happy halloween

         Today, for your pumpkin pleasure, I bring you the Carefree Pumpkin Festival...in photos!

Ray Villafane, the Food Network pumpkin carving champ and now a famous sand sculptor, lives in our area and we are lucky enough to have this pumpkin display for the second year. 

                                 It's creative, imaginative and a really gourd Halloween treat!

You may remember this pumpkin display from last year. They are real carved pumpkins suspended in fake saguaro cactus filled with a vinegar solution to preserve them. These are new carved designs.           This one with the little frog holding a pumpkin seed daisy was my favorite!

Most of the pumpkins that are sitting around are the plastic ones, which surprises me that they can carve such detail in them.

        As you walk through the gardens there are vignettes featuring the pumpkins. Jumper!

                          Another amazing real pumpkin...the detail is incredible!

                           A struggling weight lifter.

                                                                   A creepy octopus.

                                                  High diver.

                                                  Oh.... and this.

                    It truly is unbelievable how they can get so much detail carved into a pumpkin!

                 They do carving demonstrations each night. This guy was on display.

                                                                 As was this duo.

                                                             Another vignette.

                                 
                               This was one of our favorites from the carved demonstration pumpkins. Zipper!

                        This is part of the western town. A covered wagon pulled by horses!

                                                               The barn.

                    The doctor's office. Upstairs a baby was born. Downstairs...well, you know.

                     A desert pumpkin display has to feature one of our favorite critters...the bobcat!

                                 This poor pumpkin did not survive the hanging.

                                                           This one was ugly.

 Speaking of ugly.... another desert critter...the javelina. 

   And what Halloween Festival would not be complete without a corn maze, This is how it is done here in Arizona I guess. They have to truck in snow for the winter festival and inflate a corn maze for the fall festival!

Yep...that's what happens when it is still in the 80's!

                                                    Have a Happy Halloween!
                                                       No tricks...more treats!




                                            Witch carved pumpkin was your favorite?

                                                       What did the broom say?

                                                   Sorry I'm late.... I overswept.