Home What's New Message Board
BigPumpkins.com
Select Destination Site Search

Message Board

 
General Discussion

Subject:  kids playing on pumpkins?

General Discussion      Return to Board List

From

Location

Message

Date Posted

Little Ketchup

Grittyville, WA

So a pumpkin could be a rather safe object to play on... Right? But it could also be a little dangerous if it was very slippery. I presume with shoes on they would damage the skin and make it a wet slippery mess in no time. But what about with socks or bare feet? Socks might slip on a smooth skinned pumpkin but maybe few of the really big ones are smooth skinned. The howard dill ones might have more value for display than to be played on... But I'm curious about any pumpkin rough or smooth: Whats the correct recipe for kids playing on them? Thanks

9/19/2018 3:28:19 AM

Little Ketchup

Grittyville, WA

It would create a lot of value, in terms of fun, if we could set some of these up to be played on safely... Obviously a pallet is not safe... the kid slides off and twists their ankle in it. The gpc would have to follow its own rules and not make any playing be part of the weigh off. But the venue might have insurance and the desire to bear any liability. If it was determined by their insurer to be safe enough to be covered.

9/19/2018 3:44:14 AM

Iowegian

Anamosa, IA BPIowegian@aol.com

Every event we have gone to posts signs to stay off the pumpkins, but it is often ignored. My wife thinks my best field pumpkin got disqualified because a kid sat on it before judging. It had a stem split that didn't go into the cavity when loaded but it had opened up when judged. It cost me $500.

One year my son had a big orange bird bath and I had a big orange one that grew out a natural bench under the blossom. After judging and weighing, parents wanted to put babies in the birdbath and have kids sit on the shelf of my pumpkin for pictures. It was safe, we let them and had lots of fun with it. One baby picture ended up in the Sunday Quad Cities Times, and they used mine for the photo of the Pumpkinfest prince and princess in the Anamosa newspaper.

But some kids get destructive and some parents don't care. This year at the state fair, my daughter saw a kid kicking the winning pumpkin and yelled at him to stop. The mother yelled back at her for scolding her kid and got a lecture about how hard the growers work to grow them and controlling her kid. I can see the potential for injuries, so there should be some kind of rules for safety. That should be up to the site, but the grower should keep an eye on their entry if they don't want it wrecked.

9/19/2018 5:24:04 AM

Dustin

Morgantown, WV

"I would rather sit on a pumpkin and have it all to myself than be crowded on a velvet cushion."

Henry David Thoreau

9/19/2018 7:32:25 AM

Orangeneck (Team HAMMER)

Eastern Pennsylvania

The correct recipe is to physically keep the crowd away from the pumpkins. Ever seen some ones name carved in your pumpkin? Yeah.

And don’t think a parent would hesitate one second to bring a lawsuit against your venue if a kid was to get injured. Photos of kids on pumpkins is just fine, that is what they are for, provided that you are present to grant permission and supervise.

9/19/2018 8:40:11 AM

North Shore Boyz

Mill Bay, British Columbia

It’s a recipe for disaster, thinking you can let children “play” on top of giant pumpkins. One fall, one bang on the head and you’ve got a lawsuit.

Do what you want on your own property and for your own kids but giant pumpkins are certainly not play things that kids should play on....most kids don’t play nice.

At the Weighoff, we encourage children to “sit” on the pumpkin to have their picture taken, but certainly no standing or playing is allowed. Common sense should really come into play here don’t you think?

9/19/2018 9:51:37 AM

cojoe

Colorado

Those same kids have 20 fingernails each and Ive seen them do quick work on a hard earned fruit that then may not survive till Halloween.

9/19/2018 11:54:13 AM

Little Ketchup

Grittyville, WA

We had had a big 1400 lber at one of our events that was dq and it was opened at the top and kids were allowed to be inside and look for seeds. They had such a blast. Parents were not thrilled with the pumpkin gunk on their kids clothes. . . Best to be straightforward and have a warning sign for the parents that says 'messy activity'. Thanks for the comments and quote...

9/19/2018 12:14:29 PM

pumpkin carver

Griffith, In

This is my pet peeve,,,,Going to a weigh off and not just kids climbing on pumpkins, but also parents. And you ask nicely for them not to touch the pumpkins or sit on them, because if they damage it, it will dq it for the grower or that the pumpkin could roll and hurt the kid!!! Anyway, you were nice, the pumpkins are roped off, and they still get inside the rope and try to sit on them. Now, the site isn't concerned, they don't realize the danger and often don't care about your pumpkin, because they want the weigh off to draw customers and to make these people happy, so now you are not only offending the inconsiderate people who ignore your request, but the sponsor as well. At many a weigh off I have been a very unpopular person, because I stopped people from getting too close to the pumpkins, or sitting 2 or 3 kids on one to take a picture (before they have been weighed). Lately I have tried to keep my distance from this stuff, because it makes me crazy!!!

9/19/2018 1:20:49 PM

Smallmouth

Upa Creek, Mo

My own kids aren't even allowed on my 1 pumpkin. That's what the trees are for.

9/19/2018 1:23:02 PM

Little Ketchup

Grittyville, WA

I get the part about not wanting a dq... Thats really unfair to the grower because we all really want them qualify and make it on the leaderboard. For me thats when its over. After that I just want other people to enjoy it. Does someone know how much no-shoes playing one of these things can endure? The consensus so far is that they might survive a herd of elephants better than a mob of kids. I'm curious to know if anyone has ever seen what would happen if kids were allowed to play freely but with their shoes off on a heavily cantaloped pumpkin. Age limit could be set to like six and under. I want my work to be enjoyed so thats why im asking. But i have a lot of respect visual-only admiration of the pumpkins we grow.

9/19/2018 2:55:15 PM

Little Ketchup

Grittyville, WA

*for

9/19/2018 2:56:31 PM

pumpkin carver

Griffith, In

It depends on the individual pumpkin. The walls and thickness of every pumpkin is different, it doesn't matter whether it is cantalouped or not. I think it is a bad idea to let kids crawl around on pumpkins both before and after it is weighed!!! I want to be able to take my pumpkin home at the end of the day without damage, and if you allow kids to sit on them adults are going to do it too!!!

9/19/2018 6:55:26 PM

bnot

Oak Grove, Mn

I think it depends on the grower. Before the pumpkin is weighed kids should be off limits. 3 years ago..I grew with the idea that I was growing for the kids. I took my two orange beauties to a weighoff..and right after weighing when the pumpkins were still lined up, there was a child that found my younger one maybe 50 Dap and probably the prettier one. The site organizer noticed that the parents were watching as the child discovered his fingernails could easily pierce the young skin. I was not paying attention, but the organizer about came unglued. She was yelling at the parents..how can you let your child destroy such a beautiful pumpkin. After the weighoff..and my pumpkins were reloaded on my truck I hung in the parking lot and let the adults and take pictures. But if anyone moved to another pumpkin where the grower was not around, I stopped them. My best this year is growing two generation from the young pumpkin of this memory.

9/19/2018 7:08:27 PM

Smallmouth

Upa Creek, Mo

Also kiss the stem goodbye if letting kids play on it.

9/19/2018 8:31:57 PM

bnot

Oak Grove, Mn

After the weighoff..kids playing on a pumpkin depends on what your intended use is. If you are going to display it, kids are probably a no no. My situation was I wanted seeds and the rest goes to compost...kids no problem then.

9/19/2018 8:59:53 PM

kurt/gus

San Jose

My feeling is no kids before/during weighoff---for display,
then great on Halloween night and after---I love it when the kids can sit/play on it and parents take pictures, fun, fun!

9/19/2018 10:32:59 PM

Bubba Presley

Muddy Waters

I gave a 1100 pumpkin to a huge festival a couple years ago.They sat it out for the 20,000 a day attendees to see.The kids crawled all over it they used jack knifes & pop caps & wrote there names in it.It was a 6 week festival. The pumpkin was trashed in 2 weeks.We dont grow these thinking they will someday be a playground for children with parents who never learned what respect means.These are kids who never had a time out or a crack on the butt which is legal to do in America.Spanking a child is legal contrary to popular belief.If you have a weigh off & rope off the pumpkins more then a arms reach away. They will reach in & dig there fingernails in it to see if its real.I had a grown man 6 foot 4 gorilla of a man 280 lbs plus reach in and fingernail my pumpkin.When I told him the sign says NO touchy! He replied he couldn't read.Ithen put the rope barriers out 2 feet farther to keep the gorillas & monkeys off.Only a few family's still teach the kids respect.Do you go to a car show & let the kids pile in a 66 chevy?LOL Pray for the world we need it. The festval told me we dont want any more pumpkins the following year.We are to busy to protect it.lol

9/20/2018 8:44:40 AM

baitman

Central Illinois

cover the pumpkin in tangle foot

9/20/2018 8:46:34 AM

farmer_rich

Reno, NV

I display a couple a year at my pumpkin patch. Is liability a concern for me? No. Why? Because at some point, someone has to put their foot down and say enough is enough. I want the kids to be kids and look at a giant pumpkin with wonder and take a picture sitting on it. And, much like parenting, that requires a watchful eye on my and my employee's part. But, it is completely worth it. You cant throw away the whole bin just because a few bad apples. That is why the children of today are robbed of so many great experiences the rest of us grew up on.

As for the pumpkin, just make sure it has hardened off before you let kids climb on it. Yes, there are always a couple trouble makers you have to keep an eye out for but, with that said, most kids and parents are respectful and really enjoy it. And its safe for the kids. I always make sure I display the pumpkin on a nice sized straw bale base so that if, worst case scenario, they fall off the pumpkin...they wont get hurt. Also, if you display it on a straw bale platform, make sure the base of the pumpkin gets air circulation so it doesn't after a couple weeks from moisture buildup. Other than that, my pumpkins always last right up 'til Halloween and then we carve it, tip it up, and put a light in it and give the seeds away to kids so that they can try to grow their own. One of the biggest points of this entire hobby of pumpkin growing is enjoyment...lets not spoil that for the grower or the people that we love showing them off to.

9/20/2018 9:29:38 AM

Blooms

Circleville

Thanks, Farmer

9/20/2018 10:14:56 AM

pumpkin carver

Griffith, In

I'm all for kids. For years we carved a major themed pumpkin display for kids. I'm not exaggerating, we had thousands come out to see it each year. It was well fenced off to keep everyone safe, but at a weigh off I don't want my pumpkin to be jungle gym bars!! Great, you want kids to sit on your pumpkin and take pictures,,,So, take it home and display it in your neighborhood, sell it to a business for display, or let it be displayed at the local park or zoo. If you let kids climb on one at a weigh off, it is a message they can climb on all of them and it might be yours thst year that has the weak spot in the rib that won't even let it get on the scale without cracking!!!

9/20/2018 1:28:53 PM

Christopher24

aurora, IL

Last year I saw a kid kicking my pumpkin at Siegel's pumpkin weigh-off and parents just stood there.

9/27/2018 1:26:23 PM

Total Posts: 23 Current Server Time: 3/28/2024 9:03:15 PM
 
General Discussion      Return to Board List
  Note: Sign In is required to reply or post messages.
 
Top of Page

Questions or comments? Send mail to Ken AT bigpumpkins.com.
Copyright © 1999-2024 BigPumpkins.com. All rights reserved.