Support your local festivals - Reason #42

Good example of why it pays to support local festivals. Canada's other Windsor seems to have the right idea.

The ninth Windsor-West Hants Pumpkin Regatta was the busiest yet, with 49 competitors in the paddling division.

But the race also went high profile with a number of media outlets on hand. A reporter from The Wall Street Journal flew into Nova Scotia to cover the race. He said he picked Windsor because he believed it was the largest pumpkin race in North America.

The show Glutton for Punishment on the Food Network was filming the event. Host Bob Blumer had bet Leo Swinimer Sr. that he would take his title. When Swinimer won, Blumer presented Swinimer with the rewards of the bet - a coffee and box of donuts from Tim Hortons.
"As soon as I met him I knew he would be no challenge," joked Swinimer.

Former Boston Bruins Bob Sweeney and Cleon Daskalakis also took part in the race as part of a show for the New England Sports Network. - Paul McLeod

The earned media for this event is worth it's weight in gold. By the time you add in local and regional media, you have PR worth tens if not hundreds of thousands of dollars.