Why teal pumpkins are sprouting up this Halloween
I haven’t noticed any teal pumpkins in my Dilworth neighborhood yet, but I’m keeping my eyes peeled. Community members were invited to paint tiny pumpkins with teal paint last week in the Idea Box at the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library’s main branch.
What this means: The Teal Pumpkin Project has come to Charlotte. The project is a national movement to bring awareness to food allergies while promoting the inclusion of all trick-or-treaters at Halloween time. One in 13 children (and, likely, trick-or-treaters) has a food allergy in the U.S.
Participating is as easy as adding alternative, non-food, kid-friendly treats like inexpensive toys to your Halloween goods, and setting a teal pumpkin or a free printable sign from FARE (Food Allergy Research & Education) outside your house as a marker.
Laura Cavette, senior library assistant, thought to incorporate the Teal Pumpkin Project into library programming to get Charlotte ready for Halloween. Preparing alternative treats for kids is nothing new to her, since she works with some of the library’s children’s programming.
“Every time we do a special event, we always have treats and candy and stuff like that to give away to the kids, but some of the kids can’t have that stuff because they either have diabetes or allergies or something,” she said. “So we always try to have stickers or pencils or something else that can be enjoyed too.”
Cavette pointed out that this message is important whether you’re celebrating Halloween or any other holiday, for both children and adults.
The Teal Pumpkin Project hasn’t taken the Queen City by storm just yet — the U.S. map of participants showed just over 30 registered homes in the greater Charlotte area midday Oct. 24.
But there’s still time for Charlotteans to participate in the project, or even just create something in the Idea Box. The makerspace opened in 2015 to offer the community free access to tools (some materials incur low fees to use).
“They can always come in and make stuff,” Cavette said. “Not just for Halloween — things in general. Ideas that they have, that they can bring to life.”
Items like a luminary, pencil cup and Frankenstein head can be made in one of the 3D printers. Plastic filament runs through the machine, heated to 220 degrees Celsius to create an object layer by layer to match a pre-set thickness. There is 3D design software on hand if people want to create their own designs, or they can select projects from a database.
If you’re into 2D designs, try out the laser cutter and create items like key chains, bookmarks or other trinkets from plywood, card stock or cardboard. A vinyl cutter is available to create stickers, and knitting and sewing machines are available for fiber crafts.
No matter the project, staff members are on hand to offer support if you venture into the Idea Box, which is open various hours Monday-Thursday.
Upcoming programs at the Idea Box include Web Development Basics (Oct. 25), Dry Ice Bubble Generator (Oct. 26) and Tech Career Exploration (Oct. 27).
And if you missed your chance to make a teal pumpkin, you can at least sit on your couch on Halloween Monday with a basket of candy — and some alternative “teal” treats.
Photos: Katie Toussaint
This story was originally published October 25, 2016 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Why teal pumpkins are sprouting up this Halloween."