Photo by Lacey Wyndham
The Student Union was bustling with excitement over Halloween at UNF Market Day on Oct. 29 as students participated in a pumpkin carving contest hosted by the Thomas G. Carpenter Library.*
The contest was comprised of student and organizational teams, including Lexi Kimes, civil engineering sophomore, and Aaron Damon, public health junior, with the Eco Adventure team.
“I think we’re going to try the Eco pawprint, and we’re going to put ‘Eco’ on top,” Damon said about their pumpkin creation.
Another team of students, Alex Creel, junior, and Paul Popoff, sophomore, brought a Pinterest idea to life by carving a stunning rendition of the Disney’s Maleficent, complete with homemade horns.
“I don’t get to pumpkin carve ever,” Creel said. “So I went all out. I saw the sign-up sheet in the library and was like, ‘Yes! I will do this!’”
“We’re going to win so hard. We’re going to win all the pumpkins,” Popoff said.
Courtney Hammond, junior, did not waste any time devising a grotesque jack-o-lantern design she knew would be the scariest on the table.
“We’re carving a scary Jack-O-Lantern that’s throwing up guts, like they just ate someone,” Hammond said. “This is only my second time carving ever. My first time was last fall when they had the pumpkin carving here. It wasn’t a contest, it was just like anyone could come that wanted to carve their own pumpkin,” Hammond said.
Apart from the actual carving contest, the library also provided gourds students could decorate with paint, googly-eyes and markers.
Jackie Campitelli, junior, and Lindsay Learned, Campitelli’s boyfriend and a visiting Marine, designed a school spirit-filled gourd to celebrate UNF.
“I didn’t go to college when I was 17, so I’m a little bit older,” Campitelli said. “So now I’m getting into the school spirit of college because I can.”
The decorating was a success alongside the carving contest.
“We started out with 78 little ones, tiny little white and orange ones, and we started with 15 large pumpkins that are actually being carved,” Maria Atilano, assistant university librarian and “carving conductor,” said. “So we’ve had at least 70 people here. And some of them just stood by and watched their friends carve,” Atilano said.
This was one of the many events held at the Ghastly Gourmet Market Day at the Student Union, including a “gross foods” eating contest.
Students can vote on the UNF library Facebook page for their favorite pumpkin designs.The pumpkins are on display today at the Haunted Open House at the UNF library.
Photos by Lacey Wyndham
[doptg id=”58″]*10/30/14- Updated with additional information and student interviews.
Email Rachel Cazares at reporter33@unfspinnaker.com
