Canal-o-ween to light up the towpath with pumpkin fun
YARDLEY - Canal-O-Ween returns with lots of Jack-O-Lantern carving and fun for all in 2012!
Imagine walking along the Delaware Canal in historic borough of Yardley on a crisp fall day just after Halloween. As the sun sets in the salmon sky and the twilight settles in, dozens of carved pumpkins, flickering with warm light guide your way forward for a half mile. It’s quiet, serene and natural, back to the origins of Halloween and All Souls Day.
“Canal-O-Ween is really just about carving pumpkins, lighting them and sharing the simple beauty of fall season, without expectations, fees or frenetic activity. It’s an opportunity to celebrate the changing of the year towards darkness and the creativity of others with a stroll along the canal as the perfect background,” said Jef Buehler, team Canal-O-Ween founding member. “Thanks to Customers’ Bank, our 2012 Pumpkin sponsor, we are sure to have even bigger and better pumpkins on display.”
Canal-O-Ween kicks-off with the Carve-O-Thon sponsored this year by the Yardley Business Association, in which more than 100 carvers are expected to carve over 150 Jack-O-Lanterns in three hours.
The Carve-O-Thon will be held at the Rivermawr Green at the northwest corner of Morgan and Maple in Yardley Borough from 4 to 7 p.m. on October 30. Snacks, cider and a whole lot of pumpkin carving await participants.
Judges will pick the prize winners for best carving on All Soul’s Day evening (Nov. 1) with prizes for all the winners given by The Face & Body Spa and other local Yardley businesses.
Canal-O-Ween Week features the JackO-Lantern Stroll sponsored by The Continental Tavern – a daily lighting of all pumpkins along the canal north of the Afton Ave. bridge for 1/4 mile. Strollers should park in town, take the opportunity to visit some of Yardley’s own
restaurants and businesses, and then walk down on foot to the canal north of the Afton Avenue bridge. Beginning at dusk (rain or shine), the canal will be lined with 150H jack-o-lanterns, creating a magical display that will delight all ages. Pumpkins stay lit for approximately 2-3 hours, depending on conditions. Some 1,600 people did the Stroll in 2011, and more are anticipated this year.
Canal-O-Ween’s host of business and organization sponsors for this year’s event is growing every week, so far including Sweeney’s HVAC Service, Yardley Borough’s Recreation Committee, Yardley Borough, Gumption, Kimberly Rock Realtor, Bucks Ship C Print, Christine Aust, Realtor, Ex- treme Fitness, Design On Crown, The Little House of Make-Believe, In Town Realty, T. Fosters, Mama’s Li’l Guide, Bryon and Tammy Marshall, Ewing Sports, Comfort Food, Dreamhost, and the Rivermawr Neighborhood of Yardley.
Volunteers are welcomed for set-up and spacing of pumpkins on Oct 31, evening pumpkin lightings for all seven nights, helping set up and manage the Carve-OThon on Oct 30, and cleanup of pumpkins on Nov 7.
For more information, to volunteer or be a sponsor, contact team Canal-O-Ween by email at info@canaloween.com, visit www.canaloween.com, Facebook under “Canal-O-Ween”, Twitter by following @ Canaloween or with your smart phone by going to m.canaloween.com.