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Childhood Memories Prompt Pursuit of
‘The Great Pumpkin’
October 1, 2007
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October 1, 2007  Download PDF 
OWL’S HEAD, Fla. – As a child in rural Ohio, Teresa Baum would pilgrimage each fall
with her family to the area’s famous pumpkin shows. She would delight in being dwarfed
by squashes weighing well over half a ton.
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So when the new marketing consultant for the Owl’s Head community in Freeport learned there would be a pumpkin patch on the property (as a prelude to a future Farmers Market), she flashed back to those fondest of childhood memories.
“I knew exactly what I had to do,” said the
40-something Baum, who recently returned
from a four-day journey to the Heartland to bring “The Great Pumpkin” to the panhandle.
Owl’s Head is an 800-acre New Urbanist community on Route 331.
Baum flew to Dayton, Ohio, rented a 17-foot
U-Haul truck and followed narrow, winding
rural roads to the “secret places,” patches where pumpkins are pampered and preened—
and well fertilized—by proud growers from
May through September. |
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It was at a regional championship “weigh-off” at one of the country’s premier pumpkin
shows that she fell in love with a plump pumpkin she named “Henry.” Growers there
were ultimately competing to claim the title of the world’s biggest pumpkin. (CNN
reported that California’s grand prize winner weighed in 1,524 lbs.)
“Henry was from West Virginia,” says Baum. “He wasn’t one of the winners, but he’s
pretty special. Most of these prize pumpkins aren’t for sale, so I had to beg a bit and
promise to return the seeds.”
After an 868-mile road trip with Henry and his “friends,” including 175 pumpkins and
gourds of all shapes and sizes, Baum returned to stock the Owl’s Head patch which
will be open for sale the next three weekends. (Oct. 13-14, 20-21, 27-28)
How big is Henry?
“Big, very, very big,” says Baum, who won’t reveal how much he weighs. “People will
just have to guess.”
As a fundraiser to benefit the Emerald Coast Children’s Advocacy Center, “guessing
tickets” will be sold at the patch. The grand prize for the contest is $500. Winners will be
announced on Monday, Oct. 29.
As for Henry’s future?
“I promised him that he will make many children and adults very happy,” says Baum.
“Particularly the winner of the contest. And I assured him that when his days are done,
his seeds will travel back to the West Virginia soil where they will be planted. Maybe
we’ll be lucky enough to see his son next year.
For Baum, the pumpkin pilgrimage to her rural Ohio roots proved more meaningful than
she had first imagined.
“Returning there reminded me why so many people are attracted to Traditional
Neighborhood Developments like Owl’s Head, Seaside and Rosemary Beach,” says
Baum. “What we’re creating here is a lot like the small-town experience I had growing
up, where we walked and rode our bikes everywhere, people were friendly, we knew
everyone, and downtown was just 10 minutes away.
“In the end, maybe that’s the real reason I insisted on going all the way back there to get
pumpkins for our Owl’s Head patch.” |
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