OGUNQUIT - The Fifth Annual OgunquitFest is set for Oct. 24 through 26, but you may soon be seeing signs of this favorite annual event in the form of scarecrows taking up residence in and around town.
This year's Annual Scarecrow Contest begins Oct. 10 and continues through the end of OgunquitFest, While this event may be a yearly favorite, 2008 features something new: the theme, "The Greening of Ogunquit" as the Ogunquit Chamber of Commerce and Ogunquit Conservation Commission have joined forces in an effort to help the town become more environmentally-friendly.
While OgunquitFest organizers have noted the scarecrows do not have to adhere to the theme, visitors will be able to vote on the "greenest" scarecrow as well as their overall favorite.
Friday's OgunquitFest events will include a ghostly walk through the streets of Ogunquit and the Marginal Way from the Ogunquit Heritage Museum. On Saturday, enjoy the Monster Mall Marketplace at the Dunaway Center, pony rides, horse-drawn wagon rides and more. During the day on Sunday, the Monster Mall Marketplace continues and there will be more pony rides, the costume parade and the culmination of the Painted Pumpkin Pursuit.
The Fifth Annual OgunquitFest also features several new events. As the chamber introduces a new children's event each year, 2008 will be no different with the brand new cookie-decorating event.
Also new, and in place of the hour-long treasure hunt of past years, Ogunquit businesses will host a weekend-long "Painted Pumpkin Pursuit" where decorated pumpkins will be hidden in seasonal displays, with merchandise or even perched on counters at local establishments. Participants will keep track of where they found the pumpkins and the team that discovers the most will win a prize.
Also this year, the Ogunquit Playhouse Theatre Guild is bringing the Don Campbell Band to the Ogunquit Playhouse for a special OgunquitFest performance on Oct. 25.
And, not to be missed is the brand new Bridge to Beach Bed Race, scheduled for Saturday afternoon, Oct. 25, where up to 16 teams will decorate double beds, put them on wheels and race them up and down Beach Street in Ogunquit. Participants will be dressed in costume and, to make it even more interesting, halfway through the race the team member riding on the bed will be required to change both costume and position with one of the team's other racers. Race participants will have the opportunity to win cash prizes and visitors will be able to vote on their favorite bed decorations. Proceeds from the voting will go to the chamber's member charities.
For the full OgunquitFest schedule, or to learn more about signing up for this year's Bridge to Beach Bed Race, visit www.ogunquit.org.
