Pumpkin Shine on Line is one of my favorite annual events in Shreveport-Bossier. Held every October in Shreveport’s Betty Virginia Park, this event shows off the creativity of local kids through a display of about 1,000 ornately decorated pumpkins. One thing about the pumpkins at this event: they hold a mirror to pop culture in amusing, often surprising ways. I visited last night’s event and wanted to share a few photos of my favorite pumpkins, most of which fall into the “silly/awkward/bizarre” category.
At first I laughed, and then I worried about the kids these days, and then I felt old.It was just hard not to smile at this gaggle of Minions.A Spider-Man Blue Dog?! While it’s not impossible that this kid’s parents are lawyers…hopefully they have some experience with intellectual property rights.If you listen closely, you can practically hear the conversation that must have happened at the kitchen table where this pumpkin was created: “Bobby, you know, we’re always here if you ever need to talk about anything.”“Please, someone, anyone – get a shovel!,” Big Bird seems to be saying.Hey! As easy as it would have been to pick up the beard-and-bandana package at Party City, this kid took the harder assignment and tackled Uncle Si with aplomb.The closer I inspected these two pumpkins, the funnier they got. Note the eyeholes drawn in marker on the larger pumpkin. You know, coloring outside of the lines is really where the fun’s at, anyway.