NORTH SMITHFIELD – When crowds gather on the grounds of North Smithfield High School in the fall for the Great Pumpkin Festival, the change may not be apparent as visitors enjoy much of the usual food, shopping, activities and entertainment. But behind the scenes, a reorganization has been underway to ensure the 18 year tradition continues long into the future.
The North Smithfield Athletic Association will oversee the event in 2026, absorbing volunteers from the former organizer, the Pumpkin Festival Committee, under its non-profit umbrella.
“The collaboration between the Pumpkin Fest Committee and the NSAA developed very naturally,” said 2026 festival chairperson Valerie Fleury and NSAA President Elizabeth Albino in a joint statement in response to NRI NOW’s questions on the change. “Many of the same volunteers are deeply involved in both, and both groups share a common mission of supporting students, youth programs, and community events in North Smithfield.”
Started in 2006 as a way to for community organizations to raise essential funding, the festival has been run by a small volunteer committee, with the town itself providing logistics such as insurance. Church groups, scouting troops, the Knights of Columbus and many more rely on the event each year, peddling baked goods, dynamites and hot dogs to support their year-long efforts.
Some activities at the annual event are free with the low $2 entry fee, and unique attractions, such as life-sized games and a petting zoo, bring in guests by the thousands, with past festivals featuring everything from a hot air balloon, to a pumpkin-chucking trebuchet.
Over the years, North Smithfield’s Great Pumpkin Festival has become a premiere family event for the region featuring hundreds of vendors, live entertainment and a wide array of food, fun, and family activities.
Elizabeth Featherston served as festival chairperson for the past a decade, with help from co-chair Brian Gartland for the past eight years, but with event’s success, the effort the pair put in each year also grew. In 2025, Featherston announced it would be her and Gartland’s last year at the helm, also noting that the organizational structure, with an independent committee working under the town umbrella, would also need to change for 2026.
“As the festival expanded, it became clear that the town’s financial, auditing, and insurance framework, while very important, was not the best fit for managing a large, volunteer-led fundraising event,” explained Fleury and Albino. “Moving Pumpkin Fest under the umbrella of the NSAA provides a structure that is better aligned with how the event operates, while also respecting the town’s policies and procedures.”
A volunteer-run booster association for school athletics, NSAA is run with the mission of paying for sporting expenses that fall outside of the district budget, for decades covering everything from new uniforms and equipment, to travel costs for teams. Raising funds throughout the year at events such as the Northmen 5K, the organization spends thousands each year to meet various requests from coaches.
Fleury and Albino noted that working under the NSAA will give the Pumpkin Festival year-round support, and allow the two groups to streamline sponsorships across multiple events, such as the association’s 5K. A dedicated NSAA subcommittee, they said, will focus solely on the fall festival.
“The long-time festival volunteers are not going away; their experience and traditions are being carried forward through this subcommittee model,” the organizers said.
In a recent letter to festival vendors, Featherston announced the change, and noted that this year’s event will take place on Saturday, Sept. 19 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
“This will be a change in administration, however our mission remains the same,” Featherston noted. “Many of the same committee members you have gotten to know and rely on will continue their passion-filled efforts, and others will be joining in with the express desire to enhance the festival.”
Town officials also expressed support and gratitude for the change.
“Merging the Pumpkin Fest into the North Smithfield Athletic Association makes considerable sense for both programs,” said Town Administrator Scott Gibbs. “The town of North Smithfield is lucky to have such engaged and supportive volunteers as those in Pumpkin Fest and the NSAA.”
For guests and vendors, meanwhile, it seems the 2026 Pumpkin Festival will be business as usual, with all of the fun – and support – they have come to rely on.
“Above all, our focus is on keeping Pumpkin Fest strong, welcoming, and rooted in community, while ensuring it continues to provide meaningful support to youth and school programs in town,” said Fleury and Albino. “We are grateful for the volunteers, sponsors, and families who have built this tradition and are excited to carry it forward in this next chapter.”
