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| 10/13/23 Sally, the larger vandalized pumpkin, is in the background. Her smaller sister is in front. |
About a month ago, I sketched Jack Skellington, the
Maple Leaf neighborhood’s biggest pumpkin. Already 775 pounds at the time, he
was still growing. Looking forward to a neighborhood weigh-in event around
Halloween like the one last year, I followed the growers’ Instagram
account to keep tabs on him.
Then the bad news came: Sally, one of the smaller pumpkins, had been vandalized. In addition, visitors had been touching and sitting on Jack, causing enough damage that the pumpkin was getting soft and wouldn’t last until Halloween. Sadly, Jack had to be carved prematurely, though owners lit him to give the block a festive look for a couple of nights.
Saddened by the news, I visited quickly the next morning to see Jack carved. His final weight (before carving) was 790 pounds! Jack would have been fun to sketch, but I wanted to honor injured Sally and her smaller sister before they had to be carved, too.
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| Jack Skellington, now without innards, gets into the holiday spirit. |
I hate when people ruin things that should be fun for everyone. Glad you at least got to sketch these.
ReplyDeleteYeah, it was very sad for the growers who put so much work into tending their huge pumpkins every year.
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