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Tips for hosting the spookiest pumpkin carving party
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Top tips for decor, music, selecting pumpkins, and more!
Did you know that, botanically speaking, pumpkin is a fruit? Grown on every continent but Antarctica, the pumpkin was once thought to be a cure-all for freckles and snakebites. (Psst! Consider planning your party after 2009 Pumpkinmania! at The Heritage Museum of Orange County.)
Here are some tips for hosting your pumpkin party!
- Fill a wheelbarrow with pumpkins and place it by the door so guests can choose a pumpkin to carve as they come to the party. (Crunched for time? Have guests bring a hollowed pumpkin with them to the party!)
- Choosing the perfect specimen: Examine the pumpkin’s rind; It should be firm, uniform in color, and free of cuts, bruises, and blemishes. Give the pumpkin a knock; A thumping sound means the pumpkin is solid, with no internal defects, rot, or soft spots.
- Decorate Halloween themed brown paper bags–Make enough for each guest. Fill each bag with inexpensive pumpkin-carving tools, a tea light, and a permanent black marker. (Or substitute poster paints, if your party guests are very young.)
- If using a candle to illuminate your pumpkin, you can create the smell of Halloween spice by sprinkling cinnamon, nutmeg, and pumpkin spice on the underside of the jack-o’-lantern’s lid. Once lit, the pumpkin will create a wonderful scent.
- Download free pumpkin carving patterns and have several copies on hand.
- Create a centerpiece using a large pumpkin surrounded by colorful autumn leaves. Use a drill to make holes around the top and sides of the pumpkin, and fill the holes with caramel apples or lollipops for guests to enjoy!
- Cover your work surface with newspapers or a vinyl tablecloth.
Party music to carve by…
- “Beetlejuice: Main Titles,” composed by Danny Elfman
- “Ghostbusters,” Ray Parker Jr.
- “In the Midnight Hour,” Wilson Pickett
- “I Put a Spell on You,” Nina Simone
- “I Want Candy,” Bow Wow Wow
- “Spooky,” the Classics IV
- “That Old Black Magic,” Ella Fitzgerald
- “Thriller,” Michael Jackson
- “Werewolves of London,” Warren Zevon
- “Witchcraft,” Frank Sinatra
For more info: This is the ideal time to begin planning your very own Pumpkin Carving Party! Jack-o-lanterns can only survive 5-7 days once cut, so choose your date and send your invites soon!
The 2009 Pumpkinmania will be located at The Heritage Museum of Orange County on
Oct 25, 2009 8:30 am - 2:00 pm (Sunday). 3101 West Harvard Street, Santa Ana, CA 92704.
Oct 25, 2009 8:30 am - 2:00 pm (Sunday). 3101 West Harvard Street, Santa Ana, CA 92704.
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