The leaves are changing, the nights are getting cooler, scarecrows and jack-o-lanterns have taken the place of summer guests, and soon pumpkins will will be spewing fumes and making a racket in Damariscotta.

Damariscotta's annual Pumpkinfest and Regatta officially begins Oct. 4 with the volunteer weigh-off at 7 a.m. at Pinkham's Plantation, which will be followed with a presentation on how to build a pumpkin boat.

On Sunday, Oct. 5, beginning at 7 a.m. there will be the Great Pumpkin Commonwealth official weigh-off, complete with a $10,000 purse.

Those big pumpkins won't stay dormant for long, however, as Thursday, Oct. 9 will be the great pumpkin deployment, or when the giant pumpkins find their homes along Main Street and throughout the Twin Villages.

On Friday, those pumpkins will become a lot more interesting: pumpkin carvers, painters and boat-builders will turn the pumpkins into works of art and makeshift racing boats. The building and crafting will continue on Saturday, Oct. 11. Most of the pumpkin decorating will be in the downtown area, while the boat building will be at Pinkham's Plantation.

Artists are still needed, chairman of the artists committee Judy Speers said in an email. As of Thursday, Sept. 25, six more artists were needed to help decorate all the pumpkins. For more information or to volunteer, email Speers at judyspeers@aol.com.

A new wrinkle this year will be how viewers can get to the Twin Villages, when Maine Eastern Railroad's “Pumpkin Patch Express” rolls into town.

The Lincoln Theater will get into the Halloween spirit when it shows some of Alfred Hitchcock's luminary works, including “Vertigo” Thursday and Saturday night at 7 p.m., “Rear Window” at 7 p.m. Friday and Sunday. At 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. on Monday, the Lincoln Theater will show “It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.”

Saturday will also feature the (unaffiliated) Central Lincoln County YMCA's Zombie Run, in which participants will run for their lives starting at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 11. Registration will be open 8 a.m. for the run.

Saturday will also feature several kid-themed activities, including the 10 a.m. story time at Skidompha Public Library and the Kid's Zone from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Water Street. Skidompha will also be the place for desserts, when the entries are allowed at 10 a.m. Saturday and again at 1:15 p.m., when the dessert winners are announced.

At 1 p.m. the focus will be again on pumpkins, with underwater pumpkin carving in the harbor, then at 2:15 p.m. the great pumpkin parade will wend its way through the Twin Villages. After the parade will be the pumpkin pie eating contest at the Gallagher and Stein parking lot.

Sunday, Oct. 12 will start with the 7 a.m. pumpkin breakfast at the American Legion on Upper Main Street, then at 8:30 a.m. there will be the pumpkin derby on Weatherbird Hill off Elm Street Plaza.

Pumpkin destruction will be the order of the day on Sunday, as the pumpkin hurl and catapult will start at 8:30 a.m. and the target shoot will start at 1 p.m. at the Great Salt Bay (there will be no parking at the event, instead there will be a shuttle from Lincoln Academy that to ferry viewers back and forth).

Starting at 10 a.m. on Theater Street there will be buskers and street performers.

At 3:15 p.m. it will be the pumpkins that do the destroying, when the pumpkin drop happens at Round Top Farm. Before the pumpkin drop on a pair of clunkers, however, there will be the pumpkin hunt, which is also at Round Top Farm.

The long weekend will finish on Monday, Oct. 13 with its signature event. The pumpkin boat regatta will begin at 1:30 p.m. at the town landing off the municipal parking lot.

For a resource of all upcoming, local fall events, festivals and activities, visit the Best of Fall page.