2.8 min readBy Published On: October 17th, 2016Categories: See and Do0 Comments on RISE of the Jack O’Lanterns

Get in the Halloween spirit at RISE of the Jack O’Lanterns featuring over 5000 carved and lit pumpkins! With four dates to see this iconic fall event, RISE take place indoors at the Boston Seaport Hotel and World Trade Center, from October 27 – 30. This is a perfect family-friendly event featuring hand-carved illuminated jack o’lanterns creatively arranged along a scenic walking path, set to a musical score.

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Jack o’lantern art will include individual time-honored characters from American pop culture, multi-pumpkin artistic structures including life-sized dinosaurs and dragons, and intricately carved 100-pound pumpkins. There will also be carving stations where visitors can watch the talented artists create these works of art!

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We recently sat down with Tom Olton, Resident Master Carver for RISE and had a little Q&A!

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How long have you been carving pumpkins?
I’ve been carving pumpkins for about 10 years now, for five years professionally.

How many will you carve personally?
This year I will likely not get to carve too many.  We have a lot of really talented artists and most of my effort is spent coordinating all the pumpkins for our many shows.  I am hoping to get to carve a few at the Seaport convention center if the other sculptors let me jump in.

What makes someone a master carver?
“Master Carver” is not a title that one “applies” for necessarily.  All though, there are woodworking and stoneworking associations that do bestow that title.  In my case, it is used to designate me as our resident pumpkin carving expert.  I am responsible for the training of all our creative staff in the art of pumpkin carving.  This responsibility requires that I be proficient in all the different techniques used to create jack o’lanterns for our show.  In this way, I serve as a resource to help guide the work of all those who will ultimately carve way more pumpkins than I will.  Many on our staff would be equally, if not more so, deserving to call themselves a “Master Carver” if they so choose. Generally speaking, we look for talented illustrators. If you can draw a good picture, you can carve a good pumpkin.

How many pumpkin carvers will it take to carve 5000 pumpkins?
We have a large staff that works every week of the year to make sure have successful events in October. This year, we will have over 150 artists working on both coasts.

Favorite thing to carve into a pumpkin?
I am a big fan of science fiction, so I was excited that many of those carvings were so well received last year. Also, our pop culture carvings are always a huge hit, and favorites of mine, as well.

Do you make a pie with all the pumpkin from the inside of the jack o’ lanterns?
The pumpkins used for RISE of the Jack O’Lanterns are a mix of Big Max, Atlantic Giants and other larger varieties, and are not good for consumption or baking.  So everything inside, including the seeds, is disposed of.

We can’t wait to see this fun event! 

Advance tickets are REQUIRED, with no tickets sold at the door. Ticket information can be found here! 

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