Downtown Keene has gone three years without Pumpkin Festival, and it is making it’s debut back to town very soon.

With the arrival coming quickly, Keene State College has been taking precautionary measures to ensure this year’s festival goes smoothly. Last week, Interim President Dr. Melinda Treadwell sent an email to staff and faculty members seeking their help.

Treadwell stated in the email, “I am reaching out to ask if you would be willing to serve as a KSC volunteer. If you plan to be on campus or in town on October 28 or 29 and can volunteer to represent our community on campus and in surrounding neighborhoods, I have two requests: first, please contact Rebecca.Dixon@keene.edu by October 25 to get some tips and training on how to recognize and report situations of concern that you encounter. Second, wear Keene State colors, so that you can be more easily recognized as the College’s staff or faculty. Having you in our community demonstrates our engagement, and provides an opportunity to encourage our students to participate in healthy activities, including the many volunteer opportunities that we have arranged during both festivals.”

Treadwell said the college has been in close communication with other sources of help with the festival such as event organizers, the City of Keene, Keene Police and Keene Fire Departments.

Treadwell also suggested that if campus community members aren’t volunteering, they should become trained on how to be a responsible bystander to gain heightened awareness of how to handle difficult situations. Step Up training is available on Oct. 13 by registering online.

Treadwell anticipates this year’s events will be successful and will not result in recurrences of past issues.

Emma Hamilton can be contacted at ehamilton@kscequinox.com