Pumpkin Time on the Lake

My wife and I – with the help of a couple of our “lake neighbors” – have decided that Halloween should not go unnoticed on our 380-acre Sugar Creek Lake in north central Missouri. We have about 25 cabins on the lake, so every year we go out on a mission a week or so before Halloween, spreading a little bit of seasonal spirit by placing a plastic “punkin” (filled with water) on most of the docks. After they have been up for several weeks, we go around and retrieve them. This seems to add a little cheer to the solemn-looking docks that are getting ready for the long, lonely winter ahead.


EDITOR'S NOTE: Gary Blackmore wrote the following poem about his pumpkin adventures:


SHARING THE ORANGE: THE ANNUAL PUNKIN RUN
'Tis that time of year again
when the chill is in the air
the leaves are showing their colors
and us retirees haven't got a care

The docks all seem so lonely
the kids have had their fun
so idly now they set
the summer excitement done

So someones gotta do it
I do it every year
so lake neighbors don't you worry -
the "Punkin Man" is near

I'll load up our pontoon
with pumpkins for you all
head out on the lake
I'm the "Santa in the fall"

Finding just that right spot
to place that pumpkin down
where he proudly looks out across the water
like a king showing off his crown

They'll adorn the docks for weeks
hoping to give boaters a little smile
then one by one I'll collect them
and bag them into a pile

'Til this time again next year
for no particular reason
I'll do it all again
cause I love this wonderful season.

Gary Blackmore

Gary Blackmore