Carving Out Tradition

The tradition of carving designs into pumpkins is nothing new. This tradition originally came to the United States from Ireland and Scotland, where families carved faces into turnips and potatoes, placing them in windows and doors to frighten away evil spirits. The pumpkin, native to America, was a welcome addition to this tradition and is what we use today as our canvas for the annual, and highly celebrated Punkin’ Cuttin’ contest.

Every year there is a grand celebration held in South Galuckiville on the week before Halloween. Friends and family gather to eat, drink, carve pumpkins, and tell stories about their creative masterpieces. The competition was fierce and the inspiration endless at the 41st Annual Punkin’ Cuttin’ Contest, where coworkers, friends, and family members were pitted against each other in a long-standing battle to win the coveted Punkin’ Cuttin’ Trophy.

The rules are simple:

1.) Carving

Each person must carve their pumpkin. Youth (anyone age 12 and under) must carve their own pumpkin. Children under 6 years of age may have an adult assist in cutting the pumpkin BUT the child must draw the lines and adult MUST follow the lines drawn by the child. The should be no adult interpretation of “what the child meant to draw.”

 2.) A Punkin’ Patch

A “Punkin Patch” is two or more pumpkins carved by two or more people but are considered a single entry.

3.) Voting

YOU CANNOT VOTE FOR YOUR OWN PUMPKIN. Vote for the most creative pumpkin and the best presentation of the pumpkin. Your family will still love you if you don’t vote for their pumpkin. Each attendee can vote for one adult entry and one youth entry.

This year’s competition featured many worthy entries, including “Scare-stream trailer,” the “Birdcage,” the “Infinity Gauntlet,” and this year’s winner, carved by Playback Now’s own Matt Galucki, “Shuttle Pumpkin.” Competitors do their best to hide the designs and plans for their pumpkins from prying eyes and often set up their carving stations in corners and nooks to keep their pumpkin secrets safe. Go Big or Gourd Home.

Happy Halloween from our faBOOlous team here at Playback Now!