The daily Astorian., October 30, 2015, Image 20

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THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2015
Photos by Katherine Lacaze/EO Media Group
Spooky orbs.
Contest: It ¿rst started with patrons carving about 20 pumpkins
Continued from Page 1C
“This was a good surprise,” she said.
They also did not visit Driftwood spe-
cifically for the pumpkin-carving and saw
the contest advertised on a sign only when
they got there.
“We came here by referral,” Garrett
said, adding they were told Driftwood is a
“local favorite.”
The activity is just one aspect that lends
to Cannon Beach’s charm and gives the
town “a good feel,” Grant said.
“It’s what mainstream America is miss-
ing these days,” he said of Cannon Beach.
‘It turns into an
annual trip to
Cannon Beach to
carve pumpkins.
What a great
memory that’s
going to be lodged
into their brain.’
Kyle Genin
contest manager
100 pumpkins
When the contest first started, patrons
carved about 20 pumpkins. Last year, the
total increased to about 90. This year, the
restaurant had more than 100 pumpkins
ready to go.
The contest was shortened to one week
instead of two this year, because the pump-
kins start seriously decaying after that,
Genin said. The staff wanted to avoid hav-
ing to rinse the pumpkins in bleach wa-
ter to extend their longevity, which was
a time-consuming but necessary task last
year, he said.
Despite the consistent clean up re-
quired, Genin said he and other staff
members feel scrubbing sticky pumpkin
residue off the deck, tables and chairs is
worth the way in which the contest brings
people to the Driftwood to socialize. It’s
not uncommon to find people conversing,
sharing equipment and enjoying a drink
while carving.
The mixture of alcohol into the activity
sometimes leads to interesting creations,
but only one person has suffered an injury
so far. Luckily, it was just a mild laceration
on their finger, Genin said.
Everyone who participates in the con-
test gets a T-shirt. On the final day of the
contest, the restaurant’s owners and man-
agement select first-, second- and third-
place winners, who get $100, $75 and $50
gift cards, respectively.
Genin said he takes pictures of each
entry and puts them online. He is think-
ing about next year adding a winner for
the person whose entry receives the most
“likes” on Facebook.
Whether it is the free T-shirt or a desire
to relive childhood memories that drives
participation, the contest is “just a great
community event,” Genin said. Addition-
ally, it keeps visitors coming back to town
at a time of year when tourism usually be-
gins slowing down.
For some people, “it turns into an an-
nual trip to Cannon Beach to carve pump-
kins,” Genin said. “What a great memory
that’s going to be lodged into their brain.”
Worried mom spreading word about Teal Pumpkin Project
Halloween can
be scary for
children with
food allergies
Associated Press
MEXICO, Mo. — For
children with food allergies,
the scariest part of Hallow-
een can be sorting through
candy after a night of trick-
or-treating to find something
that won’t send them into
shock if they eat it.
Even one fun-size candy
bar can force kids such as
9-year-old Nate Robertson,
who was diagnosed with
Type 1 diabetes last year, to
get an insulin shot. Whenev-
er the Mexico, Missouri, boy
receives candy or treats, he
has to call his mom first to
find out if he can have them.
“He doesn’t get a lot of
treats,” Sara Robertson, Na-
te’s mother, told the Mexico
Ledger. “We have to kind of
decide if it’s shot-worthy.”
Robertson and other par-
ents in the northeast Missou-
ri community are spreading
the word about a national
effort to make Halloween
Photo courtesy of Food Allergy Research and Education
more inclusive for children
with food allergies.
The Teal Pumpkin Project
was started last year by the
national advocacy organiza-
tion Food Allergy Research
and Education, or FARE,
to raise awareness about
children with serious and
even life-threatening food
allergies, and to make them
feel included during the
sweets-centered holiday.
FARE has set a goal of
getting 100,000 households
to participate by placing
teal-colored pumpkins on
their porch or lawn, or by
printing out the official sign
from FARE’s website and
placing it on the front door
or in a window, to tell trick-
or-treaters that non-food
treats are available for those
who can’t eat candy.
The color teal was chosen
for the project because it has
been used to signal food al-
lergies for nearly 20 years.
“So many holidays are
centered around food,” said
Robertson, a speech thera-
pist at Children’s Therapy
and Early Education in Mex-
ico. “You don’t want to take
away from the original pur-
pose, and this provides an
opportunity for the child to
participate without having to
give everything back. It lets
them feel normal and like
they belong.”
Robertson heard about the
Teal Pumpkin Project from
a cousin whose child has
severe allergic reactions to
wide range of common food
ingredients, including eggs,
dairy, wheat and sesame.
Robertson’s cousin can
go into anaphylactic shock
an allergic reaction that can
include dizziness, loss of
consciousness and extreme
breathing difficulty by eat-
ing candy that contains or
has come in contact with any
of those ingredients.
The reaction can be fatal
without an emergency dose
of the hormone epinephrine.
Robertson said the Teal
Pumpkin Project is a way to
offer safe treats while also
raising awareness of food al-
lergies in general.
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