By Maddie Orton
Arts Correspondent
A very special patch of pumpkins is bringing a ghoulish glow to the Meadowlands Exposition Center. For the first time in the Garden State, RISE of the Jack O’Lanterns is setting up shop to show Halloween-lovers how creative carvers can be.
“We just want to see how far we can take pumpkins, see what we can do with them, how much we can expand and grow our company,” explained event producer Collen Leonard. “We change every single year with what we’re carving and what we build.”
It takes over 50 artists to carve the 5,000 pumpkins that are on display and those pumpkins include “art pumpkins,” pumpkin structures and your classic jack-o’-lantern.
The subject matter runs the gamut: horror films, favorite childhood characters, a towering t-rex and perhaps scariest of all politics. It can take upwards of 16 hours to carve one of these pumpkins and they won’t last forever. But don’t worry, the artwork will stay fresh through the event’s close on Sunday.
“We take a lot of measures,” said Leonard. “Cold is one thing that we like, so we keep the building very cold to make them last long. Some of the pumpkins are sprayed with a mixture of 50 percent water and 50 percent rubbing alcohol, too.”
Live carvers like Ian Rattray are on hand to demonstrate their techniques and offer advice. Rattray says rule number one is don’t actually cut through the pumpkin.
“Pumpkins, when they’re gutted, they have a shelf life of four to five days and we want to get the most out of these pumpkins,” he said. “I mean, we pour hours and hours of work into these pumpkins, the last thing we want to do is see them go.”
But, Rattray said, that’s bound to happen, so they can’t get too attached — no matter how amazing the end product.
“It blows me away when I see these photo-realistic paintings and these super high-contrasted comic books,” he said. “Everyone has their own style and we try to put that into each pumpkin.”
“RISE of the Jack O’Lanterns” tickets are sold in advance only, and it’s a family-friendly event, so no need to worry about spooking the kids. In fact, a gang of well-known trick-or-treaters have their own special section in the expo center, celebrating the 50th anniversary of “It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.”