The Lisbon High School Drama Club perform a musical number at the 2019 Harvest Festival from their public performance of “Annie, The Musical”

Lisbon’s harvest festival is making its return this month after being canceled last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The festival is a community fall tradition held before Halloween. Now in its 12th year, it aims at providing an opportunity to local nonprofit organizations to conduct games and other activities to raise funds for their programs.

“It has always been an event to help benefit our local nonprofit groups like Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, school groups, masons, and other drama clubs,” said festival coordinator Lynette Carver. “The festival is geared towards those groups.”

Events at the festival include a costume parade for children, pumpkin carving, pie-eating contests, raffles and other activities.

The most exciting part of the festival is the car raffle, said Carver.

The Lisbon High School Class of 2023 is raising money by raffling off a 2011 Chrysler 200 convertible car at the event, and all proceeds will benefit the class. The car was donated by Crafts Cars of Lisbon. The students have been carrying out the raffling tradition for the last eight years now.

The event is free to attend, and masks are not required at the venue. However, hand sanitizers and masks will be available.

“Everything is still pretty traditional. As far as COVID-19 goes, we are not making masks mandatory. People can wear masks if that is what they feel comfortable with, but it is not something that we are requiring,” said Carver.

About eight nonprofits have signed up for the event so far. However, Carver said she expects the number to increase in the coming days.

The tickets for various activities are priced at 50 cents each. According to Carver, people must purchase the tickets at the ticket table first and then participate in the activities.

“The festival has a little bit of something for everyone, not just for the kids,” said Carver. “It’s encouraging to feel like we are getting back to normal. The festival is just a fun family tradition event that folks look forward to each year, and I think everyone will be happy with its return.”

The festival is organized by Positive Change Lisbon, a nonprofit organization of business owners, citizens, and government officials who work together to improve the town.

The event will be held Oct. 30 from 3 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. behind the MTM Rec Center on 18 School Street in Lisbon Falls. There is no alternate rain date this year.

For more details, email positivechangelisbon@gmail.com