The colorful design of a giant pumpkin taking over Damariscotta by Walpole artist Susan Bartlett Rice has been selected to decorate this year’s Damariscotta Pumpkinfest & Regatta T-shirt. Her personal style translated so well to Pumpkinfest and the sense of community that is essential to the monumental task of planning and executing this festival each year.

A huge thank-you goes out to all the artists who participated in this year's contest. The judges really had a difficult task choosing one design from among so many terrific entries. There is still plenty of opportunity for artists to be involved in this year's Pumpkinfest, as all of the giant pumpkins in the area need to be turned into works of art during Pumpkinfest. If you are interested in lending your talents, please contact Cynthia Weiss at: cynthia@kingeiderspub.com.

Rice is best known for her colorful oil paintings of everyday life. Her paintings reflect the contrasts, challenges and comforts of living year-round on the Maine coast. Rice's modern work illustrates a time almost gone by. She colorfully represents long-standing traditions in contemporary times, through her paintings of local architecture, the working waterfront, family farming and the Maine woods. Her work has been exhibited and collected nationally.

Rice's working studio in Walpole is seasonally open to the public. In addition to painting, she enjoys growing her own giant pumpkins and participating in Pumpkinfest each year as a pumpkin artist.

For more information about Rice's artwork and studio, please visit www.susanbartlettrice.com.

The 2013 Pumpkinfest T-shirts will be available beginning August 15, at a cost of $20, at the following Damariscotta retailers and sponsors: Supplies Unlimited, 47 School Street @ Main Street (Business Highway 1); Pinkham's Plantation, 431 Biscay Road; Rising Tide Community Market, 323 Main Street; and Hannaford Supermarket & Pharmacy, 469 Main Street.

T-shirts will also be available through merchandise@damariscottapumpkinfest.com. Official Pumpkinfest merchandise will be available downtown and at the remote event venues during the festival.

Pumpkinfest & Regatta is a 501(c)(3) organization whose mission is to promote education to citizens of all ages regarding the specific agricultural science required to grow giant pumpkins, and to provide local nonprofits with opportunities for dissemination of information on their activities and fundraising.

For more information, visit www.damariscottapumpkinfest.com or follow us at www.facebook.com/damariscottapumpkinfest.com, or twitter, www.twitter.com/squashbuckler.