Eric Coard and Company are tickled orange by the success of last weekend’s Fourth Annual Boykins PumpkinFest.

Marketing, the weather and having “more of everything” — including activities — made a record-breaking attendance.

“The consensus is an excess of 3,500 people,” said Coard, who served as event co-chairman. He recalled that the first year about 3,000 people visited, with a little over that number the second time. For the third year inclement weather dampened the numbers, though not the fun, to about 2,500 people.

“This year it was every bit as dense. We had the most number of cars for the show, a nice steady crowd, two areas for inflatable and great music. The consensus is we’re all pretty thrilled,” Coard said. In addition to arranging for musical acts, he also did the sound for groups such as The Variety Pac.

The Boykins Volunteer Fire Department is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year, and got to “piggy back” on the festival with its display of firetrucks and an appearance of the Nightingale medical helicopter.

Mayor Spier Edwards said he’s also gratified by the festival.

“I thought it was an excellent event, and the people who worked on it deserve a great hand,” he said. “I think it was the best we ever had and we couldn’t have asked for better weather. I think the vendors did real well. There was a lot of stuff for the children. We had one of the greatest car shows with 70 cars and nine tractors. We never had anything like that in Boykins before.”

To see more of the PumpkinFest as well as pictures by Michelle Campbell, Coard asked people to visit the Boykins Main Street Initiative on Facebook.

Next year’s celebration is already scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 17, but for now, he said, everyone involved is “taking a deep breath.”