For Immediate Release
September 22, 2008

Contact:
Matthew M. Hoidal, Esq.
(207) 655-3800
Sharon Kitchens
(207) 542-3723
E-mail: skpr@skpublicrelations.com
Web Site: www.CampSunshine.org

Camp Sunshine’s Maine Pumpkin Festival will attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the most lit jack-o-lanterns on Saturday, Oct. 4 at the Cumberland Fairgrounds in Cumberland.

The free event will take place from noon to 8 p.m. on Oct. 4 and also feature live music, magic shows, a costume parade, whoopie pie-eating contest, face painting, food and lots of pumpkin carving.
Attendees should bring carved pumpkins and votive candles to help break the Guinness World Record of 30,128 lit jack-o-lanterns set at a Camp Sunshine event in downtown Boston in 2006. Carving also will take place on site. Truckloads of pumpkins are welcomed.

Participants, too, will have a unique opportunity to buy ‘Glow Heart Pumpkins’ to honor loved ones battling life-threatening illnesses or in their memory. Volunteers will carve a special “glow heart” in the pumpkins and display them in the giant pumpkin towers at the event.
The glow heart pumpkins, which cost $10, add an emotional touch to the stunning visual landscape of lit jack-o-lanterns which will be on display Oct. 4. Donors will receive a photo of the pumpkin tower and the glow hearts.

All proceeds from the event will benefit Camp Sunshine, a national retreat for children with life-threatening illnesses and their families located in Maine’s Sebago Lakes region.

Admission is free, and parking at the fairgrounds is $5. The event is presented by Hancock Lumber, a sixth generation family owned business established in Maine in 1848.

“Our goal is to set a new world record right here in Maine,” said Matthew M. Hoidal, Executive Director of Camp Sunshine. “This is going to be an unforgettable event for the entire family and a great way to kick off fall. Plus, it’s for a great cause.”

To learn more about the event, call 207-655-3800 or visit www.campsunshine.org.

Camp Sunshine, located in Casco, Maine, provides a camp vacation at no charge to children with life-threatening illnesses and their families. The camp offers one of the only programs in the nation whose mission is to address the impact of a life-threatening illness on every member of the immediate family. While attending the various week-long camps, families are able to rebuild relationships together and meet other families facing similar challenges. The program includes 24-hour onsite medical and psychosocial support. Bereavement groups also are offered for families who have lost a child to an illness.

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