ANNAPOLIS, Md. — I was walking in Annapolis early one night, when my eyes beheld an orange sight.
For a pumpkin, from its slab, had googly eyes, and suddenly, to my surprise: They did the pumpkin mash. Or, more accurately, mashed the pumpkin.
Several local artists carved giant pumpkins in Annapolis on Friday, including Christopher Pagent, who created a crab with fangs.
Among those enjoying them Friday evening - Robin and Donna Schmidt. The Schmidts did a scavenger hunt of the pumpkins, scattered throughout the city.
"It's hard to believe that they can carve what they carve," Robin said.
Annapolis has eight giant pumpkins this year, four of which weigh over a thousand pounds. It's the most the city has had since it started the tradition four years ago.
Erik Evans, executive director of the Downtown Annapolis Partnership, tells WMAR they bid for the pumpkins nine hours away in Pennsylvania, and get them all to the city via truck and forklift.
"We had six artists, we had two artists who carved more than one pumpkin," Evans told WMAR, "But they each came up with their own unique designs - a lot of times, they can't decide until they see the pumpkin, and get a feel for its shape and decide what they want to put on it."
The pumpkins weigh anywhere from 300 to 1700 pounds.
Artists have worked since Friday morning to craft their designs, and they draw quite a crowd.
"We haven't had any car accidents yet, but there's a lot of head turning," Mayor Gavin Buckley said. "A lot of people going slowly by because they are not used to using pumpkins this size."
The pumpkins can be found at the following locations:
Graduate Annapolis Hotel next to FinArt Gallery
Annapolis Visitors Center
St. Anne's Episcopal Church
Maryland Inn
Maryland Avenue at State Circle
Market Space
Annapolis Waterfront Hotel
Boatyard Bar & Grill
