Traditional Welcome Ceremony

The birding tower at Indigo Hill as seen from the western side.

When special guests come to our rural farm in southeastern Ohio, we welcome them in the traditional way of our people: we throw rotten pumpkins from the top of our tower. This is the primary reason we mortgaged our childrens' future to build this giant structure: to throw things off it that will go splat and make us laugh.

That and because it increases our Big Sit numbers.

From left: Kevin Sibbring, Shirley Stary, Wendy Eller—all from Lakeside; Chet Baker, Julie Zickefoose and Jen Sauter.

No, we don't throw the rotten pumpkins AT the arriving guests (although that's not a bad idea, come to think of it!). We invite our honored guests up to the tower top to witness the grunt-toss-thunk-splatter action first hand.

So when our friends from Lakeside, Ohio came for a visit, we rolled out the pass-the-freshness-date pumpkins for them.

Three potential victims, resting in their decrepitude. We chose the middle one, originally a pig.

The ceremonial carrying of the pumpkin up to the tower is performed by a specially trained member of the tower staff.

Carrying the mushy pumpkin (carved into the likeness of a pig) to the tower presented a challenge. Have you ever smelled rotten pumpkin juice? By comparison, Limburger cheese smells like Chanel No. 5.



And speaking of Chanel No. 5, Kevin Sibbring was standing by to help me wish the pumpkin a toothless goodbye.


Ready? One.....Two.....Three.......

Ooof! Thar she flies!

Inches and milliseconds before impact.....

And the post-splat money shot of the final carnage. Pumpkin tossed. Honored guests properly welcomed. Skunks and opossums happy.

Just another reason to love Halloween.