Winning rule keeps pumpkin carving contest alive
Stories and Photos by Kevin Cody Fifty Halloweens ago six ordinarily amiable neighbors on tree-lined 24th Place in Hermosa Beach got into a quarrel over who was the best pumpkin carver. Fearing the quarrel would end with smashed pumpkins, Dave Garret, a builder on the block, convinced his fellow pumpkin carvers to line up their pumpkins on the curb in front of his house. Then he flagged down a passing car, and convinced the driver to judge which pumpkin was the best. Garret won, leading the losers to suspect Garret had flagged down a friend to be the judge. Garret’s wife Mary diffused the looming pumpkin carnage by offering to host another pumpkin contest the following year. Her only rule was that the winner had to host the next year’s 24th Place Pumpkin Carving Contest. Over the decades the rule ensured the tradition, and the neighborhood animosity continued. This year’s contest was held the night before Halloween, at the home of Dan Jensen, whose family won last year. While the judges deliberated Mary Garrett recalled the contest’s history. One year a pumpkin all acknowledged was the best was given the booby prize, prompting the pumpkin carver to sell his house, Garrett said…
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