A Sweet Halloween Contest Memory of Dad

My husband and I went shopping for some Halloween decorations over the weekend. As I stood amongst the plastic skeletons, battery-operated jack-o’-lanterns, and cinnamon brooms, a memory from my childhood popped into my head. I hadn't thought about it in several years.

When I was in elementary school, around fifth or sixth grade, my building had a pumpkin carving contest. We had to do the carving at home under parental supervision, but we brought the fruits of our labor to school for judging. I don’t remember if the teachers judged or if it was decided by popular vote.

I didn’t win much back then. I was never the first one picked for a team, and I didn’t excel in academics or the arts. I was average at just about everything. Well, I wanted to win the pumpkin carving contest more than I had wanted anything else. Halloween was my favorite holiday, and I wanted whatever the school had for a prize.

I approached the most artistic person I knew for help – my dad. Most people remember him as being able to fix about anything that broke and one of the best dump truck drivers around, but he had hidden talents. Dad had quite an artistic streak. He could paint, draw, and work magic with a wood lathe.

We sat down at the kitchen table and discussed how we wanted to turn our pumpkin into a jack-o’-lantern. He drew the face with a black marker and asked if I had any changes. I remember telling him that something was missing, but I didn't know what. He thought for a moment and then gave our orange friend a pair of eyebrows. 

It was the perfect addition, and Dad commenced to carving. I wasn’t allowed to wield the knife; my job was to remove the innards and separate the seeds from the pulp. We wasted nothing. Pumpkin bread was a rare treat and the first thing I thought about when I chose my pumpkin.

I was extremely proud of my jack-o’-lantern as I climbed the school bus steps the morning of the contest. I remember looking around and seeing at least half a dozen other entries on the bus that morning. We all smiled a little bit more than usual thanks to the grinning gourds.

The school day dragged by slowly as we anxiously awaited the contest results. The teachers finally allowed us to race to the gym for the results shortly before school dismissed for the day. My entry didn’t win, but I received my very first honorable mention.

When I took my certificate home to show Dad how we did, he laughed at what it said. Dad and I won our honorable mention for “cute eyebrows”.  I don’t remember exactly what he said, but it was something along the lines of always being sure to add character to a piece of art.

As an adult, I carved pumpkins with my step-kids once or twice. Unfortunately, I couldn’t achieve that special character the way Dad did. Perhaps it’s time to try again. I might have better luck with the grandkids.

As for our shopping, my husband and I came home with a two-foot tall witched decked out in an orange and black dress and holding a fuzzy spider. It's the perfect addition to our modest Halloween decor.

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