Pumpkinmania

Hundreds of jack-o’-lanterns will light up the Old Morrison steps beginning Oct. 30 for Transylvania’s PumpkinMania and the community stepped up to help get the display ready. On Sunday, more than 300 pumpkins were delivered to Transylvania’s back circle, near Thomson Residence Hall, for carving. The truckload of large orange pumpkins grown by Overman’s Bluegrass Fruits and Vegetables in Central Kentucky were delivered shortly after 8 a.m.  Students from campus organizations and sports teams were the first to help unload and prep the pumpkins for carving.  With scrapers and power tools in hand, they gutted the fall fruit, removing the seeds and guts and getting them ready for carvers.  Once prepped, students, staff, faculty and community members took over and began carving designs — both simple and intricate — into the pumpkins. The carved pumpkins were moved across campus to the front steps of historic Old Morrison.  On Tuesday, the community is again invited to join Transylvania and PumpkinMania sponsors Blue Grass Community Foundation and Tetra Tech, for a fall celebration.  The fun kicks off with music and food trucks a little after 5 p.m. Trick-or-treating begins at 6 p.m.  The highlight of the night takes place at 7 p.m. when nearly 500 pumpkins are lit up at once. They’ll stay in place and will light up each night until Friday, Nov. 2.  And in case you were wondering what happens to all those pumpkin guts, they’ve already been added to the

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Keeping with a longtime tradition of building community ties, Blue Grass Community Foundation (BGCF) is helping Transylvania bring Lexington together for this year’s PumpkinMania on Oct. 30. BGCF is the lead sponsor for the event, which will kick off at 6 p.m. with trick-or-treating, live music, food trucks and children’s activities. Hundreds of jack-o’-lanterns will be lit at 7 p.m. on the steps of historic Old Morrison. “Lexingtonians love a good party, and over the past eight years PumpkinMania has evolved into a signature family event for North Limestone—an area of our city in which we have invested for many years,” said Lisa Adkins, BGCF president and CEO. “We are honored to partner with Transylvania to bring neighbors together from across the city for such a fun, engaging evening.” Creating more generous, vibrant and engaged communities, after all, is BGCF’s mission. Founded in 1967, the group is the state’s oldest community foundation. It helps donors create charitable funds that make a positive difference across the Bluegrass and Appalachia Kentucky. Through community foundations like BGCF, individuals, families, businesses and organizations establish charitable funds, permanent endowments and scholarships to help meet community needs, such as education, urban development, human services, the arts, the environment, health care and disaster relief. “Every day, I am inspired by incredible stories of nonprofit organizations that are transforming lives in our community, and the generous donors that lift them up,” Adkins said. “We are dedicated to the

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