Lake Shore Live Steamers.com

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Penitentiary Glen
8668 Kirtland-Chardon Rd
Kirtland, Ohio 44094

The Park provided us with three pallet loads of pumpkins this year to set out for our Magical Whooloween Run on the 22nd and 23rd this month. Mike Uhrich got us some more pumpkins prior to these and they put them in the car storage barn.

Since this is a work session Ted Nyland was helping me bend some aluminum rail for a new section of rail off Short by Zip Junction. Joe Banzer and an unidentified guy helped Mike Uhrich unload more pumpkins that Mike just brought, I think we're going to have enough pumpkins this year.

Trish Koontz, Bonnie Zaken, Edith Hacker and Mike start cutting the tops out on the pumpkins so the innards can be removed. Edith, Bonnie and Trish cutting the tops off, with the pumpkins lining the table tops and the benches.

Dave Foster was blowing the leaves that had accumulated in the Orchard Yard and in front of the station down to the wooded area. John Koontz, Dick Clark and Lew Fowler work at extending the track from the switch we had installed weeks earlier on Short by Zip Junction.

More members and friends start showing up to carve pumpkins and Mike is starting to just unload the pumpkins onto the ground alongside of the train. Bill Besselman making a holey pumpkin working alongside of Trish.

With the tops cut out and the innards removed the carving can begin with the layout of the design then adding the knife for the creation. Emily Kutscher engrossed in the detail she is adding to the pumpkin by cutting off just a thin layer of the skin for the pattern.

Anyone want a pumpkin? Roberta Uhrich carrying a little bundle of joy, Nora Howell, as she carries her against her shoulder. Keep cutting gang as we probably have almost 150 more pumpkins you don't see in this picture that need carving.

Back at Short we see Tom Reder and John assembling the ties under the rail joints as Joe Banzer watches and that is how far they are placing track today. Roy Harris at left and Karl Losely with three tables loaded with pumpkins and the members working in ernest to carve pumpkins.

Picking out a design and tracing it on the pumpkin with a sharp object punched through the pattern,then you start cutting out the transfered image on the pumpkin. Ms. Kutscher did it in the Picnic Area with a Knife --- and we caught her red handed.

Darkness is settling in and the flash makes it seem darker than it really is at this moment. Robbi Haines going through all her boxes of decorations for Holloween to check out what still works and what needs batteries.

Jerry Bell had set up light hanging in the tree and on the tripods so we could keep on working on the pumpkins. Dick Mackey must not have carved too many pumpkins as he can still smile, wonder if he will see them in his sleep tonight?

Ethan Deptowicz must have brushed by the huge spiderweb by the station and I wonder if he knows it's on his back? Look at all the pumpkin seeds in the wheelborrow by Jerry Bell as the crew diligently carve pumpkins.

Karl Losely, Dee Harkleroad and Logan Tapolyai work at one end of the table by floodlight illumination creating their masterpieces. John Deptowicz carving a pumpkin with Tom Reder behind him on another table in this time shot.

Another study in concentration as John, Jerry, Kathy Losely and Dick work on their creations. It looks as the uncarved pumpkins are diminishing but that's not the case as we still have plenty in front of the station.

Robbi came out of the station after finishing her work to keep us company as the carving continued. Ethan decided to try his hand at carving after his Dad drew a design on the pumpkin, all help is appreciated.

Logan continues working on his pumpkin carving out the letters in his Holloween message. Bill Deptowicz set down the camera for a while to help his grandson, Ethan, hold the pumpkin so he could carve it up.

Robbi and Dee in conversation as Logan nears the final stretch in carving his pumpkin. Someone took the time to carve a nice design on a pumpkin that was'nt hollowed out as you can see the seeds still in place inside.

Not all the pumpkins have scarey faces as shown here. The crew has thinned down to a handful of people still carving as it's after 10 p.m. One count had the pumpkins at more than 270, that's alot of carving.

Jerry is loading the carved pumpkins on the train so they can be put into the storage barn till Friday. Ethan proud of his carving prowness which isn't two c's but two eyes.

Mike Harkleroad taking the loaded train down to the storage barn to store the pumpkins. Jerry and Pam Znidar load the remaining pumpkins from the boxes on the pallets to the railroad cars. A very busy day today and thanks to all that helped.