Carve or be Carved
This is a little late but the annual pumpkin carving contest at Eckerd College took place on Wednesday Oct. 29 at 4 p.m. Students and families gathered at Hough Quad for the 2014’s “Carve or be Carved,” sponsored by Palmetto Productions, Residence Life and Campus Activities.
There were about 400 pumpkins to choose from ranging in size and shape. Picnic tables covered with orange tablecloths filled Hough Quad, and plastic bags to save carved out pumpkin seeds were given out.
Students who tried to take home pumpkins without carving them first were criticized. After all, the point of the event was to carve the pumpkins as a community, meet new people, and enjoy the fall season.
Palmetto Productions supplied some basic tool kits, markers, and stencils to aid in the carving process. The tool kit included plastic scoopers, scrapers, saws, drills, and pounce wheels. The majority of carvers seemed to use their own imagination or Pinterest ideas rather than the supplied templates.
At 5:30 p.m. students wishing to enter their jack-o’-lanterns in the contest were told to place them up on the hay of the festive decoration in the center of the quad. Several members of Palmetto productions judged the competition, and each chose their favorites to be considered for the top three.
The third place pumpkin was a merry-go-round that displayed a unique open top with ridges. Second place, carved by Isabella Ruffino had two sea horses carved out facing each other, which was of course popular with the Eckerd crowd. First place went to Sierra Healy whose pumpkin depicted a portrait of the Mona Lisa.
Erich Schrader placed second at the 2013 “Carve or be Carved” contest. “This year there were definitely a lot more contestants and the competition was on a higher level than last year,” he said.
Those who made the first cut were awarded tickets to the Pick Your Poison ball on Friday October 31st. First, second, and third place winners were given the choice of movie tickets or Pick Your Poison tickets.
Pumpkin carving has been a Halloween tradition for over 700 years, believed to have originated in Ireland. Pumpkins don’t grow in Ireland, so they started with carving turnips, beets and rutabagas before the tradition was brought to America where pumpkins were recognized as a better option. The idea of the jack-o’-lantern is to ward off evil spirits, so the first carvings were strictly terrifying faces.
There was some confusion about the starting time of the event, which may have thrown off some of the competitors. Original emails stated that the carving would begin at 4pm on Wednesday, but an email sent out by Lova Patterson a few hours prior to the event said “Oct. 29th at 4:30pm.” The event ended up starting at 4pm.
In addition to the pumpkins there was also candy apples provided in the seating area in front of the pub. There was the choice of red or green apple slices and and crushed walnuts nuts for toppings.
The Pet Life committee had a table set up for pet owners to register their four pawed friends into their costume contest, and they were giving out pet life pens.
Many students took home a zip lock bag of raw pumpkin’s seeds. Pumpkin seeds make a tasty treat if prepared properly. Simply wash them, boil them with salt for 10 minutes, and roast at 325°F for 10 minutes. Optionally, a drizzle of olive oil and some cumin or chili powder before roasting and it will add some flavor.
Overall “Carve or be Carved” was a great community-building event with a slightly competitive twist that contributed to the Halloween spirit on campus. It showed that you’re never too old for pumpkin carving.