The 2015 aMAZing Pumpkin Carve

October 9 – 11, 2015

The aMAZing Pumpkin Carve 2015 was a great success!  Thank you for your support!

This year the Hopewell Valley Arts Council teamed up with Howell Farm for a special event, The aMAZing Pumpkin Carve (#amazingpumpkincarve), which featured giant pumpkins artfully carved and embellished by specially selected artists, craftsmen and pumpkin enthusiasts.  The carved pumpkins, sponsored by local residents and business, were entered in a contest for prizes judged by distinguished members of the local art community.  It was fun to see the array of creative designs, how the pumpkins changed from daytime view to nighttime, and the community and fun that comes from a day on the farm – it was a great fun for visitors of every age!

And the winner is……
The winner of the “Guess the Weight” contest is Giada Toleno.
Giada’s guess was 204 pounds. The actual giant pumpkin weighed 202 pounds!

Where

Howell Farm’s corn maze is a local fall tradition that attracts over 8,000 visitors each year.  It is the longest running corn maze in New Jersey, covering four acres with two miles of paths.  The 2015 Corn Maze, called “Don’t Be Chicken”, is a game in itself, challenging visitors to answer trivia questions and find puzzle pieces to complete a map which will show the way out. Before or after working through the corn maze at Howell Living History Farm, many appreciated the easy stroll through awesome display of 50 giant pumpkins.

Howell Living History Farm Corn Maze, 17 Valley Road, Lambertville, NJ  08530, is one mile west of the farm’s historic site.

The Howell Living History Farm is owned by Mercer County and is operated by the Mercer County Park Commission. The maze is an annual fundraiser of the Friends of Howell Farm, a non-profit organization that helps the farm through volunteerism and program support.

Our Artists

If you visited The Carve, you will likely agree that ALL of the pumpkins were truly aMAZing!  Our panel of judges found it extremely challenging to make their selections…but the winners are:

"Best in Show" for the Professional Class carved by Curtis May of Pennington NJ.

“Best in Show” for the Professional Class carved by Curtis May of Pennington NJ.

  • Best in Show – Professional Class:  Curtis May – Pennington, NJ
  • Best in Show – Amateur Class:  Tom Cook – Ewing, NJ
  • Best Carving:  Doug May – Lancaster, PA
  • Most Creative Use of Materials:  Linda Williams and Gail Cahill – Ringoes, NJ
  • Most Original Design:  Aleece Davis – Jamison, PA and Carol Snyder – Doylestown, PA
  • Honorable Mention:  Lori Johansson – Lawrence, NJ
  • Honorable Mention:  Caroline Hall – Pennington, NJ
  • Honorable Mention:  Gyuri Hollosy – Titusville, NJ
  • Honorable Mention:  Susan Roseman – Pipersville, PA
  • Honorable Mention:  Jonathan Connor, Avery Connor & Gordon Connor – Hamilton, NJ

Thank you to all of our aMAZing carvers!  The participating artists are listed below in the order of how they were displayed at The aMAZing Pumpkin Carve.

  1. Gail Trautz
  2. Gyuri Hollosy* (Honorable Mention)
  3. Tatiana Sougakova
  4. Charlie Yeh
  5. Will Kasso
  6. Leon Rainbow*
  7. Messiah
  8. Susan Roseman (Honorable Mention)
  9. James Feehan
  10. Amy Duckett Wagner
  11. Liz Folk
  12. Tom Cook (Best in Show – Amateur Class)
  13. Ric Stang
  14. Doug May (Best Carving)
  15. Curtis May (Best In Show – Professional Class)
  16. Holly Abbott
  17. Sarah Bernotas
  18. Llyana Abbott
  19. Linda Williams & Gail Cahill (Most Creative Use of Materials)
  20. NOT CARVED – Used for carving demonstration by Curtis May
  21. Kanon Shambora, Marissa Beyer & Suzy Ali – For Christine’s Hope For Kids
  22. Yetzenia Leiva*
  23. Matt Langille
  24. Nancy Stark*
  25. Don Campbell
  26. Caroline Hall* (Honorable Mention)
  27. Elvina Bao, Emannuel Nwandu & Scott Meggitt – For The Pennington School
  28. Ted Berglund *
  29. Janis Blayne Paul* and Lori Parsells
  30. Alyssa Staffin
  31. Rumpelstiltskin Morgan
  32. Lori Johansson (won Honorable Mention)
  33. Kate Eggleston*
  34. Jonathan Connor*, Avery Connor & Gordon Connor (Honorable Mention)
  35. Matt Frey, Sasha Polakov, & Koushik Gupta – For Eden Autism Services
  36. Kathleen Sheehan
  37. John Grubb
  38. Sarah Daniels
  39. Evan Stumpf, Ashley Jackson & Christina Levach – For the Hopewell Valley YMCA
  40. Susan Bartels
  41. Nancy Shill
  42. Carolyn Gorham
  43. Aleece Davis & Carol Snyder (Most Original Design)
  44. Stan Saperstein for The Hopewell Valley Seniors Foundation
  45. Ivia Sky Yavelow
  46. James Kelewae*
  47. Leonora Kandiner & Tom Cresson
  48. Mary Watson
  49. Stephan Quinlan for the Hopewell Valley Youth Chorale
  50. HVCHS Music & Theatre Parent’s Association carvers

* Was an artist in the Hopewell Valley Arts Council Stampede

Several of our artist carvers and teams donated their services, on behalf of the following non-profit organizations. Thank you!
Hopewell Valley Youth Chorale  *  The Bridge Academy  *  Eden Autism Services  *  Hopewell Valley Seniors   *  Christine’s Hope for Kids * Hopewell Valley YMCA  *  HVCHS Music & Theatre Parents Association  *  The Pennington School