 "Photo: Kristen Footo")
 "Photo: Kristen Footo")
Raindrops fell out of the twilight sky, plopping onto the surrounding surfaces covered in orange. Splashes of dunking pumpkins, chattering students and the squishing of pumpkin innards surrounded the house. The smells of bleach, rain and pumpkin hovered above 748 Beech St., Kenova, W.Va.
Forty volunteers gutted, cleaned and carved pumpkins in the rain Tuesday evening at the pumpkin house in Kenova.
These volunteers are just a percentage of the amount of people helping the Griffiths with their pumpkin house every year. This year they have about 400 volunteers.
Ric Griffith started the Halloween tradition in 1978 and has continued ever since. He has added new spectacles each Halloween for guests to view.
Throughout the time of the pumpkin house, Griffith has received local and national fame, but silent helpers make the pumpkin house possible.
People volunteer their time to assist the Griffiths in preparing and carving pumpkins; this year the pumpkin count is approximately 3,000.
Tuesday evening, members of the Junior ROTC from Wayne High School volunteered their time to the pumpkin house.
“This is the second year that we’ve done this,” said Sgt. James Taylor. “The kids really want to do it. I mean, they’re very excited about getting out and doing something in the community.”
He also said the returning students encouraged the freshmen to participate this year, and they not only enjoy helping the community but getting to spend time with their peers as well.
The students volunteered approximately three hours in the cold, rainy weather. Taylor said the weather was no hindrance to their efforts.
“I thought it would be a hindrance, but we have more people this year than last year,” Taylor said. “I even had a senior last year that graduated from Junior ROTC, and he’s now a freshman at Marshall that came back this year.”
James Hammond, freshman at Marshall University, is the returning student and he said he personally gets a lot out of volunteering.
“I love community service, and there’s nothing quite like scooping out pumpkins to make you realize that there are some dirty jobs out there,” Hammond said. “My favorite part is just hanging out with people I used to know and that I haven’t had a chance to see.”
Hammond said he encourages students at Marshall to participate in service projects that benefit the community.
Other people participating in the project included members of the students’ families. Melvin Moore said he came out to support his son and the other members. He also said that he promotes his son in helping in this project and other community service projects because “it’s the moral thing to do.” His younger son also participates.
“I’ve gutted 11 pumpkins today,” said 11-year-old Matthew Moore. “I like coming and helping my brother and everybody else.”
To get the house completed, Griffith needs more volunteers because the rain has put them behind. He said he still has approximately 700 drawings to complete and a lot of pumpkins to be carved.
Once the house is complete, members of non-profit organizations such as the Wayne County Habitat for Humanity and the Ashland Animal Rescue Fund sell items at the event to raise money.
The pumpkin house stays lit from dusk ‘till dawn on Halloween weekend and is free to all visitors.
Kristen Footo can be contacted at footo@marshall.edu.
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