Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular

As I explored local topics for the holidays, I received an email from AAA offering a discount to the Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular at Roger Williams Park Zoo in Providence.

I searched the event on-line and found out that you could even enjoy an all-you -can -eat BBQ buffet before the trail opens up. Unless you have a group you can’t make a reservation and tickets are on a first come/first served basis.

Seating is limited to a maximum of 250 people so it sounds like a good idea to get there early. Since today dawned bright and sunny and unseasonable warm, I decided that today was the day to try to get in. According to their web site, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday are slower than the end of the week. Of course we are in the week before Halloween so all bets are off. I am going to get there EARLY!

The web site offers this description: From Oct 7-31^st the Zoo will be transformed into a night-time wonderland with thousands of intricately carved and illuminated pumpkins every evening from 6pm-10pm. It takes a team of professional pumpkin carvers six weeks (working around the clock) to create this magical, memorable experience that has grown into one of Southern New England’s most popular autumn traditions.Sounds like a must-see to me.

I headed out at 3:30 and was at the entrance by 4:00. The ticket booth opens at 5pm so I had an hour to kill. Even though I was really early, there were already people lining up. I was 2^nd in line behind a young woman who said her 3 kids and her mother were waiting in the car. The kids were young and were napping so she was waiting in line for the family. She said she attended last year and the wait was over 2 hours so that was why she decided to get there early too.

I must say the Zoo is punctual. About 4:45 they began setting up railings and the booth attendant started setting up his computer. Still they didn’t open until exactly 5pm. By then there was a line for the BBQ from the booth to the parking lot . The other side of the entrance was also filling up with families that were just doing the pumpkin trail even though those tickets didn’t go on sale until 6pm.

At the window I presented my AAA card and received a $2.00 discount. They also had senior discounts but you can’t “PIGGY BACK” discounts (and I'm not 62 yet)so the AAA discount was fine with me.

As you enter the park you are met by a volunteer. They wait until there are about 20 people in line and then take the group to the Jambo Junction Serengeti Deck. As you walk along the path you see signs.. “You are 1 hour from the trail” then “you are 30 minutes from the trail”, the 15 minutes and so on. A nice perk of the BBQ is that when you are finished eating they let you cut in line. I confess, my motivation for going to the BBQ was that I knew if I let myself get settled in for the night that I wouldn’t go out at all and would end up missing the whole thing!
　
The BBQ was good and geared toward the kids. Even the fussiest child should be able to get their fill here. They had mashed potatoes, butternut squash, chicken wings, pulled pork, chicken fingers, hamburgers and hotdogs, 3 bean salad and corn bread.

For dessert they had really decadent brownies, hot apple cobbler, pumpkin cheesecake (that looked more like a chiffon than a cheese cake)and ice cream. They also had hot apple cider and hot chocolate along with sodas, coffee and tea and milk. I almost forgot , they had a creamy carrot ginger soup but I had plenty so skipped that. Some of the folks sitting at my picnic table said it was quite spicy.

About 7pm I headed out onto the pumpkin trail.

 Almost immediately volunteers began circulating through the crowd telling everyone “NO FLASH Photography”. When they were ignored someone turned on the PA system to make the announcement. For the most part the people around me complied. I did see some flashes but not a lot. Since there was also a prohibition on tripods getting clear pictures became quite a challenge. I used both a point and shoot and my DSLR. I got some usable pictures but they don’t do justice to the displays at all.

The trail from start to finish was probably about ½ hour and filled with a lot ooooh’s and aaahhhh’s. They had jack-o-lanterns on display everywhere, in the trees , on the pond, everywhereyou looked. There were thousands, each display more elaborate than the one before it!

Did you know there are professional pumpkin carvers? I sure didn’t but since I was never able to carve a pumpkin as a kid, I doubt if my skill level would be any better now. I think I’ll skip that as a possible sideline.
The web site gives these tips for carving a great Jack-O-Lantern

　
How to Carve a Spectacular Jack-O-Lantern at Home
Probably the most frequently asked questions about the Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular have to do with carving technique – what are the secrets of the Spectacular’s expert carvers? Here are some tips from the experts on how to get crafty with pumpkin carving.
Carve the hole and gut your jack o’ lantern from the bottom of the pumpkin, not at the top. This will provide more stability for your jack o’ lantern as it gets softer and it will make it much easier to light.
Use the features of your particular pumpkin to your advantage. For example, if the pumpkin has a long, curly stem, place the pumpkin on its side and use the stem as a nose.
Use a specialized carving tool, such as those used in ceramics, to peel the pumpkin skin in different thicknesses to make for more detail, rather than just carving holes into the pumpkin.
Practice peeling more or less of the skin away. By peeling different thicknesses of the rind away, you can create a 3-D shading effect when the light shines through.
Use markers to draw your design before you carve and to provide detailing to the finished carving.
To help your pumpkins stay fresh longer, spray the outside with a diluted bleach solution. (Of course, this means there will be no pumpkin pie made from that pumpkin later!) All in all this could easily become a Halloween tradition. I do wish they would have “photographer’s Night” where they let us use Tripods and different flash techniques. A lot of much photographed sites are starting to do that because of the growth of the hobby. If they do that that can definitely count me in!