Pumpkin Pete brings family-inspired ‘Jack O’Lantern World’ to life at Paulus Park

LAKE ZURICH, ill. – Paulus Park on Lake Zurich has been transformed into “Jack O’Lantern World” just in time for Halloween, with a stunning display of intricately carved pumpkins and enormous gourds.

“The U.S. National Pumpkin Championships just ended,” said event organizer Peter Starykowicz, also known as “Pumpkin Pete.”

The grand prize pumpkin tipped the scales at an impressive 2,048 pounds. Several giant pumpkins are on display, some with intricate carvings.

“That’s part of the excitement,” Pumpkin Pete said. “We have over 4,000 standard-sized, hand-carved jack-o-lanterns, and part of our appeal is that we also have these giant pumpkins that we will carve into jack-o-lanterns.”

He said the inspiration for the event came from home.

“I have four kids, and what I’m thinking about is, why are they going to be excited? Everyone wants to celebrate Halloween. Everyone loves October, and so we’re working with local farmers to bring in these real pumpkins ” he said. .

Pumpkin Pete explained that some of the more complex sculptures can take up to 30 hours to complete. While visitors will be able to see classic jack-o-lanterns of witches and skeletons, there will also be a “Hall of Presidents” – a Mount Rushmore pumpkin featuring hand-carved portraits of Donald Trump, Joe Biden and more.

Additionally, there is a “Great Pumpkin Wall” decorated with pumpkins carved with Chinese characters.

The event runs until the end of the month, open only Thursday to Sunday.