Earning stripes in the world of community events
I started off the weekend with my hands shelacked in pumpkin goo. More specifically, the bold, orange-colored, stringy material that holds clusters of seeds and fills up a pumpkin's insides. Cutting open the top of a pumpkin reveals a weblike design of this matter, which is tough to remove. Spoons and knives never work for me in hacking down this soft, mushy web; using my hands is the only effective method for me. By the fourth or fifth pumpkin, my hands were coated with the stuff and started to freeze. I was surprised to find that plunging them into a bucket filled with water from a garden hose proved to be an effective way to warm them up.
The whole pumpkin gutting process is part of the fun of helping to put on the Los Alamos Arts Council's Pumpking Carving Party and Pumpkin Glow. These are free events - gifts to the community. During the carving party, residents are treated to free pumpkins and the tools needed to create jack-o-lanterns that are lit and put on public display during the Pumpkin Glow.
I was actually looking forward to getting my hands dirty in both eventes; I saw them as rites of passage or ways to earn my stripes in helping run a community event.
Before Saturday, I knew there was a lot work required to run a public activity but I had never seen the behind-the-scenes process from start to finish. It gives you a new appreciation to all those organizers and volunteers who faithfully roll up their sleeves to work on an event for days, weeks, even months to make sure it is just right for the public.
The Pumpkin Glow was a real-eye opener for me. I learned even the fun events take serious work; they are endurance challenges. For instance, lugging trash bags that drooped heavily from layers and layers of pumpkin guts is no easy task. My arm muscles whined from the weight and I groaned when I saw the dumpster was across the street.
Plus, trying to manuever the wheeled bag that contained the Arts Council tent turned into a type of obstacle course race. The Arts Council Executive Director and I worked together as team - she pulling on the top handle while I bent down to push the bottom of the bag up stairs and down the winding sidewalk.
Standing at the entrance of the Pumpkin Glow to record the number of participants made my feet ache and my fingers felt numb from continuing pressing the clicker button to account for the newest arrival to the Pumpkin Glow.
I yearned for a chair.
It was worth everything ache and tired muscle because we were victors in this challenge. It felt as though the entire town turned out to see the parade of jack-o-lanterns cast their warm, ruddy glow in the dark night. Some attendees showed their Halloween spirit by wearing incredible customes and many showed their community spirit by donating money to the Arts Council.
When I finally got to kick of my shoes for good at the end of the night, I felt an incredible satisfaction. My rite of passage in the world of community events had been completed but more importantly, the community had loved its gift.
The whole pumpkin gutting process is part of the fun of helping to put on the Los Alamos Arts Council's Pumpking Carving Party and Pumpkin Glow. These are free events - gifts to the community. During the carving party, residents are treated to free pumpkins and the tools needed to create jack-o-lanterns that are lit and put on public display during the Pumpkin Glow.
I was actually looking forward to getting my hands dirty in both eventes; I saw them as rites of passage or ways to earn my stripes in helping run a community event.
Before Saturday, I knew there was a lot work required to run a public activity but I had never seen the behind-the-scenes process from start to finish. It gives you a new appreciation to all those organizers and volunteers who faithfully roll up their sleeves to work on an event for days, weeks, even months to make sure it is just right for the public.
The Pumpkin Glow was a real-eye opener for me. I learned even the fun events take serious work; they are endurance challenges. For instance, lugging trash bags that drooped heavily from layers and layers of pumpkin guts is no easy task. My arm muscles whined from the weight and I groaned when I saw the dumpster was across the street.
Plus, trying to manuever the wheeled bag that contained the Arts Council tent turned into a type of obstacle course race. The Arts Council Executive Director and I worked together as team - she pulling on the top handle while I bent down to push the bottom of the bag up stairs and down the winding sidewalk.
Standing at the entrance of the Pumpkin Glow to record the number of participants made my feet ache and my fingers felt numb from continuing pressing the clicker button to account for the newest arrival to the Pumpkin Glow.
I yearned for a chair.
It was worth everything ache and tired muscle because we were victors in this challenge. It felt as though the entire town turned out to see the parade of jack-o-lanterns cast their warm, ruddy glow in the dark night. Some attendees showed their Halloween spirit by wearing incredible customes and many showed their community spirit by donating money to the Arts Council.
When I finally got to kick of my shoes for good at the end of the night, I felt an incredible satisfaction. My rite of passage in the world of community events had been completed but more importantly, the community had loved its gift.
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