KENNEBUNK — This was no ordinary Harvest Fest.

The annual Kennebunk festival had all of its usual attractions: Pumpkin decorating, clusters of street vendors, and the parade down Main Street, comprised of baton twirlers and children dressed in Halloween costumes.

But as Jake King brought his family to the former Mobil station lot on Saturday to pick out a pumpkin worthy of decoration, he reflected that for him, the main event of this year’s Harvest Fest had more to do with a return to normalcy.

“It’s all about the bridge,” said King. “It’s been a long summer.”

That bridge ”“ the Route 1 bridge spanning the Mousam River ”“ has been under construction since late last year. All summer long, residents and the swell of tourists who flood Kennebunk during beach season have had to deal with the headache of detours and delays, traffic jams and jackhammers.

No more. While the bridge won’t be officially open to traffic until Oct. 31, a symbolic ribbon-cutting ceremony brought festivities to a crescendo on Saturday as parents and their children, many of them dressed as superheroes and ghoulish monsters, stood on the newly built bridge and cheered the completion of the $3.3 million project.

“Of course, we don’t get to drive on it for another week,” said Al Searles, chairman of the Kennebunk Board of Selectmen, to the crowd gathered in front of Duffy’s Tavern and Grill. “But there’s light at the end of the tunnel.”

That optimism was shared by those who took part in the brief ceremony.

“We look forward to this thing being opened up,” said Town Manager Barry Tibbetts, who gave the ribbon-cutting honor to Karl Hooper, who recently retired after operating Marier’s mens shop downtown for 57 years.

Hooper said it was “fantastic” that the bridge was finally being opened, adding, “It’s about time.”

After the brief ceremony, celebration continued on the bridge as festive attendees danced along to the music of the appropriately named Kennebunk River Band.

Especially relieved to see an end to the construction were the employees of Duffy’s Tavern and Grill, which was deeply affected by the project. With work taking place just outside the business’s entrance, patrons of the establishment found themselves walking through a tight corridor to gain passage into the building, with Duffy’s on the right, and on the left, a fence shielding them from the intense construction work being done on the new bridge.

Duffy’s owner David “Duffy” Cluff said in July that business was down about 20 percent.

Cluff’s son, Chris, the vice president of business development for Duffy’s, said that while the wait has been tough for downtown businesses, it was a necessary project.

“It has been a long couple of years for residents and businesses alike,” said Chris Cluff. “But the downtown revitalization, including the new bridge, has given new life to downtown, and in the end it will be worth the trouble.”

Of course, it wasn’t all about the bridge on Saturday. Rachael Macaulay said her daughter, Kiera, is too young to appreciate the relief felt by business owners; she was too concerned with putting the best smiley face on her pumpkin in the decorating tent, grinning as she went to work with the sounds of street musicians and vendors swirling outside.

After Kiera’s masterpiece was complete, she joined the dozens of children who marched down Main Street in the parade, waving to spectators while proudly displaying her princess costume.

“It’s so cool that you can bring your children and have them be a part of the parade,” said Rachael Macaulay, adding that this year’s event seemed much bigger than the one that took place in 2010.

Between the smiling faces of children and the relief of adults yearning for an end to the detour, it was a cathartic weekend for the downtown.

“Traffic will hopefully return to normal,” said Chris Cluff. “Residents will return to downtown, and life will go on in Kennebunk.”

— Staff Writer Jeff Lagasse can be contacted at 282-1535, Ext. 319 or jlagasse@journaltribune.com.