MT VERNON, Wash. — Pam Leno owns a wellness center in Olympia but on the side, she has become a master at carving pumpkins. "This is kind of a hobby that I do, of course during this time of year and it's a very popular hobby in most cases."
Leno visited Gordon Skagit Farms to carve a massive 424 lb pumpkin that was grown by Leilani Grobschmit. "I wanted to share it with everybody," said Grobschmit. "I think Pam is very skilled and this is awesome."
Leno hasn't always been a pumpkin carver -- her first foray into art was sand sculpting. Now, she's an expert.
"I do enjoy it. It's really fun, it's festive and people are really interested in it," she said. "It's always something that you have to have a very flexible idea because sometimes it changes, as this pumpkin is already starting to deteriorate."
Leno's carving of a witch attracted a crowd of kids interested to see what it was. "Kids are fascinated, I love it when I hear someone come up behind me and go 'Wow', and then they know what I'm carving," said Leno. She joked that once they get it she knows she's doing a good job.
She has a variety of blades to choose from in order to carve the finer details of her piece. For example, she used a saw to cut out a large piece of the pumpkin and then switched to a much smaller knife to carve it into a hand for the witch. "They all have their purpose. Sometimes I don't know which one I'm going to use next, just go with it and see what happens."
Gordon Skagit Farms | 15598 McLean Rd, Mt Vernon, WA 98273
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