The train whistle is in working order. Vendors are off-loading and wrestling with tents. Pumpkins in a giant box await their destiny in the pumpkin carving contest. The blacksmith is warming up, the antique autos are buffed and shined and someone is petting the goats. It is the eve of the 49th Fall Foliage Festival. Margaret Hoffman, executive director of the Railway Village, is zipping around the grounds in a golf cart attending to last-minute details, in much the same way a stage manager does before the curtain rises on opening night of a new show. 

For Hoffman, the evening before the festival is a mixture of anticipation and relief. The forecast calls for a perfect fall weekend, and months of planning are almost over for what she describes as “not your typical craft fair.” Hoffman attributes the success of the nearly half century old event to early planning and introducing fresh ideas each year.

This year, ticket holders not only gain admission to dozens of craft booths, two food courts, children’s activities and live music from local musicians, they are also getting access to the museum grounds. They can ride the narrow gauge steam engine, visit the antique auto and other historic displays, and museum demonstrations.

The festival is a partnership between the BRV and the Boothbay Information Center.  The goal is for visitors to come in droves, enjoy themselves, help boost the local economy and further the missions of the two organizations. Attendance expectations are exceeded each year. This year attendance is expected to be particularly high due to a recent $10,000 grant from the Maine Office of Tourism and inclusion in the Maine Pumpkin Trail, a new partnership celebrating history, art and giant pumpkins along 50 miles of the Maine coastline.  Add a vibrant October weekend, the whistle of a steam engine reminding us of our past, and indeed, the festival is anything but typical.