Pumpkin Carving an Art and Hobby For Amanda Pennell
Hardin County Independent - Elizabethtown, IL
April 26, 2007

Kathy Pennell of Cave-In-Rock carved her first pumpkin "Old Hag" for her daughter's Halloween yard display.

Amanda Pennell of Harrisburg, formerly of Cave-In-Rock, has joined a group of pumpkin carving enthusiasts in an art that is sweeping the nation. Last fall prior to the Halloween season, Pennell spent several days carving over 60 pumpkins and putting together a Halloween display which won her the 2006 Best In Show award on the web site competition, ZombiePumpkins.com

Pennell Recruited friends and family members to help her with what she calls "my Halloween obsession." - Kyle Chambers, Darrell Snedecor (photographer), and her mother, Kathy Pennell.

Kyle Chambers carved "Gizmo."

Pennell's creation of elaborately carved pumpkins from stencils and Halloween props such as 2,000 lights, tombstones, giant spider webs, corn stalks, witches, scarecrows and fog machines in her "heavenly haunted yard" was chosen the winner over hundreds of other entries.

To view many pictures of the best carved pumpkins in the nation, visit the website listed above.