Pumpkin carving is no longer a mere kindergarten craft.
A growing number of communities are recruiting ice sculptors, tile makers, and graphic designers for pumpkin carving contests. At the Bucks County, Pa., Pumpkin Fest last weekend, one artisan transformed a 100-pound pumpkin into Van Gogh's Starry Night. We spend too much time thinking art only happens on a canvas. Instead of cutting holes into the pumpkin, serious squash sculptors often carve from within or cut into the orange rind without puncturing the flesh. Both techniques enable them to make more intricate designs and also to create a lampshade effect once the pumpkin is lit.