The Gazebo next to Daronco Town House was the spot for some Halloween festivities Saturday as Pelham Children’s Center hosted its annual Pumpkin Festival, 5K and Fun Run fundraiser.

“The children’s center has been around for over 50 years in this area,” said Stephen Madey, executive director of the Pelham Children’s Center. “The Pumpkin Festival has been going on for fifteen-plus years.”

At 8:30 a.m., the festival started with the 5K run.

“I used to run marathons before I had kids,” said Nadia Krivckova. “In 2017, I ran this race. I thought it was a casual race and even pushed my two kids in a stroller as I walked the race. I got in last place that year. Every year I show up no matter what shape I’m in.”

Following the 5K, kids under twelve participated in the Fun Run. Hamash Alugeri, the youngest person to participate in the 5K, won the Fun Run and received a pumpkin pie.

After the races, the festival continued with additional family-friendly activities.

“This is the first year of the pie-eating contest.” said Dan Rowoth, a PCC board member. “We’ve added a lot more activities this year such as a train, pony rides and food vendors.”

The festival also included a petting zoo, a children’s raffle, two slides, live music performances by Zev and Today’s Outfit, face painting, balloon animals and a patch full of fresh pumpkins. A book sale took place in Daronco House next door to the other festivities. People attending the festival could pay for bags to fill with an unlimited amount of books.

“The community donates books to the book sale,” said Brittney Price, a PCC board member. “People know and love our book sale. They save books to donate and make our setup as easy as possible. We love that it also promotes literacy. We have a large children’s section with hundreds of books. The books are passed down from family to family.”

The board was determined to hold the event despite the light showers. The Pumpkin Festival continued despite the weather, and many families went home with bags full of new books to read.

“Rain won’t stop our party,” said Price. “Luckily the board is full of enthusiastic members. We’re so grateful for them.”