Kiddos dressed as construction workers, glow-in-the-dark skeletons, cheerleaders and geckos gathered at the third annual Pumpkin Party at Garver Feed Mill on Sunday.
The party, which was free, featured pumpkin carving pumpkins courtesy of Warm Belly Farm in Cottage Grove, a costume contest, a scavenger hunt and a build-your-own dirt cup bar.
Anna Casteñeda, who coordinates the parent-child happy hour at Garver, anticipated about 200 families. Judging by how quickly pumpkins were being claimed — someone had to run out to get more — she believes many more were drawn to the event.
David Rippl attended the festival with parents he knew from daycare. They worked together to watch their group of young kids, running “zone defense, as we like to say.”
He said the party was “an opportunity to celebrate Halloween beyond just trick-or-treating. It’s hard with little kids — 6 o’clock at night, that’s getting close to bedtime. This is a great way for them to experience the season a little bit more.”
The city of Madison does not have official hours for trick-or-treat. The recommended time frame is 4-8 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 31.
Garver Feed Mill hosted a family-friendly holiday party on Sunday, featuring pumpkin carving, a scavenger hunt, and a costume contest.
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Adrianne Sunday shows Luka how the top of their pumpkins goes up and down at the Garver Feed Mill’s Pumpkin Party on Sunday, Oct. 27.
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Anna Casteñeda (left), who coordinates parent-child happy hours at Garver, says one of the aims of the pumpkin party is to “invite the entire community into our space.”
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It’s Halloween, don’t forget about candy! Casteñeda’s son, dressed up as Darth Vader, searches through a cauldron of Halloween treats.
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Many of the tables were packed with carvers, so some, like Max, dressed as a leopard, and Borna, dressed as Spiderman, got on the floor to carve their pumpkins.
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On Sunday afternoon, nearly every table at Garver Feed Mill on Madison’s east side was filled with families carving free pumpkins, courtesy of Warm Belly Farm.
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An eager scavenger hunt participant looks intently at the list of things to find on the second floor of Garver Feed Mill.
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The Garver Pumpkin Party attracted families from all over the neighborhood — Castaneda says they had to go out and get more pumpkins for kids to carve just a few hours into the event.
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Ophelia stands on top of the table to get better traction for scooping pumpkin seeds at the Garver Pumpkin Party.
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Ada points to Slimer from “Ghostbusters,” one of the images participants had to find as part of Garver’s spooky scavenger hunt.
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Folks — or vampires — could make their own “dirt cups” at Garver with chocolate pudding, gummy worms, whipped cream and sprinkles.
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Miles Wedge, dressed as a gecko, beams at his carving creation.
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Katie Hoefs holds up a Mason jar full of boba pearls as part of a “guess how many” game set up at Garver during the venue’s annual pumpkin party. Guesses ranged from 600 to one million.
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August (right) and April carve pumpkins while dressed as Freddy and Monty from the Five Nights at Freddy’s game.
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Keon (left) and Finn scoop out pumpkin seeds at the Garver Pumpkin Party on Sunday, Oct. 27. Every table had a composting bin so pumpkin guts could be disposed of responsibly.
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The Pumpkin Party at Garver. featured small, local vendors. Some were so small that the two women running this booth, Barb and Kathy, had no name for their business selling Halloween-themed trinkets and treats. “Call us the aunts!” said Barb.
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Partygoers Nora and Maya, pictured here scooping out pumpkins, said they were both dressed as kitties.
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Nova Kyle-Brown carves a pumpkin with mom Stephanie Brown.
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Aspiring pumpkin carvers could freehand their own designs or pick from any of these stencils.
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