BUXTON – Searing temperatures didn’t stop Buxton from a good time at the town’s community days last weekend, but left the event organizer hoping for cooler temperatures next year.

Tasha Pinkham, Buxton recreation director, said Tuesday that overall attendance at last weekend’s event dipped a bit because of the heat.

“We definitely had bursts” (of attendance), Pinkham said.

The annual Buxton Community Days got under way on July 19 and attendance lagged a bit in the evening.

“It was very warm,” Pinkham said.

The temperatures soared into the 90s on Saturday and Pinkham said the humidity was 72 percent. The annual road race on July 20 drew a record 50 entries, and despite the temperature and humidity, Pinkham said there were no injuries or heat issues.

Featuring town department heads, the dunk tank was a new event and popular this year. The tank kept officials cool while raising $150 for the town’s Keep the Heat On program, which provides winter fuel assistance for the town’s elderly.

“I was dunked a lot,” Pinkham said.

She said Saturday’s 45-minute long parade attracted a big turnout along its route and Saturday night events drew a crowd. She said the Delta Knights were “great” and the fireworks capped the festival and held the crowd. “The fireworks were amazing,” Pinkham said.

The annual event also included the Dorcas Society fair on the lawn at the Tory Hill Church, where lunch was served under a tent. On the green at Helen Bruce Park, Ray and Carol Chavarie of Windsor were Revolutionary War re-enactors and periodically fired a cannon, amusing all ages.

Lou Emery, a native son who traces his ancestry to a Buxton settler in 1750, said the town’s community days were first held in 1972 and the event was then named Buxton-Hollis Old Home Days. The year marked the 200th anniversary of Buxton’s incorporation as a town in 1772.

For next year’s event, Pinkham’s plea is for more moderate temperatures like in the 70-degree range.

“I’m hoping for a cool year” for the event, Pinkham said.

These four Buxton girls are shopping for handmade, miniature characters called “Squeezums” at Peggy Brisco’s booth at the Dorcas Society Fair. The four, from left, are Emily Girard, Jaeli MacDonald, Maya MacDonald, and Delia Havu.The Saco River Jazz Ensemble entertains under a tent on the midway in Saturday’s sweltering heat during Buxton Community Days.