CRANFORD, NJ — Don’t let those spooky-looking heads lit in the darkness scare you; it’s that time of year once again for the Great Pumpkin Carve Out at Hanson Park in Cranford.
“It was awesome,” said Deb Leber, president of Jersey Central Art Studios, which runs the Great Pumpkin Carve Out, in an interview with Union County LocalSource on Monday, Oct. 24. “We had 3,328 people attend, a record! We had a person counting how many attended. It was really busy. We had great weather.”
To put that into perspective, Leber said they had almost 2,000 people come out last year, and that was a really good number.
The 2022 Great Pumpkin Carve Out returned to Hanson Park at 38 Springfield Ave. in Cranford on Saturday, Oct. 22, and it took little time to realize why so many people were excited about this free event. Quite simply, it’s those carved pumpkins, of all shapes and sizes and spooky designs. Leber could barely contain herself.
“We display them at night,” she said. “We collect them from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and the crowds come in around 6 p.m. A movie will be playing at the same time.”
This year, perhaps in anticipation of the crowds, the famous pumpkin stroll started a little earlier, kicking off at 5:30 p.m. and still running until 9 p.m. The earlier start time also accommodated those who preferred an earlier viewing of the displays.
How did the Great Pumpkin Carve Out tradition get started?
“I had the idea back in 2013,” said Leber. “I had just finished an art event that lasted a week, the plein air event, that had about 30 artists. And I had some downtime and I was thinking of what to do next, and someone had told me there are pumpkin events here and they would just line them up. And I thought it would be nice if they were displayed. I’m a painter. It would be nice if they were displayed as their creation, like a sculpture.”
It might have ended there, except that she knew people, particularly those who took care of Hanson Park, who would be intrigued by her idea, so she decided to suggest it to them. The rest is history.
“We got our board together, and they thought it was a great idea,” said Leber. “We did our first event in 2013, and we had about 45 pumpkins. Each year, it grew and grew, and last year we had 145 pumpkins. The people would come in from all over, but primarily around here.
“This is the eighth Great Pumpkin Carve Out, which has drawn hundreds of visitors throughout the area. This is a Jersey Central Art Studios event, with tremendous support from the Cranford Jaycees. We see art as a vital component to our lives and one that will also enrich our community.”
Of course, it wouldn’t be as much fun without some prizes to go along with the stroll. Cash awards were given this year for the funniest, scariest and most original carved pumpkin, grouped by ages: 4-8, 9-16, and 17 and older. This year featured a family category, so families could submit a group effort.”
Not surprisingly, an effort such as this takes some time to prepare.
“I start working on this in August, to start pulling things together,” said Leber. “We work with the Cranford Jaycees. We have five board members, and we do other events in Cranford, but we don’t have the manpower that the Jaycees do. They pick up stuff from us to put in the park. They set up the stands in the park. They do really great stuff.
“We have a photographer that takes a picture of every pumpkin that’s submitted, and we put it online. It is a long day — I’m there from 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 at night. And the next day, we have to put everything away.”
But why Hanson Park? It’s the atmosphere, which is sometimes something straight out of a horror movie.
“It’s really a spectacular park and it suits this event,” said Leber. “It’s a spooky walk through the trees. We do landscape lighting through the park at night. We had to cancel two years, one because of the weather and one because of COVID. But we’re always looking forward to it.”
Additionally, a big-screen outdoor showing of a surprise favorite movie starts at dark every year, and people are invited to bring blankets. The movie, stroll and contest are all free. Hot cider and cookies are available for purchase.
“This year, we played ‘The Wizard of Oz.’ When I was a little kid, this time each year, it would play on our TV set,” said Leber. “So I just thought it would be cool, and everyone agreed. We didn’t announce it until the day of the event. It just adds to the excitement.”
Involvement by the township has proved essential as well.
“The police have been terrific,” Leber said. “Chief Ryan Greco had been great, the Township Committee and especially Hanson Park Conservancy. Everybody really comes together.
“This is a really unique event,” continued Leber. “I remember Westfield got in touch with us once and they wanted to know what we did and I wouldn’t tell them. It’s fabulous. Some people look forward to it every year. A woman once told me her son had gotten a prize and said he will remember it for years and years to come.”
Creating memories such as this mean a lot to Leber, but she says everything begins and ends with the people who make it happen.
“The most important people are the people who create their artworks. Some of these people work so hard. They work on this for a long time,” Leber said. “There was one woman who took this gourd and made it into the head of a serpent in a garbage can with a big tongue. The people put in so much time and effort.”
When it came time to award the prizes this year, Leber admitted it was tough.
“We give out prizes, and this year was incredibly difficult. All the big stuff was in one category, and it’s really hard to choose,” she said. “I wanted to give everyone an honorable mention because everything was so good. I’m a painter, so I know what it’s like to go to shows. People want recognition, certainly.”
Leber had nothing but praise for everyone who came out to the Great Pumpkin Carve Out: the artists, the spectators and especially the volunteers.
“All the volunteers were just tremendous,” she continued. “We had 30 volunteers who worked throughout the day and prepared, from August to the day after the event. A lot of these people volunteer with other organizations, too, and they make time for your organization.
“The two most important people are the people who submit their work and the people who make it work. We simply don’t want to just give thanks, we want to say how important your contributions are. Your contributions make this happen.”
Photos by David VanDeventer