I thought it'd be fun to get some friends together, bust out the power tools, carve up some cool Halloween-themed fresh produce and enjoy some good beer (or cocktails if you prefer).

Giving credit where credit is due, in '07 I watched an interview with the guy who runs ExtremePumpkins featuring him showing some pyrotechnic hijynx with his carved art and some of his quick carving techniques and it caught my attention. I recommend you visit his site to familiarize yourself with tools that work well and tools that don't work so well (although you're welcome to give them a try at your own discretion) as well as to get ideas for your own designs.

When and where:
Saturday, October 25th
Doors open at 3pm
My house, 18951 NE Flanders (it's actually a little east of where google shows me, down at the corner on the north side of the street)

What to bring:

• your most creative, most outlandish and most harebrained ideas (check out ExtremePumpkins for some ideas
• pumpkins, gourds, and various other vegetables, fruits, inanimate objects and the like you might like to use on your creations. I recommend a visit to your local farm or farmer's market for the gathering of these items if at all possible.
• adult beverages of your choosing (the nearest liquor store is here)
• any food items you might like to enjoy and/or share with others (see below)
• any powertools you might like to employ in the carving of your chosen gourd. I'll have a few on hand but the more, the merrier.
• your common sense. Powertools + adult beverages = the opportunity to create your own gory reality which could possibly involve the assistance of EMTs should things not go as planned. Safety first, folks.
• ... and last but not least: if you have a popup gazebo thingie, please plan to bring it along if the weather is looking rainy. I've got a small house with a two car garage but having some accommodations in the backyard in the event of rain would help immensely.

What will already be here:

• I plan to have five gallons of my own homebrew beer on tap and will also be featuring a guest tap of Jeremy Anderson's homebrew of choice
• an small assortment of powertools
• spray paint and food coloring for 'enhanced decoration opportunities' of your work
• appropriate workspace for the carving of the food items
• first aid supplies, just in case they might be needed for some odd reason
• a modest propane grill should you choose to bring foods that will need to be cooked
• full access to the kitchen

Kids are welcome (for those of you with kids) but it is suggested that you bring them early in the day as I'm sure the festivities will become less kid-friendly after the sun sets.

After thinking this through, I've come to realize what a phenomenally poor idea this would be:

"kids + powertools + presence of adult beverages = nothing good"

So please leave your less-than-legal youngsters at home and carve their 'kins with them under close supervision another time.

The Contest:

The short list of rules, subject to change:

• All carving on the pumpkin itself must be done with a powertool - no knives or hand tools
• The contest is not limited to the carving of the pumpkin. Expand, elaborate, get creative, go all out. Think "outside the pumpkin".
• Things that are used to elaborate on the pumpkin design may be of any type, not just power tools. Spray paint, food coloring, animate and inanimate objects, vegetables, pasta, pond pumps, angry bees*, hatchets, machetes, hot glue guns and pretty much anything else used to decorate the carved pumpkin are totally legal and encouraged. (please do not bring angry bees to my party)

Judging will be held sometime in the evening. I haven't settled on any criteria for judging entries so any ideas on this are welcome. Any entries that need to leave early will be photographed for judging later on. Prizes will consist of junk that I pick up at Goodwill or find alongside the road.

FAQs:

• Is this a costume party? I hadn't necessarily intended this to be a costume party but if you're so inclined to dress up please feel free. Keep in mind that loose clothing and powertools don't really go together and plan accordingly.
• What constitutes a powertool? Loosely speaking, a powertool is a device that runs on electricity or gasoline. If you plan to use a chainsaw or other gas-powered tool, let's get that done early in the day so as to maintain my somewhat decent standing with the neighbors, k?
• Must the pumpkin be carved on-site or can we bring previously carved pumpkins and watch others mutilate fall's bounty? To be entered for judging, the pumpkin must be carved on-site. Any other props, tools and/or decorations can and should be crafted ahead of time.