In the previous Glounthaune Community News, there was a call for volunteers to organise this year’s Halloween pumpkin carving competition. Having judged it in the past, I duly got involved. Teresa O’Mahony of Pals Afterschool was sponsoring the pumpkin carving prizes, and we thought it a good idea to include a pumpkin colouring competition where children could either come to the hall and colour between 1.00-3.00pm, or drop in their completed entry. As I teach after school art classes locally, I offered to design the entry form and sponsor the colouring competition prizes.
So far, so good, but what about ghostly decorations and finding a judge? Tara Connolly and her daughter Siobhan wove their magic to create a spookily decorated community hall, while artist Martina Bennett agreed to judge both the pumpkin carving and the colouring competitions.
Despite torrential rain on the day, we had a terrific turn-out with lots of creatively carved pumpkins, and colourful designs from our young artists. The children’s Halloween costumes were fantastic too! Although it was a difficult task given the high standard of artwork, the winners were selected and prizes were awarded. Well done to everyone who took part. Taking the plunge to be a volunteer was great fun and well worth the effort.