The autumnal spirit was in full swing at Boothbay Railway Village Museum (BRVM) Oct. 5 as the museum hosted its annual Family Harvest Day.  

A pair of Civil War reenactors dressed as Union soldiers greeted visitors entering the Village Green. The sun shone as children bumped along in a barrel train ride, played lawn games, painted miniature pumpkins, or got their own faces painted. 

Boothbay Sea and Science Center (BSSC) had a table laden with buttons, pom-poms, googly eyes, and other accessories where children could decorate oyster shells. Pauline Dion, BSSC founder and executive director, explained the shells were part of the center’s mission to get kids curious about sea life and the oceans that sustain them, in hopes of instilling a desire to protect the environment for the future.

The main attraction of the day was the hayride, a short scenic tour of the grounds and then a stop at a pumpkin patch behind the pond. The patch was a whirlwind as children ran between pumpkins, pondering their options and often struggling under the weight of their chosen gourds. Pumpkins usually ended up balanced in the crooks of elbows or on the shoulders of adults as their children continued to enjoy the festivities.

 Lori Reynolds, BRVM marketing and events coordinator, estimated the museum had about 200 visitors by the event’s halfway point. 

“So much of the mission of the museum is community participation, and offering events to families, but these events are also fundraising to sustain the museum so they’re really important,” she explained. “Fall is a big month here.”

BRVM hosts its 56th annual Fall Foliage Festival on Saturday, Oct. 12, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 13, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The museum’s annual SPOOKtacular celebration returns Saturday, Oct. 29, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.