N.B. man carves 100 pumpkins for 'The Great Pumpkin Walk'
The Great Pumpkin Walk is on in Miramichi, N.B., with just over 100 pumpkins displayed along the downtown Chatham business district for locals to enjoy.
John Vickers, who works for the business district, is also a pumpkin-carving connoisseur. For nearly 20 years he has been carving pumpkins across the country.
"I first began carving pumpkins out on the West Coast and putting them on my front yard. So many people came to see them, I was encouraged to put out a UNICEF box. We collected a fair bit of money, the following year, UNICEF said 'John we'd love you to keep carving,' and that's when it all started."
Since moving back to the East Coast, he has prepared over a hundred pumpkins for this year's great pumpkin walk, which people in the Miramichi can see for themselves during this spooky season.
It's really fun to be able to dress up the downtown. There are pumpkins on every pole," he said. "Each are plugged into power, so they're illuminated 24 hours a day and we invite the whole community to come down and walk through our district."
Since the COVID-19 pandemic has prevented people from gathering this Halloween, he wanted to find a "safe way" for people to get into the Halloween spirit during the pandemic.
Spotted along Water Street, his carvings include everything from Halloween favourites to cartoon characters and famous faces including Elvis Presley.
"I carve for different age groups so typically there's something for everybody. We try to impress everyone so that the whole family when they come down to visit there is something in it for everybody."
Vickers told CTV News that it takes him typically half an hour to 45 minutes to carve one pumpkin, but he has managed to find a way to make them last.
"One of the things you realize quickly is that you can only get to about 10 pumpkins before pumpkin number one starts to collapse. So, I have discovered these polyurethane molds. They take a bit longer to carve, but the benefit is they last forever."
Vickers's creations will continue to light up the downtown Chatham area from now until Halloween.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment which has been banned at Queen’s Park.
Mountain guide dies after falling into a crevasse in Banff National Park
A man who fell into a crevasse while leading a backcountry ski group deep in the Canadian Rockies has died.
2 teens charged in Halifax homicide: police
Two teenagers have been charged with second-degree murder in connection to an alleged homicide near the Halifax Shopping Centre earlier this week.
'Deep ignorance': Calls for Manitoba trustee to resign sparked after comments about Indigenous people and reconciliation
A rural Manitoba school trustee is facing calls to resign over comments he made about Indigenous people and residential schools earlier this week.
12-year-old hippo in Japan raised as a male discovered to be a female
When Gen-chan arrived at a zoo in Japan in 2017, no one questioned whether the then-five-year-old hippopotamus was a boy. Seven years later, zoo staff made a surprising discovery: Gen-chan, now 12, was female.
Here's why Harvey Weinstein's New York rape conviction was tossed and what happens next
Here's what you need to know about why movie mogul Harvey Weinstein's rape conviction was thrown out and what happens next.
Legendary hockey broadcaster Bob Cole dies at 90: CBC
Bob Cole, a welcome voice for Canadian hockey fans for a half-century, has died at the age of 90. Cole died Wednesday night in St. John's, N.L., surrounded by his family, his daughter, Megan Cole, told the CBC.
Humanist group threatening to sue Vancouver over council prayers
The B.C. Humanist Association has threatened legal action against the City of Vancouver for allowing prayers at council, following a similar warning issued earlier this month to a smaller community on Vancouver Island.
LHSC performs a Canadian first in robot-assisted direct lateral spine surgery
Spine surgery may never be the same for people with chronic back pain and other physical ailments.