Haunted Village

Subject: Haunted Village Fri Aug 21, 2009 8:47 am

Jack-o'-lanterns" first referred to night watchmen who carried
lanterns because there were no street lamps. Jack, a popular
diminutive of the name John, was often used to mean "man," and as a
result, a man carrying a lantern was often referred to as a jack-o'-
lantern. When turnips, carved with faces to ward off evil spirits,
were lit from within, they were considered lanterns, too.
Eventually, the term "jack-o'-lantern" came to refer to the smiling
pumpkins we associate with Halloween. Lit from within, they glow on
the stoops, in the yards, and in the windows of homes and shops all
across the country. This time of year, images of haunted houses are
everywhere, too. This project combines the jack-o'-lantern and the
haunted house, and the eerie result—a glowing pumpkin house
suggesting unseen ghosts and monsters—is as unusual as it is
frightening. You can carve several haunted-house jack-o'-lanterns to
create a haunted neighborhood.

Materials: pumpkin; knife, for carving; spoon or ice cream scoop;
china marker; utility knife, straight-blade knife, or small saw;
cheesecloth; toothpick; construction paper (optional); wire
(optional); double-sided tape; small Halloween toys (optional); fine-
gauge or copper wire; votive candle

Cut the top off the pumpkin with the knife. This will be the roof of
the house.
Scoop the pulp out of the pumpkin.
Draw windows and a door on the pumpkin with the china marker.
Carve out the windows and door using a utility knife or another
sharp tool. Keep cuts clean. The straighter the edges, the better.
Remove any pulp hanging behind the windows or door.
Using a damp cheesecloth, wipe off any marks left on the surface of
the pumpkin from the china marker.
To make the chimney, cut a rectangle out of the top of the pumpkin,
and pull out the piece. Break a toothpick in half, and insert each
piece of toothpick into the sides of the hole left by the rectangle.
Replace the piece you cut in its hole, resting on the toothpick
pieces, so it sits up higher than the roof and resembles a chimney.
You can add construction-paper cutouts, suspended by wire, to the
outside of the pumpkin: Cut out silhouettes of bats, cats, or
witches in duplicate. Sandwich wire between two identical images
using double-sided tape, then stick the wire into the roof of the
pumpkin. This will create the effect of cats roaming, or bats or
witches flying around the outside of the house. You can also use
small Halloween toys in the windows to create interesting
silhouettes.
Place a votive candle inside a glass holder into the pumpkin. Light
will shine through the windows and door.