Pumpkins on parade

By JON MOFFETT

Vindicator Staff Writer

Dozens of carved pumpkins

and happy kids provided plenty of big grins at Lynn Kirk Elementary School. Students used their creativity to carve, paint and design pumpkins Friday as part of the Austintown school’s annual Pumpkin Pageant contest. About 35 pumpkins were entered and judged in three categories: carved, designed and kid’s creation.

Pumpkins of all shapes, sizes – and quantities – were used for displays. Some included multiple pumpkins, like a three-tiered snowman and a caterpillar made of five pumpkins.

Three winners and an honorable mention were selected by two guest judges from The Vindicator.

Alana Bowser, 8, a third-grader, won the best design category with her pumpkin carved like an apple core – complete with worm. The pumpkin was cut in half horizontally and separated by a plastic tube that served as the core. She painted pumpkin seeds black and glued them to the tube to look like apple seeds.

Winning the carved competition was Alexis Ellinos, 7 and a first-grader, who carved a bat into her pumpkin.

The kid’s creation winner was second-grader Matthew Smutney, 8. His pumpkin was painted brown and made to look like Mr. Owl from the Tootsie Pop commercials. The honorable mention was given to first-grader Christian Cosa, 6, who painted his pumpkin white and carved out a face to look like Jack Skellington from “The Nightmare Before Christmas.”

Winners received Wal-Mart gift cards, and all students were given treat bags.

Alana said the process for her elaborate pumpkin, which was her idea, took about an hour.

“We had to paint it, and then we had to cut it all around,” she said. “And my dad had a pipe so we glued it in. And we had these seeds from the pumpkin, so we painted them and glued them on.”

Matthew said his pumpkin took about an hour and a half and he found the idea online. He said his favorite part was the Tootsie Pop in the owl’s mouth.

Alexis’ design was stenciled on and then cut out.

“We bought a book [of stencils], and then I picked it out because I like bats,” she said. “I like bats because they’re a part of Halloween and it’s coming up.”

Christian talked about carving the eyes for his pumpkin and reaching in to remove the seeds. He said the contents were “squishy,” and he likes to play with them.

The event was sponsored by the Lynn Kirk Parent Teacher Association. Jennifer Ellinos, vice president of the organization, said the displays showed the children’s creativity.

“It shows a lot of artistic skills and shows that these kids are really creative,” she said. “They come in and bring their pumpkins in, and they just have a glow about them. They just gloat about their pumpkins and they’re really proud of them.”

jmoffett@vindy.com