THE PUMPKIN PATCH
By Paul Wade in Essentially America (2002)

Come the autumn and every American front stoop displays a giant pumpkin, soaking up the last rays of the sun. Its 'face' is usually carved into a wicked grin or a malevolent scowl, but whatever the mood, pumpkins are a wonderful excuse for a party. Here are a couple of my favourites:

PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND
Eating pumpkins is not enough for some folk. They have to make them in to an art form. For 14 years, New England's Jack O' Lantern Spectacular has grown from a jolly local event to a festival of fun. This year, Providence's Roger Williams Park Zoo plays host, with 30 professional pumpkin carvers producing 5,000 pumpkins during the last three weeks of October. From 6pm to 11pm, the sculptures are specially illuminated. In the past, creative carvers have come up with Bugs Bunny, Mickey Mouse, Abe Lincoln, Harry Potter and Martin Luther King. Jack O' Lantern Spectacular, Roger Williams Park Zoo, Providence, Rhode Island, tel: 001 (401) 785 3510

KEENE, NEW HAMPSHIRE
Bring your own carved pumpkin and a candle and help set a new world record. Back in 1991, locals lit up a world record - 600 carved pumpkins in Downtown Keene. Visitors joined the challenge, and by 1994, they had pushed the record to more than 10,000. In 2000, they set the current world record (recognised by Guinness) of 23,727. So, now's your chance. Grab your pumpkin and a candle, and make for Keene, two hours from Boston, on Saturday, October 26. They want to smash their own world record by lighting up 'the Most Jack O' Lanterns in One Place at One Time' - 25,000!

Downtown Keene Pumpkin Festival, Keene, New Hampshire, tel: 001 (603) 358 5344