I’ve not been to New Hampshire and likely won’t think about the place again until the next batch of presidential candidates trek up there to kick off that horse race.

I also hadn’t planned a Halloween theme in this space for another week. But the two thoughts merged as unexpectedly as the full-on riot over the weekend at a seemingly serene annual event there.

Keene, a community in the southwestern part of the state, hosts a shindig this time of year in which the local community tries to set a world record for the largest number of carved and lighted jack-o-lanterns in one place. What’s lit and displayed are given to pig farmers for food, and the deal seems to be pretty simple.

This year’s event was held near Keene State College, a small university with roughly the same enrollment as Mississippi College. That in itself probably wasn’t a bad idea, but I’m certain organizers weren’t aware they were about to be hit by the perfect storm that is young people with no brains and access to social media.

How did it go from town-folk and pumpkins to riot police and rubber bullets? The clearest account on Monday came off the website The Daily Beast.

Police and firefighters started receiving reports Friday of small, raucous parties in neighborhoods near the festival. These soon blossomed like Gremlins when you get them wet — according to the old movie — into more rolling disturbances that turned into one big ol’ dumpster fire of a gathering at a house being used by a Massachusetts-based “entertainment company” called Finna Rage. They’re known in the cyber world for throwing “pop-up” parties on college campuses, then filming the chaos that follows and posting them online.

“The field was just full of people, had to have been at least 1,500,” Dana Colson told a reporter. Colson manages three properties next to the field where the website says “much of the trouble started.”

“They were throwing bottles up in the air, not caring where they landed. It was just a mess…I saw bottles being thrown into people’s faces…I saw one kid with a compound fracture to his leg. I saw the bone sticking out of his leg. And he refused medical treatment.”

If throwing pumpkins and beer bottles at riot cops aren’t crazy enough, here’s a quote from a Steven French, who told The Keene Sentinel, the town’s local paper, that he was visiting from Haverhill, Mass.

“It’s (expletive) wicked,” said Steven French, reported by the paper to be 18 years old. “It’s just like a rush. You’re revolting from the cops…It’s a blast to do things that you’re not supposed to do.”

I couldn’t help but think back to the case of Latarian Milton, the precocious eight-year-old from Palm Beach, Fla. who became a YouTube sensation in 2008 when he stole his grandmother’s SUV and caused several thousand dollars in damages in his wake. He told a TV reporter these gems — I want to do because it’s fun. It’s fun to do bad things. I wanted to do hoodrat stuff with my friends.” That child was black; many of the Pumpkin Kids were white. Idiocy knows no borders — age, race or otherwise.

Keene police on Monday said they’d set up a task force to look into the violent disturbance that marred the otherwise staid annual pumpkin festival. The Beast reported at least 30 injured and 25 taken to hospitals to treat broken bones from flying beer bottles, fights, jumps from rooftops and other traumas. New Hampshire Gov. Maggie Hassan called on the state’s colleges and universities to “take swift action to hold students involved accountable.”

Folks, I like my sports, a good craft beer and a good festival every now and again. But, I guess I was raised right after all because I never thought a rebellion was worth jail time. On the other hand, I couldn’t promise a calm result if I was on my out of a street festival and I found my car flipped over by some bunch of rebels without a clue.

I just might form a company called Finna Fight.

•

Danny Barrett is a reporter and can be reached by email at danny.barrett@vicksburgpost.com or by phone at 601-636-4545.