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Cochrane Pumpkin Lantern Festival set to glow

Glowing pumpkins, s’mores and entertainment – the Cochrane Pumpkin Lantern Festival has it all. The festival, now in its fourth year, was started as a way to bring local schools and the community together, according to organizer Carrie Cline.
Glowing goblins
One of the intricately-carved pumpkins glows along the trail at the Cochrane Ranche Historic Site during the 2017 Cochrane Pumpkin Lantern Festival.

Glowing pumpkins, s’mores and entertainment – the Cochrane Pumpkin Lantern Festival has it all. The festival, now in its fourth year, was started as a way to bring local schools and the community together, according to organizer Carrie Cline. “We thought that would be a fun event. It’s grown quite a bit, over the years, and has turned into a real magical evening,” she said. “We really enjoy putting it together each year.” Last year’s festival featured approximately 230 carved pumpkins and several thousand visitors, she added. This year’s event is shaping up to be bigger than ever – Cline said she expects an even greater number of pumpkins to be on display during the three-hour event. The trail at the Cochrane Ranche Historic Site is lined with the pumpkins, which are lit from within. “There’s very little lighting there, so it becomes very beautiful. We also light up some trees,” Cline said. “We have a gentleman who carves pumpkins out of logs, with a chainsaw, and we have a couple of fire pits where we’ll be serving s’mores.” Local schools, individuals and families, as well as representatives from the Town of Cochrane, area school boards and local businesses carve the pumpkins. “We really encourage people to carve pumpkins and then enter them. They can enter them for prizes, or just to be displayed,” she said. “We have about eight judges who will come this year. This year, we’re going to have judging early, so we can have the little ribbons on the pumpkins so people know [who won].” The pumpkins are judged in three age categories for the students, as well as in one business category. Cash prizes for first, second and third place are handed out to carvers who show the best creativity and effort, according to Cline. A total of 10 schools from each of the school boards represented in the town will be submitting carved pumpkins to the event. Some of them hold special carving events prior to the festival, including Fireside School, which has each classroom carve one or two pumpkins. The festival will provide pumpkins to anyone who can’t afford to purchase one, but Cline said the expectation is that most participants provide their own gourd. Anyone wishing to have their pumpkin judged must complete an entry form and deliver their creation to Cochrane Ranche before 3 p.m. the day of the event. The event is entirely free to attend – and it’s free to enter a pumpkin, Cline added. The s’mores and hot chocolate served on the trail are also free. Bands from Cochrane High School, as well as youth buskers, will provide entertainment, and a number of food trucks will be serving up their wares. “It’s not really a Halloween thing,” Cline said. “We just want people to embrace the creativity of the students, through carving pumpkins.” After the festival is over, carvers can claim their pumpkin to take home and enjoy, Cline said. Any pumpkins left behind are delivered to a local pig farmer and recycled. The Cochrane Pumpkin Lantern Festival happens Oct. 26 at Cochrane Ranche, beginning at 6 p.m. More information about the festival is available on the event’s Facebook page.

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