It's almost time for Halloween!
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Once upon a time ......................
Rachel and Rancid take a trip to Dairy District.
Much to their surprise they arrive there just in time to enjoy the Dairy District Family Fall Festival. They meet up with Amelia and she can't believe how much Rancid has changed. It must be because he was in love with Rachel. While they were there they found out that they could go apple picking, go on a hayride and enter a pumpkin carving contest. How exciting!
Look at them go! Rachel is having a blast carving her pumpkin. If you want to find out if they win you will have to read the story, Seasons come and seasons go โ the hayride.
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There are many stories of how Halloween started. Some are evil and some are based on it being the harvest season, when we bring in our crops. Mainly people I know celebrate Halloween for fun and ๐ญ candy๐ฌ! Kids dress up as cartoon characters, witches, cowboys, ghosts, robots or whatever they want. Some buy their costumes, some make their costumes or have parents that make them. Kids like dressing up. When I was a kid, we would go to all our neighbors houses, knock on their door and say, "trick or treat" & they would give us candy. Most parents don't let their kids do this anymore, because they don't know the neighbors and don't know if they will give kids razor blades, needles, poison or kidnap the kids. Many kids go to a Halloween or, "Harvest" party at a friend's house, club house or local church where they play games, get candy, watch movies, eat dinner or have contests for best costume. There are some people who think it is evil, but I think it's just a fun day/night.
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Pumpkin Facts That'll Make You Say "Oh My Gourd"
1. The word "pumpkin" showed up for the first time in the fairy tale Cinderella.
A French explorer in 1584 first called them "gros melons," which was translated into English as "pompions," according to History. It wasn't until the 17th century that they were first referred to as pumpkins.
2. The original jack-o'-lanterns were made with turnips and potatoes by the Irish.
In England, they used large beets and lit them with embers to ward off evil spirits. Irish immigrants brought their customs to America but found that pumpkins were much easier to carve.
3. Pumpkins are grown on every continent except Antarctica.
Which makes quite a bit of sense considering, oh you know, Antartica is a 24/7 icy tundra.
4. Over 1.5 billion pounds of pumpkin are produced each year in the United States.
The top pumpkin-producing states are Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and California.
5. Morton, Illinois, calls itself the "Pumpkin Capital of the World."
According to the University of Illinois, 95% of the pumpkins grown in the U.S. are harvested in Illinois soil. Morton is allegedly responsible for 80% of the world's canned pumpkin production.
6. 80% of the U.S.'s pumpkin crop is available during October.
Out of the total 1.5 billion pounds, over 800 million pumpkins are ripe for the picking in a single month of the year.
7. The world's heaviest pumpkin weighed over 2,600 pounds.
It was grown in Germany and presented in October 2016.
8. The largest pumpkin pie ever baked weighed 3,699 pounds.
Pumpkin pie originated in the colonies, just not as we know it today. Colonists would cut the tops of pumpkins off, remove the seeds, fill the pumpkins with milk, spices, and honey, then bake them in hot ashes.
9. Pumpkin-flavored sales totaled over $414 million in 2017.
But people are starting to opt for fresh pumpkin instead, according to Nielsen Retail Measurement Services. Some pumpkin-flavored products have seen consistent growth over recent years, including cereal, coffee, and even dog food.
10. Each pumpkin has about 500 seeds.
They take between 90 and 120 days to grow, which is why it's recommended to plant them between May and July. High in iron, they can be roasted to eat. The flowers that grow on pumpkin vines are also edible. (Source)
