Many Pumped Up

The Pumpkin Race

To the Editor:

 Well the Great Pumpkin Race has come and gone. Fair weather and lots of enthusiastic people graced the event. Numerous people expressed the desire to have the Great Pumpkin Race become an annual event.

 There are many people to thank for our Halloween success. We really appreciated Steve Paproski who gave us free tickets to the maze to be used as prizes, as well as many free pumpkins which Lions mechanics made into racers. Some of these pumpkins were also used in firing the medieval trebuchet. Mark Michaud, his daughter, and Don Ramsey, Middle School shop instructor, who not only built the trebuchet but brought it to the Great Pumpkin Race and demonstrated it. Many thanks to them.

Thanks also to Sybil Blau for all her good work. We also thank Tom Mahoney at Edmond Town Hall for being so supportive of the project, for lending us tables and chairs giving us movie tickets for prizes and canceling a matinee so there would be plenty of parking. Also, many thanks to Ferris Acres Creamery for providing us with ice cream prizes and to Newtown Savings Bank who provided free candy.

 The Lions also greatly appreciate the judges for the various pumpkin contests and pumpkin pie baking contests. Many thanks to Mary Thomas, John Morreale, Aaron Cox, Taylor Gallagher (Miss Teen Connecticut), Alan Jacobs, John Reed and our very own First Selectman Pat Llodra.

This was one of the very best committees I have ever had the luck to chair so kudos to my fellow Lions who brought this project off: Tom Evagash, our master racecar maker, Kerry Brosnan, Ed Miklosewski, Doug Hensel, Ryan Storms, Ryan Henry, Roger Capobianco, Gary Tannebaum, Bill Denlinger, Jerome Mayer, and Alan Jacobs. And finally, I wish to thank the Newtown Bee for all its good coverage.

Finally, Newtowners and friends, thanks for participating and helping to make the Great Pumpkin Race the success it was.

Sincerely,

Gordon M. Williams

 32 Main Street, Newtown                                       November 3, 2010