have a fun community day,” Kaehler said.
“The money they raise today is going to go back into the town through their good works and that enhances the community,” added Hall.
In addition to the trebuchet, another trademark of the festival was the massive pumpkin grown by world record breaker Jim Jutras of North Scituate. Guests were able to have their photo taken with the pumpkin and enter a 50/50 raffle by guessing its weight.
“Mr. Jutras is nice enough to give us his second biggest pumpkin. He keeps the first one because he has to compete with it,” said Kaehler.
Two stages offered additional entertainment for festival goers, with music featured throughout the day on one stage and a variety of performers including Pride and Joy Dance Team, Silly Willy “the almost famous clown” and Midnight Wind, a rock and roll student band, on the Meadow stage.
“A lot of our entertainment is from our community,” said Kaehler. “We feel that it just builds community because we’re keeping it in our community and their group.”