Local church looking for a few good pumpkins

Grace United Methodist Church of Cape Girardeau has begun its annual search for one "great" pumpkin to sponsor in the 2002 Pumpkin Patch National Pumpkin Decorating Contest.

As an official Pumpkin Patch organization, Grace UMC can sponsor only one entry, said Ann Kinsey, chairperson of the Great Pumpkin Search Committee. "We're looking for a pumpkin that is so good it will cause grown men to faint and raise eyebrows on a national panel of judges. It must stand out in a crowd," she said.

In national competition, the first-place pumpkin will win $10,000 for the decorator and $3,000 for the sponsoring Pumpkin Patch.

The area search will culminate at the church's actual pumpkin patch at Broadway and Caruthers in Cape Girardeau on Oct. 31. Entry forms, rules and design strategies will be available starting Wednesday. There is no entry fee.

According to the official rules, decorated pumpkins may be colored with markers and paint, carved, hollowed out or dressed. They may also be enhanced with decorating elements such as paper and other materials that can be affixed to, placed on or placed nearby the pumpkin. Even people and pets may be used as props.

Much is 'fair game'

"While no electrical device, pyrotechnics or other dangers may be used as part of any entry, almost everything else is fair game," Kinsey said.

Pumpkins will be rated on originality, visual impact, creativity and overall presentation.

"It will take more than a carrot nose, potato ears and the carved grin only an orthodontist could love to win the national pumpkin decoration competition," Kinsey said. "But I have to believe that the nation's best-decorated pumpkin is somewhere in the Heartland."

For more information about the pumpkin contest, call Kinsey at 334-1366 or Kevin Sutton at 651-5557.