Pumpkin Wall 2016 By the Numbers

Pumpkin Wall 2016 By the Numbers

1: number of previous blog posts to check out before you read this one

  • 101: number of carved pumpkins on the wall
  • 10: number of shopping carts filled with purchased pumpkins
  • 1: number of UHaul trucks used to transport the pumpkins to my house
  • 1: number of trips to Walmart (made possible by the aforementioned UHaul)
  • 1: how many carving parties it took to carve all the pumpkins
  • 57: how many friends and neighbors helped carve
  • 126: number of carving tools used
  • 0: number of stab wounds and lost fingers while carving
  • 43: how many Halloween songs were played during the carving
  • 2: number of pinatas the kids got to play with
  • 4: how many sections of construction scaffolding supported the pumpkins
  • 6: number of feet tall the wall stood
  • 30: number of feet wide the wall stretched
  • 900: how many LED light bulbs illuminated the wall
  • 7: how many days the wall lasted before fruit flies took over
  • 1: how many local publications featured the wall on the front page (!!!)
  • 1,820: number of dollars raised in support of Food Allergy Research & Education
  • 50,724: how many seeds are in 101 pumpkins (just kidding, I made that one up)
  • 1,000,000,000: number of thanks to everyone who made this possible!!!

 

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It’s the Great (Teal) Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!

It’s the Great (Teal) Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!

When I was a kid, I went trick-or-treating every year on Halloween, but I never ate any of the candy I collected (tragic, right?).  Much of it had nuts or peanuts in it, so I gave it all to my friends who did not have food allergies and who were always more than happy to get the extra candy.  My parents always bought safe candy for me (thanks mom!) to exchange with the candy I had collected so that I would not feel excluded from all the Halloween fun.  (Our go-to supplier was always Vermont Nut Free Chocolates.)  There never seemed to be a ton of awareness for kids with food allergies on Halloween, although I did have some neighbors who were always sure to buy nut-free candy because they knew about my allergies.  Food allergic kids trick-or-treating today have a great new opportunity.  Last year Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE) launched the Teal Pumpkin Project (teal is the official food allergy color).  Participating households paint and display a teal pumpkin, which is the sign that non-food treats (such as key chains, bubbles, bracelets, coins, stickers, etc.) are available.  Get involved and learn more by going to the Teal Pumpkin Project.  All you need is a pumpkin (it can be big or small, real or fake) and a can of teal spray paint (release your inner graffiti artist!).  And stock up on non-food treats!