The Pumpkin Festival Returns to Somersworth Plaza on Saturday. The Plaza Is the Bigger Story.

The 23rd annual Somersworth Pumpkin Festival runs Saturday, October 10, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Somersworth Plaza on Main Street. If you remember the plaza as a row of mostly dark windows, take another look on your way to the hayrides. The largest units are being refilled, and the new tenants didn't come from a regional chain or an outside developer. They are Somersworth businesses that moved a few blocks from Market Street.

That changes what the festival is set against this year. The Somersworth Festival Association began in 1981 to "stimulate the involvement of city residents in the revitalization of Somersworth." Forty-five years later, its fall festival is being held in a plaza where that revitalization is happening right now.

Saturday at the Plaza

Here is what to bring and what to expect, per the Somersworth Festival Association and the city's September newsletter:

• Admission: a $10 bracelet per child, cash only. Adults are free when they're with a child.
• Food: food is also cash only.
• Activities: pumpkin decorating, scarecrow making, pumpkin crafts, family photos, hayrides, games and a food court.
• Entertainment: Bad Breath Microphone, Sole City Dance and Tricky Dick's Magic Show.
• Costumes: children in costume are entered in a costume raffle.
• Weather: the festival goes on rain or shine.

Because both the bracelet and the food are cash only, a stop at the ATM on the way is the one bit of planning that matters.

Who Actually Owns the Plaza

Somersworth Plaza at 85 Main St. has an unusual ownership setup. The city owns the facade, the parking lot and a small road behind the building. Each occupied unit is owned by its own business owner, and the vacant units are owned and marketed by their current owners.

So the city can repaint the front and fix the stairs, but it can't sign a tenant. Only unit owners can fill the plaza. Don Berrios, who owns two units there, called the arrangement "strange" in a May interview with Foster's Daily Democrat. He added, "But maybe if the city is willing to put a bit of money here, we can make this a special place once again."

The city has used the tools it has. It is paying for the outside of the building, and it granted 79E property tax relief to help a business renovate inside. The two biggest moves this year show how far that has gone.

The Two Biggest Units Came From Market Street

Both new anchors are taking the larger end units of the plaza.

Nostos MMA is owned by Devin and Carol-Linn Powell. Devin is a retired mixed martial arts fighter who competed in the UFC. Their new space was once Lucky's, an Asian market, and had been empty since 2018. The Powells received a five-year property tax relief term under the 79E program, and city officials put the renovation cost at more than $200,000. In April, Powell said the new facility would have eight bathrooms and six showers, compared with two of each on Market Street. He also said the plaza's parking lot solves a problem the gym "has always had" at its old location. The opening was targeted for May 27. The gym's own schedule page later posted a June 2026 class schedule and told first-time visitors they could "just come on in."

LivWell Market is a Greek market owned by Costos Hasiotis, who has lived in Somersworth about 10 years with his wife and business partner, Jessica. In May he said the plaza space would get a second kitchen for prepared meals and a large walk-in cooler for grab-and-go food. The opening menu would include Greek rice bowls, soups, salads and gyros, with no alcohol at first. Later, he hopes to hire a head chef and add a Greek tavern, "dimly lit, with quiet music." In May he was aiming for mid-to-late summer. The LivWell site now says it is returning in fall 2026, with no exact date. Don't count on picking up a gyro there after the festival, but check the site for updates.

City Manager David Moore described the pattern this way:

"What is telling and promising is both of the new tenants are existing Somersworth businesses who are moving to the plaza to build their futures. That's a robust vote of confidence in what is happening in Somersworth."

Moore also put the plaza in context, describing it as once supported by spending from the downtown mills and industrial employers, then home over the years to grocery stores, restaurants and even brewing operations as owners looked for new uses for older retail space. A gym and a Greek market are the latest version of that search, and both come from businesses that already had customers in town.

The Owner Who Stayed

The new arrivals are joining a business that never left. Toys from the Attic marked its 26th anniversary this year, 24 of those years at the plaza. Owner Don Berrios has long pushed for help to keep the plaza viable. Main Street Laundromat and Happy City, a Chinese takeout restaurant, are also in the plaza.

Berrios's own expansion matches the larger story. Besides his shop, he owns a former dry-cleaning unit that he is turning into a gaming space. In an August interview with Kineticist, updated in September, he said most of the pinball machines will eventually move next door. That room will have pinball up front and a TV area for viewing parties in back, plus a band practice space behind a garage door. He was still waiting on an installation date for that door and still needed an emergency exit. He said he has been working on the project for about five years and did most of the work himself. Until it's finished, the pinball machines, mostly premium Stern models, sit at the back of the shop behind the records, cards and action figures.

What the City's Money Covers

On September 15, 2025, the Somersworth City Council voted 7–0 to spend up to $55,000 on the parts of the plaza the city owns. Moore said the goal was to support existing tenants and change how people see a property known for its long decline.

The work has come in stages:

1. Fall 2025: damaged trees were removed, new trees planted and overgrown vegetation cleared.
2. Winter: part of the work was postponed when winter arrived.
3. Spring 2026: the April 20 council minutes list repairs to concrete walkways and the facade, new signage, and improvements along Main Street and the Washington Street side of the plaza. The plaza sign would be taken down and replaced so the facade could be painted.
4. May 2026: Moore said facade painting was slated to begin the week of May 11. He also listed other improvements, including a repainted plaza sign, sidewalk cleaning, stair repairs, new fire lane markings, and repair or replacement of benches along Main Street, but didn't give dates for them.

We haven't found any public notice that the full list of work is finished. Saturday is a good chance to see for yourself how much has changed since spring. Mayor Matthew Gerding said the city wants to "invest some resources here" and to work with any new businesses considering the plaza.

After the Pumpkins

The Festival Association and the city have more planned before winter:

• October 17, 9 a.m. to noon: the Somersworth Fire Department's Fire Prevention Open House at 195 Maple St. Public Works, Stewart's Ambulance, the State Fire Marshal's Office and comfort dog Cara will also be there.
• October 22, 3 to 4 p.m.: City Hall Trick or Treat for ages 3 to 5. Registration through Somersworth Recreation is required, and space is limited.
• October 24, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.: Harvest Craft Fair at Somersworth High School. Admission is free, and food in the cafetorium is cash only.
• November 22, doors at 11 a.m.: the Penny Sale at Somersworth High School, 11 Memorial Drive. Main raffle items are called starting at 3 p.m.
• December 5, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.: Holiday Craft Fair at Somersworth High School.

One road note if you're heading to the plaza from the south side of the city: as of the city's September 25 newsletter, water main work on lower Indigo Hill Road, between Main Street and Rita Road, was still underway and expected to be substantially complete in mid-November. For more fall outings with kids nearby, our guide to things to do with kids in Dover is about a ten-minute drive away. Our Somersworth neighborhood page covers the rest of the city.

If you own a home near Main Street and have been watching the plaza fill up, I'd be glad to talk about what that change means for your corner of Somersworth, whether you're curious about your home's value or just want a local perspective. Jeanette Bandouveres is a phone call away. Let's Connect.

This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.