WELCOME to the 2015 Snarkology Halloween Hop. From now until October 31 ( Halloween, anyone?!) click here to Follow the hop for more fun, great books, and awesome prizes plus, visit almost 70 authors, all with a Halloween story to tell. And don’t forget to enter for a chance at a rafflecopter prize. Just click the highlighted rafflecopter word in the previous sentence to be entered.
FALL is my absolute favorite time of the year, bar none. I live in New England, home of Leaf Peeping Season, re-enactments of the Salem Witch Trials, and apple picking – just to name a very few.
There’s nothing better to me than apple picking at a local farm once the fruit is ripe and ready, or carving a series of Halloween pumpkins into gruesome and scary faces. I live in a town that has the distinction of being the Guinness World record holder for a number of years for the most lit jack-o-lanterns at one time, an event we natives call “The Pumpkin Festival.”
My daughter was just 5 when we attended our very first Pumpkin Festival. We met tourists from all over the United States, who’d come in for the three-day weekend/event to help us crack the Guinness Record. And we did. And then went on for several more years to hold- and increase-the record.
During one Presidential political campaign year, George Bush ( 43) came with a carved pumpkin and added it to our count. On the dozens of towers set about our downtown you could find any sort of carving from intricate, professionally artist-carved ones to kindergartener simplistic ones with happy triangular cut-outs.
At twilight, all the pumpkins were lit with votive candles, and then the official count was done by the Guinness representatives. As these pictures show, 30,000+ lit jack-o-lanterns is an amazing sight to behold.
The Pumpkin festival was a source of unending pride for our little ‘burg because it united all of us from every political party, religious persuasion, age, ethnic background, and economic class in an event that not only increased our tourism rate by the thousandth-fold, but also served as a beacon for all our citizens, and a source of civic self-respect. My town truly became a unified community for those three days in October.
As I said, I love the fall and I love New England, so for those reasons, I set my newest book FIRST IMPRESSIONS in the autumn season. There’s apple picking, pie making, and even a Red Sox game depicted in the novel. The cover art is simply the best illustration of this season for me: Two lovers, kissing, in an apple orchard in September. If that isn’t swoon-worthy, I don’t know what is!
Autumn in the North East…does it get any better???
Buy Links for FIRST IMPRESSIONS:
Peggy Jaeger, Author 
I love the Pumpkin Festival. I take my grandchildren, and they get to ride ponies, play games, and pick out a pumpkin to take home. We have such a great time.
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Did you go this year?
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Love your cover, Peggy – and love this post! When I lived in Littleton, MA, our town tried to start a pumpkin fest, but we fell short of our rivals in NH. It’s a really cool tradition!
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Katie – it was such a great family thing to do every year. The pumpkins were amazing to see at night, all lit.
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My best friend and her husband just attended the pumpkin festival…they really loved it and showed me some great pics…amazing
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glad they enjoyed it. The venue was a little different this year, but still a great family event.
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Did I miss who won Your contest.
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Valerie – this list of winners is here: scroll down once you click on the site. Melissa has everyone listed. thanks for participating.
http://www.thesnarkology.com/snarkology-halloween-hop-oct-26-31st/
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