Page 5
Labor of Love
Festival co-chairs enjoy the celebration of community
Maria Lambert, co-chair of the
Romulus Pumpkin Festival, describes
the event as a true labor of love.
“I love Romulus. We love Romulus
and wanted to do something to bring
people down,”
She and friend Susan Watts started
the Romulus Pumpkin Festival in the
late 1990s.
“It was her idea and we both took it
to the mayor at that point,” said
Lambert. This year, the 21st Pumpkin
Festival takes place Friday through
Sunday, Sept. 21-23, in downtown
Romulus Hunt and Goddard streets
area.
The event will open as has become
traditional, with the Romulus Rotary
Club Parade of Lights, starting through
the city at 8 p.m., following a 6:30 p.m.
parade entrant lineup at Romulus City
Hall.
The parade usually has abut 60
entrants, “sometimes more, sometimes
less. We have everything from bicycles
to fire trucks,” Lambert said.
Lambert says attendance during the
three days is usually about 10,000,
including thousands at the Friday
Parade of Lights. She's proud of friend
Watts who has moved to the Thumb
area of Michigan and started another
festival there.
Romulus resident Lambert is also
chair of the Romulus Arts Council,
which raises money for high school
graduating senior scholarships via
refreshment sales at the festival.
Students must live in Romulus to be
eligible for scholarships.
About 20 people serve on the organ-
izing committee, with Romulus school-
teacher Laura James as Lambert's co-
chair. There are more volunteers dur-
ing the festival, Lambert said, includ-
ing National Honor Society students
fromRomulusHighSchool.
“They help out quite a bit. There
are various churches, city employees,
other residents,” Lambert added.
Merrie Druyor, city of Romulus
Downtown Development Authority
director, is on the Pumpkin Festival
committee. “It's nine months of plan-
ning, getting things together,” Druyor
said.
Druyor said Lambert is the driving
force of the festival.
“She's got that vision bringing the
community together and getting things
done.”
See
Celebration,
page 6
Julie Brown
Staff Writer
Maria Lambert
I love Romulus.
We love Romulus
and wanted to do something
to bring people down.
”
