PARIS – How do you light a wall of pumpkins two stories high? With 25 boxes of Christmas lights and a lot of patience.

The crowd Saturday night at the Pumpkin Festival at Oxford Hills High School oohed as the tower of pumpkins was lit, and said a collective “aww” as lights blew out and the tower went dark. They were soon cheering again, though, as volunteers fixed the strings of lights until every one of the jack-o’-lanterns was lit.

The pumpkins were grown from seed by area students, and in a community garden tended by volunteers. The Dollars for Scholars program then asked for pledges of “a penny a pumpkin” from individuals and businesses. Pledges, as well as money raised from pumpkin sales, donations and food sales at the festival will help provide scholarships for area students.

Organizer Pat Chenery got the idea for the festival from the pumpkin festival in Keene, N.H., where record numbers of pumpkins are displayed each year. She said the event seemed like a great way “to get the whole community behind” the Dollars for Scholars program.

“I think this is an awesome event to have in our community,” she said. “It’s a family event, it’s not a kid event.”

Indeed, the adults seemed just as amazed at the collection of pumpkins as the children did. Parents lifted youngsters onto their shoulders to point out pirates, witches, spiders and bats among the carved pumpkins. Sixteen pumpkins spelled out the words “OH Gymnastics Plus.” There were hundreds of variations on the classic jack-o’-lantern face.

How many pumpkins? The person who was able to answer that question won dinner for two at Maurice French Restaurant and a massage for two at Western Maine Therapeutic Massage. The final total of carved pumpkins was 451. The closest guess was made by Russ Florenz of Oxford, with a guess of 450 pumpkins.

Jessica Grover won a jack-o’-lantern themed quilt made by Virginia Wilson. Two other winners will be announced Monday.