Scary salutations to my witches and warlocks! It’s me, Holly Ween, “Scare Reporter” for the CVW! Spooky Season is upon us and I am back and ready to fright and delight you all with some Halloween fun!

Pumpkins of all shapes and sizes are arriving everywhere these days – in grocery stores, roadside farm stands and pop-up pumpkin lots. I wanted to find a few new varieties to add to my décor and doorstep this year. So I went off in search on the world wide “web” (spooky pun) and did you know there are over 300 varieties of pumpkins in North America? Thanks to Home for the Harvest (https://www.homefortheharvest.com/types-of-pumpkins/), this news knocked me batty! Knuckleheads, Warty Goblins, Batwing, and Red Warty Thing are not band names; they are just a few of my new favorite types of pumpkins for decoration and carving!

Speaking of carving … did you know that we have the Irish to thank for the jack-o’-lantern? And that turnips or potatoes are the original vessels of choice for the carving? I would have lost all my fingers and possibly my toes if I had to carve a potato or a turnip! Well, sit back and enjoy the folk tale of Stingy Jack and the creation of the jack-o’-lantern.

Several centuries ago in Ireland, there lived a drunkard known as Stingy Jack. He was known throughout the land as a deceiver or manipulator. On a fateful night, Satan overheard the tale of Jack’s evil deeds and silver tongue. Unconvinced (and envious) of the rumors, the devil went to find out for himself whether or not Jack lived up to his vile reputation.

Typical of Jack, he was drunk and wandering through the countryside at night when he came upon a body on his cobblestone path. The body, with an eerie grimace on its face, turned out to be the devil himself! Jack realized that this was his end; Satan had finally come to collect his malevolent soul. So Jack made a last request: he asked the devil to let him drink ale before he departed to Hell. Finding no reason not to acquiesce the request, Satan took Jack to the local pub and supplied him with many alcoholic beverages. Upon quenching his thirst, Jack asked Satan to pay the tab for the ale because he didn’t carry any money. Jack convinced Satan to turn himself into a silver coin with which to pay the bartender and change back when he’s not looking. Satan did so, impressed upon by Jack’s unyielding nefarious tactics. Shrewdly, Jack stuck the now transmogrified Satan (coin) into his pocket, which also contained a crucifix. The crucifix’s presence kept the devil from escaping his form. This coerced Satan to agree to Jack’s demand: in exchange for his freedom, he had to spare Jack’s soul for 10 years.

Ten years after the date Jack originally struck his deal, he naturally found himself once again in the devil’s presence. Jack happened upon Satan in the same setting as before and he seemingly accepted for good it was his time to go to Hell. As Satan prepared to take him to Hell, Jack asked if he could have one apple to feed his starving belly. Foolishly, Satan once again agreed to this request. As he climbed up the branches of a nearby apple tree, Jack surrounded its base with crucifixes. Satan, frustrated at the fact that he had been entrapped again, demanded his release. As Jack did before, he made a second demand: that he will never take his soul to Hell. Having no choice, the devil agreed and was set free.

Eventually the drinking took its toll on Jack and he died. Stingy Jack’s soul prepared to enter heaven through the gates of St. Peter, but he was stopped. Jack was told by God that, because of his sinful lifestyle of deceitfulness and drinking, he was not allowed into Heaven. Jack then went down to the Gates of Hell and begged for admission into the underworld. Satan, fulfilling his obligation to Jack, could not take his soul. He gave Jack an ember to light his way.

Jack is doomed to roam the world between the planes of good and evil, with only an ember inside a hollowed turnip to light his way.

The Irish began to refer to this ghostly figure as “Jack of the Lantern,” and then, simply “Jack O’ Lantern.” In Ireland and Scotland, people began to make their own versions of Jack’s lanterns by carving scary faces into turnips or potatoes and placing them into windows or near doors to frighten away Stingy Jack and other wandering evil spirits. They brought the jack-o’-lantern tradition with them when they came to the United States. They soon found that pumpkins, a fruit native to America, made perfect jack-o’-lanterns since they are hollow inside and much easier to carve.

Till next week my fiendish friends!

Holly Ween, Scare Reporter

P.S. if you are decorating your houses this spooky season send me an email to HollyWeen@cvweekly.com and I will add you to our Fun & Frights in the Foothills tour list (see our ad in this week’s issue).