The Michigan Daily - Thursday, October 31, 1991 - Page 7



Wanted: pumpkin
with a personality

by Nadine Leavitt
When choosing a Halloween
jack-o'-lantern, people consider
many qualities, including size,
weight, symmetry, color - and
sometimes - pumpkin personality.
As Ann Arbor resident Lisa
Madden pushed a large pumpkin in
her daughter's stroller to her car at
Kerrytown, she explained that she
usually looks for a pumpkin with
character- one that is nearly per-
fect or that is seriously flawed.
She admitted, however, that she
ended up with a very normal, run-of-
the-mill pumpkin by default this
year.
"There was one I wanted to buy
because it looked like it needed a
home," she said, "but someone else
bought it before I could."
Kathy Melmoth, a University
graduate who has been selling
pumpkins at Kerrytown for six
years, said many people hide what
actually attracts them to a pumpkin.
"People in Ann Arbor tend to be
conservative about articulating the
real reasons why they choose pump-
kins," she said.
"The Wednesday crowd can be
rather serious," she added. Yet
among Saturday shoppers - partic-
ularly young people - buying a
pumpkin can involve long discus-

sions and debates, Melmoth said.
She often overhears Saturday
shoppers exclaim several times,
"This one looks like me!" And a
popular topic of debate is whether a
particular pumpkin "glows or
doesn't glow."
Nancy Merkel, a Chelsea resi-
dent who has been growing pump-
kins for 35 years, said most people
look for perfect symmetry.
"Pumpkins must be nice and round
- with the stems on them - must
be orange, not partly green, and have
no holes."
Chris Skinner, a 5-year-old Ann
Arbor resident who was at,
Kerrytown for a pumpkin carving
contest, said he picked his pumpkin-
for the most practical of reasons
his home patch yielded only three
pumpkins. His mother said this was
actually quite impressive, consider-
ing his family had planted water-
melon seeds.
"We didn't realize the first one
was a pumpkin until we cut it
open," Skinner said.
Skinner added that she is oi-y
nally from Australia, wher "hey
eat green pumpkins year round "like
mashed potatoes." She summed up
her feelings toward jack-o'-lanterns
by saying, "A pumpkin is a pumpkin
is a pumpkin."

But where's Waldo?
Engineering sophomore Tom Smith chooses a kooky crazy Noid mask to amaze and entertain his friends on Halloween. He chose the mask
from the bevy of costume opportunities that he found at the Fantasy Costume shop on Main St.
Boo. Ghouls get tricks, treats in dorms


fby Ben Deci
Daily Staff Reporter
Hordes of little marauding
ghouls converged on Mosher Jordan
yesterday to wander the halls, get
really scared, and collect candy ga-
lore.
Elementary school trick-or-
treaters were lured to the residence
hall when a competition was held to
see which house could-most success-
*fully entertain them.
Pre-Halloween festivities
started in Stockwell Sunday, when
the children practiced their door to
door technique. Tuesday, West
Quad's Wenley Hall sponsored a
Halloween party for children from
Safe House. The kids ate pizza and

candy while watching "The Grinch
Who Stole Halloween."
At Mosher Jordan yesterday, the
costumed children collected candy
as they were led through decorated
halls in groups of four and five.
And what's the style for today's
"in" trick-or-treater?
The classic ghost Gnd goblin cos-
tumes were still popular, but were
vastly outnumbered by Teenage
Mutant Ninja Turtles- although
some were not sure of which partic-
ular turtle they were.
"I'm Raphael!" volunteered
Jeremy Forest-Merill as he bran-
dished a sword. "Oops," he cor-
rected after a quick prompt from his
mother. "I mean Donatello."

"He had a great time," said
Vickie Forest-Merill, Jeremy's
mother. She was impressed by her
first residence hall trick-or-treating
experience. "I would definitely
come back," she concluded.
"I got scared," said Jeremy
through a mouthful of Zotz. He
then held up a basket almost over-
flowing with candy. The smile on
his face indicated that the haul was
worth the fright.
LSA sophomore Brain McCal-
lum, one of the event's organizers,
said the evening was a success. "The
kids had a good time," he said.
"There were about 20 or 30 and
there were people jumping out at
them and giving them candy all

along the way."
The kids were impressed with
the decorations on Fourth Jordan
End - a hall in Mosher Jordan -
which used "The Little Mermaid"
as its theme. The theme music of the
movie was played in the background,
blue and white crepe paper draped
the walls, and white balloons car-
peted the floor.
Another favorite among visitors
was the theme of hell used by some
halls.
The hall judged best decorated
will receive $50 as a prize, but most
participants agreed that the appreci-
ation of squads of giggling ghosts
enjoying a sugar buzz was more than
enough compensation for the effort.

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