A surprised, one-eyed pumpkin won the People’s Choice Award at the Orange Volunteer Fire Department’s first pumpkin-carving contest.
Adria Boyle won the top prize. She carved the face into the surface of the pumpkin. And to make it just a little more Halloween-scary, the missing eye – a chunk of stringy pumpkin – sits on the bench in front of the winning gourd.
Other winners included:
Brynn Panapada, Happiest pumpkin
Kate Panapada, Cutest pumpkin
Chloe Clemens, Prettiest pumpkin
Helene Flynn, Best traditional pumpkin
Silas Hill, Most hungry pumpkin
Kaury and Ian Kucera, Most intricate pumpkin
Zoe Kucera, Most adorable pumpkin
Melissa Parniawski, Spookiest pumpkin
Orange Children’s Dentistry, Most unusual pumpkin
Mia Quoka, Most athletic pumpkin
Greyson Fatone, Most team-spirited pumpkin
All winners received a certificate and more importantly, had fun.
“We created this contest to give people a little extra fun during a Halloween season during which the nouveau coronavirus prevented a lot of traditional activities,” said Rob Panapada, the Orange firefighter who created and coordinated the program. “All the participants said they had a good time. We hope the Orange Pumpkin Blaze will become a new Orange tradition.”