By Lori BODNAR

There’s a new haunt in town for “spooktacular” fall fun! Carved is a family-friendly event that includes intricately carved pumpkins, autumn decorations and brilliant lights nestled within the beauty of nature outdoors at Descanso Gardens. The Carved experience is on view nightly from 6:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. through the month of October.

Hundreds of carved pumpkins line a one-mile easy walking loop through the Camellia Forest and Oak Grove. Notable pumpkin designs included Charlie Brown and the Great Pumpkin, Shrek, Harry Potter and Voldemort and Lord of the Rings, among others.

Some guests had a hard time deciding which brilliantly carved pumpkin was their favorite.

“I really liked the pumpkin that had both Harry Potter and Voldemort’s faces carved on it,” said fifth grader Alisha Singh. “I also had fun playing in the cackling forest.”

A pumpkin carved as a tribute to former Jeopardy host Alex Trebek was a favorite of Mountain Avenue sixth grade student. Eric Truong.

The addition of lights and autumn decorations lent to the spooky ambience. Inside the Descanso Gardens pond lurked the Loch Ness Monster, created out of pumpkins and autumnal squash. Towering trees were lit for the public to admire. A huge spider web was decorated near another tree, complete with a giant spider – made from pumpkin.

Other decorations included oversized sculptures made of natural materials fashioned to form a huge praying mantis and a dragonfly. A favorite for kids and their families was the pumpkin house, and people lined up for their turn to walk inside for a quick photo. The Descanso railroad train was on display, with a scarecrow pumpkin head driver as the train engineer and cargo carts filled to the brim with pumpkins and gourds. Wooden lanterns were also carved with Halloween happy faces and were lit inside for illumination.

Most attendees wore festive costumes, outfitting Descanso Gardens with superheroes and princesses as well as ghouls and goblins. The autumnal displays were more fun than fright, so the venue and event are appropriate for all ages. Though patrons can view the fall features during the day the gardens really come to life at night when the carved pumpkins are lit up and the eerie fog rolls out through the forest.

Another favorite haunting place for children of all ages was the moonlit “cackling” forest in Oak Grove. Oak trees were surrounded by raised platforms filled with multi-colored lights, which sounded a cacophony of cackling noises whenever they were stepped on. Kids and adults ran round the trees in circles, jumping on the light buttons to hear the touch-activated cackling calls. There was also a hay maze to explore. If families tired of the playful fun, they could visit the nearby harvest festival themed food and beverages.

Descanso Gardens also represented the Latin American Dia de Los Muertos traditions with a Descanso Eterno altar. Dia de Los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, altars are made to remember and honor deceased friends and family. The altars help guide the spirits back to the land of the living on the Day of the Dead. By the water, there was an altar with the sign “Agua es Vida,” meaning water is life.

A booth displayed people carving the pumpkins in real time so the public could admire the detailed work involved with carving the intricate designs.

Kristen Griffen, director of the “Carved” show, said she has been a pumpkin-carver for Descanso Gardens for seven years and leads a team of 11 carvers. Prior to working as a pumpkin carver, she was a professional painter.

“We carve about 500 pumpkins a day or 350 pumpkins in four hours as a team,” Griffen said. “The pumpkins can take four to 20 hours to illustrate and carve. ‘The Lord of the Rings’ pumpkin took 12 hours to illustrate the design and four hours to carve. The more detail in the pumpkin, the more time it takes to carve. We have 30 large illustrative pumpkins. If one rots, we have extra ones to replace it. We replace the larger pumpkins every few days, so they always show their best faces throughout October.” 

Griffen also offered advice to those wishing to carve artistic pumpkins at home.

“When carving your Jack-o’-lanterns at home, carve the face first. Don’t take out the stem since it makes the pumpkin flimsy. You can cut out the bottom or back of the pumpkin so the pumpkin won’t rot as quickly.”

To check available nights and purchase tickets, visit the Descanso Gardens website at https://www.descansogardens.org/tickets/. Also on sale now are tickets for Descanso Garden’s “Enchanted Forest of Light,” which will include sparkling, swirling light installations and exquisite holiday lighting effects, including stained-glass creations constructed in the Rose Garden by contemporary sculptor Tom Fruin.