SAN ANGELO, Texas (Concho Valley Homepage) — When you think of jack-o'-lanterns, you might think of a few lone gourds with funny faces on a front porch. One San Angelo, Texas, woman takes the Halloween decorations to the next level, though, displaying over 400 jack-o'-lanterns for one night only.

From Illinois to Texas — the start of the patch

Michelle Good has operated Michelle's Pumpkin Patch in San Angelo for 19 years now. In the front yard of her residence, hundreds of pumpkins carved with designs for all ages are displayed, illuminated from the inside by the flickering of electronic candles.

Good said the idea that would become the monumental pumpkin patch first formed in the 1990s when she lived in Illinois and ran an in-home daycare. What started as just helping children enjoy the Halloween season with pumpkins quickly became a passion after she grew tired of traditional jack-o'-lantern faces and purchased a pumpkin-carving guidebook to explore new possibilities.

"I'm like, 'I can do this!'" Good said.

Good eventually moved to San Angelo in the summer of 2004, taking her propensity for carving pumpkins with her. The way she approached her Halloween-themed hobby would soon change, however, as the arid climate of West Texas made using real pumpkins a challenge.

"In Illinois it was easy to do it on real pumpkins because our weather allowed for them to stay fresher longer," Good said. "Here? Not so much."

Good switched to using artificial pumpkins as canvases for her carvings so that her crafts could survive the weather conditions. The faux gourds had an extra effect, though — their added longevity allowed for her collection to swell, growing it into the colossal collage of jack-o'-lanterns it is to this day.

"When I carved in Illinois, the most I probably ever carved for one Halloween was maybe 15 pumpkins," Good said.

The patch's moniker isn't just based on her name, Good shared. She stated that the jack-o'-lantern collection got its title several years ago from a craft project undertaken by her uncle and father.

"Several years ago, my uncle ... made me a sign for display purposes for my pumpkins," Good said. "He did the woodworking and my dad did the painting, and that's pretty much where the sign came from and how it came to be called Michelle's Pumpkin Patch."

From purchase to patch — how the display grows

Good said that she begins to carve the artificial pumpkins as soon as they're found for sale at reduced prices in stores. She typically waits until the week before Halloween to carve real pumpkins to ensure that they last until Halloween night.

Good shared that maintaining and adding to the pumpkin patch costs hundreds of dollars each year, with items such as artificial pumpkins and electronic candle batteries comprising the majority of her expenses.

"Considering that I just keep adding to the collection, it varies," Good said. "It can be anywhere from $500 to get everything done the way I want it done to, obviously, more."

Despite the hefty price tag, Good said she hasn't considered asking for donations from the public.

"I don't ask for donations," Good said. "I've had people suggest that I ask for donations just to help keep them lit, but it's not something that I think is necessary. I just do it because I think it's cool."

After she gets her pumpkins, she uses designs found online to etch patterns into them. The pumpkins are often sorted into "pumpkin families" that represent different themes, ranging from film franchises to fictional characters and more.

"A perfect example of that for this year, because the new 'Inside Out' movie came out, I was able to find patterns for the new 'Inside Out 2' characters, so 'Inside Out' will be growing by those characters," Good said.

From Halloween to the home — how the jack-o'-lanterns are displayed

The freshly-carved jack-o'-lanterns are then added to the patch, which is set up on the front lawn of Good's residence on Halloween day in anticipation of the night's festivities. LED lights are placed inside the pumpkins, with certain pumpkins being lit with specific colors to better match the character or theme they depict.

Once night falls and people begin roaming San Angelo in search of tricks and treats, locals can stop by the pumpkin patch and look at the hundreds of jack-o'-lanterns prepared for the night.

When festivities start to wind down across town, the display is closed. Afterward, the pumpkins are stored inside Good's home, where they wait until next Halloween to be shown off again.

"Shelves, closets, office floor, shelves in the halls and the closets — they're pretty much everywhere," Good said. "I've learned that if I try to store anything in the garage or out in a storage shed, it gets too warm, and then they can deteriorate faster. When you've got that kind of investment in the details you've created, you don't want to lose them."

From a hobby to happy hearts — why the patch is operated

Good said that the primary reason she displays her jack-o'-lantern collection for the people of San Angelo each year is to see the joy it gives. She said that people who have seen her pumpkin patch have looks of "amazement" on their faces when they see it.

"Because I like to see grown-ups' and kids' smiling faces," Good said.

Good shared that one of her fondest memories from running her pumpkin patch came a few years ago when a boy refused to leave the display until he found a pumpkin depicting the Black Panther from Marvel Comics' "Blank Panter" property that had been in the patch the year prior. The pumpkin had been given away to a relative of Good, but she said that she recarved the pumpkin for the following year's display for the boy.

With Halloween 2024 fast approaching, Good hopes that people will once again return to Michelle's Pumpkin Patch to enjoy the fruits of her labor. She's already extended an invitation for next year, too.

"We're always happy to see new faces, and please come back next year!" Good said.

Michelle's Pumpkin Patch is scheduled to be open on Oct. 31 from 6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., weather permitting. The display will be located at 117 Dellwood Drive in San Angelo.

News Source : https://www.conchovalleyhomepage.com/news/local-news/local-400-plus-jack-o-lantern-display-to-shine-on-halloween/