Pumpkin carving at Gallup’s best
Getting ready for the upcoming Halloween holiday, One80 Productions, a side project of The Door Gallup Christian Fellowship Church, held a Fall Festival downtown Oct. 24 with a night full of spooky fun.
Families got to enjoy numerous activities including face painting, a monster cake walk, and a pumpkin carving contest with prizes and sweet treats for everyone.
The One80 holds live music, skits, and activities every Saturday night for the whole community. This was their way of showing people that they can still have fun and stay safe, according to Concert Director Paul Heimberg.
“We realize that there’s probably not a lot of trick-or-treating that is going to be on, so we want to do something for the families, so they can dress up and bring their kids,” he said. “All it is, is games and activities for kids with a lot of prizes.”
“[Of] Course we are screening people, making sure we are safe and keeping under our limit in the building, hand sanitizing, and having separate entrance and exit ways. At the same time we don’t want to stop serving the community,” Heimberg explained.
Ghoulish music was played over the speakers, kids with costumes and even adults were having fun and trying to win at some of the booths. Most kids were in line simply to get more candy and hoping to win prizes. Little boys and ghouls were signed up for the pumpkin carving contest in an effort to take the title for best pumpkin carver.
Church youth workers participated. One of them, Austin Wilson, tried to avoid getting his face hit with whipped cream.
“We’re doing a game called Your Toss Our Loss,” Wilson explained, “where you throw ping pong balls and I get slapped in the face with some whipped cream.
“Everything’s free and we get to tell them about Jesus at the end. It’s a really good time,” he said.
The fall festival also featured Halloween bingo, pumpkin bag toss, and of course, the pumpkin carving contest.
Participants stood by their pumpkins, ready to show off their carving skills, as the contest was announced.
One family came in from Page, Ariz. to join the festivities.
Michael Yazzie, brought his family after he learned about the festival from a flyer he picked up earlier that day, while doing some shopping in Gallup.
“It’s pretty good and it gets you into the Halloween spirit and my daughter is having a good time,” Yazzie said as the music and games circled around him.
Then the contest announcement was made, and the pumpkin carving got underway with children setting about their work.
Along with family members, everyone cheered the little ones as their pumpkins began to take shape. Prizes for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place, included gift cards from area businesses including Panda Express, and Sonic.
As the time for the carving came to an end, there was suspense in the air. Who won first place?
Deeliah Nez of Gallup was the big winner.
When asked what she attributed her pumpkin carving skills to, she said she was inspired by the prize of a $25 gift card to Applebee’s.
“It was fun, and I like food,” she said.
Second place went to Lovelee Hicks, with Les Hosteen coming in third.
One80 Productions will be having another Halloween Spookfest on Halloween night Oct. 31, starting at 7 pm. The community is invited.
Winners of the Oct. 31 spookfest Halloween concert and costume contest will receive prizes that include a one-year subscription to Spotify & a $25 Amazon gift card.
For more information on activities by One80 Productions call (505) 399-8323.
By Dee Velasco
For the Sun
