NORWICH – Necessary adjustments were made Saturday to accommodate for the wet weather conditions which proved to put a damper on the festivities at this year’s Norwich Pumpkin Festival.

Early Saturday morning, the Albany Ladder Company informed Pumpkin Fest officials the scaffolding needed to be lowered due to the high wind speeds. Scaffolding was lowered and all the scarecrows were moved inside so they too would not blow away. The rain stopped briefly during the YMCA’s Halloween parade, where people took to the streets to watch the floats and see the costumes.

“In spite of the weather people seemed to have a good time,” festival organizer Marylou Stewart said.

Activities in downtown Norwich took place rain or shine, including the performers on stage, the Wizard’s Academy and haunted house, pumpkin carving, clown performances, vendors and more. Dedicated volunteers worked in the rain all day to get the pumpkins collected and counted.

This year’s Pumpkin Festival took a hit from Mother Nature even before it began. Due to poor weather conditions throughout the spring planting season, the numbers of pumpkins available decreased significantly from past years.