Normally, people recognize the smiling faces they see on their neighbors’ front porches. But one month a year, neighborhoods all over the country are invaded by scary faces peering out at them. Stranger danger?

Don’t call the neighborhood watch quite yet! Those spooky smiles are jack-o-lanterns. Carved by festive neighbors, they’re a sure sign of some good loot on Halloween.

The type of jack-o-lantern that welcomes trick-or-treaters on the doorstep can tell you a lot about the people who live inside.

Sports fanatics might support their team with their pumpkins.

“One time I carved the Vikings’ symbol,” Bo Burgmeier, ‘16, said. “It’s my favorite team.”

Other sports fans use their pumpkins to give a shout out to a player they admire.

“I’m gonna carve Riley McCarron’s touchdown in the end zone,” Riley Till, ‘16, said.
Households with silly, upbeat residents typically go for friendly faces.   

“This year I’m planning to make a Minion; they won’t scare little kids and they’re super cute! ” Macy Vance, ‘19, said. “But I’ll probably have my mom carve it for me.”

Some jack-o-lanterns reflect the hobbies and interests of the people who live there.  Libby Brosius, ‘18, who has been in gymnastics since she was 2 years old  incorporated her passion for the sport in her pumpkin.

“I made a gymnast,”  Brosius said. “It was as good as my seventh grade pumpkin carving skills were, but it turned out pretty cool. It wasn’t too hard to make; I just had to use smaller tools.”

Those with a Netflix addiction might be prone to carve their favorite celebrity. After all, who wouldn’t want Beyonce sitting on their front porch?

“This year I plan turn my pumpkin into Patrick Swayze,” Audra McMahon, ‘18, said. “I wanted to pick something that really inspired me this year. When I saw Whoopi Goldberg, I wanted to help Patrick out now that he is a ghost.”

Some people carve their pumpkins to look like their favorite characters in a movie.

“Last year I carved a Darth Vader and Yoda pumpkins,” Grace Jackson, ‘19, said. “My dad is a big Star Wars fan, so I decided I would make it for him.”

Fairy tales are also a source of inspiration for some students.

“A few years ago I made Pinocchio. The stem was the nose and I gave him a bowtie,” Aidan McSperrin,’17, said. “I’m a fan of puppets.”

Others just carve pumpkins to mess around with friends for fun.

“Once I carved Jade Romagna’s face into a pumpkin,” Ellie Rix, ‘16, said. “It looked a lot like her, dimples and everything.”

For most people carving pumpkins is harmless fun, but can it also be dangerous?

“It was really cold the night we were carving pumpkins,” Olivia Gaul, ‘17, said. “The seeds and pumpkin insides ended up giving me frostbite!”

Those who aren’t very skilled with a knife and carving tools sometimes personalize their pumpkin in other ways.

“I shoot my pumpkins,” Cameron Haugen, ‘19, said. “That is, if I don’t use them to make pumpkin pie.”