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Ellwood City, PA, USA

One of the older neighborhood kids stopped by to let us know that a group of older kids are planning on smashing our pumpkin tonight.

There is no school tomorrow, so they will be up late for sure. I don't have to go to work tomorrow either, so I too can stay up late.

Several of our friends have spent the last few evenings carving it into a dragons head, so it will be nice.

It just upsets me to know that these plans are in the works tonight.

I hate to over-react; but you all know what it takes to raise these pumpkins. There is a lot of time, sweat, tears, and some amount of money. These pumpkins are not cheap; particularly after they have been carved.

10/29/2015 3:22:42 PM

Central NY

Sounds like a fun night to me...guard duty... U have paintball gun?

10/29/2015 4:05:14 PM

Ellwood City, PA, USA

Maybe stick a few in the freezer before taking on a patrol. :)

10/29/2015 4:15:53 PM

Westmoreland, KS

print ya off a few of these signs and put them up...then buy ya a laser wait for them and shine it on them as they are reading the sign...that should scare the crap out of them http://www.stopsignsandmore.com/popup.aspx?src=/images/Product/large/1966.gif

10/29/2015 4:16:57 PM

Ellwood City, PA, USA

I may or may not have signs like that hanging up already.

10/29/2015 5:25:48 PM

Austin MN

Paintball gun with! Freeze the paintballs!! ;)

10/29/2015 5:46:06 PM

Austin MN

Paintball gun with! Freeze the paintballs!! ;)

10/29/2015 5:46:06 PM

Germany

Just curious, where is your carved pumpkin sitting?...on the lawn, or is this boards with green painted nails which are pointing up to the sky???

10/29/2015 6:21:19 PM

Karns City PA

Fill it with cement and let them try to smash it lmao

10/29/2015 6:26:52 PM

Muddy Waters

Set up a motion light.Buy the adapter that screws in with the bulb so you can plug a radio in.When they set off the motion light the radio comes on full blast.They will run before they ever get to the pumpkin.I have mine plugged into the 1972 Regent Fisher console stero.It will wake up the entire neighborhood if you step in my yard.LOL! it works great.

10/29/2015 6:32:55 PM

Muddy Waters

run forest run!!!

10/29/2015 6:33:32 PM

Alberta

Frozen paintballs would be fun...till you kill a kid and go to jail...set up all your water hoses on motion sensor or fill some water ballons!

10/29/2015 7:51:00 PM

Ellwood City, PA, USA

It is sitting in front of my garage in the driveway.

It may still get smashed; however several groups of younger kids gave me the names of the kids that are supposed to be doing it.

Everyone that came to the house trick or treating enjoyed getting their picture taken with it. Neighbors all get a kick out of it.

Tar and feather may be an option. :)

10/29/2015 8:48:05 PM

San Diego

Siren recording and big speakers.

10/29/2015 9:26:05 PM

hide inside it

10/29/2015 9:29:14 PM

nOVA sCOTIA

i would be very careful on how you deal with these kids! You say this one is carved? How would you like to have a plant and pumpkin destroyed that is putting on 40lbs a day in the middle of the growing season??? They get dirty,they get spiteful and they don't forget. I'd think this one through long and hard!!

10/29/2015 9:30:02 PM

Ellwood City, PA, USA

Donkin, I thought of that too. I'm not going to mess with the kids. If they do it, they do it. I'm just venting and having a little fun while doing it is all.

Some kids got picked up down the street for vandalizing a house. Not sure of the nature of their work. Hopefully that is the end of it.

Yes, it is carved, painted and has smoke coming out of its mouth. Pretty cool. The people that carved it had a lot of fun. It was a group effort, so it isn't just me that would be disappointed.

10/29/2015 9:43:46 PM

Ellwood City, PA, USA

Don, funny you mention hiding inside it. We were joking that we should have a kid dress as a Santa Elf and hop out of it if anyone approached. Instant naughty list.

10/29/2015 9:52:59 PM

Upa Creek, MO

I agree with Donkin 100%. Young kids\teens can be bitter. Too much liability if you start a war like shooting them with a paintball unless you want to camp in the patch every night next year. Plus word spreads. A grower by me had some kids put a knife through a giant watermelon in prime season a few years back. He says the best bet is just to create a rapport when they walk by. Best of luck and I know the feeling. Mine got smashed in 2010

10/29/2015 9:58:43 PM

Massachusetts

Deer cam in window, just the flash will scare them away.

10/29/2015 10:15:22 PM

Ellwood City, PA, USA

Absolutely. There is normally no problem with kids in this neighborhood.

I'm not going to make enemies. Like you said, it isn't worth it.

Most people in my neighborhood like the pumpkins. They stop by on their evening walks and want to talk and walk around the patch and ask questions.

For the most part, everyone around us knows the time and effort involved.

I basically started this thread to have a little fun with the whole situation and to vent a frustration.

10/29/2015 10:16:28 PM

Ham Lake, Minnesota

Can you have police called to do extra patrols in the area

10/29/2015 10:37:13 PM

BC, Canada

What if you held a raffle for neighborhood teens; The winner/s get to smash it up could just before you are ready to dispose of it anyway. It's got to go sometime and if I can remember that far back, teens really like smashing things. Serve some hotdogs and warm cider and you look like the community hero.
Just an idea. Might hold them off for a week.

10/29/2015 11:26:49 PM

JACKSON, WISCONSIN. ; )

a case of beer and a couple of buddy's hang out in the shadows and scare them wear all black.. Like a drunk ninja... Video camera just in case.. When they get out of there car.. Hop in and drive away with there car... That will teach them.

10/30/2015 5:33:12 AM

Muddy Waters

Thats why my plan is best,Just let them know you have security & they will be seen if they enter your property.No need to attack anyone. I wouldnt hide in the Pumpkin.They will then be taking bats to you instead of the pumpkin.lol

10/30/2015 7:12:29 AM

Minnesota

Throw small pumpkins at them!

10/30/2015 8:56:42 AM

Rhode Island

id not concern myself with retaliation. this country of mine (usa) was built on retaliation against those that would do harm to us or our property.

this "let them be attitude" will only give them reason to do even more damage in the future.

i say kick ass, let them think twice about doing any damage in the future.

ps-----sorry for sounding off but ron and i have stopped putting nice carved giants out by the road ever since some toilet turd ran into two of them with a truck several years ago.

pap

10/30/2015 9:35:15 AM

Ellwood City, PA, USA

Nothing happened overnight. Our kids were happy to see it still intact this morning. We'll get a little bit more time to enjoy it before it becomes food for next years pumpkin.

Cavitysearch, I thought about having a pumpkin smashing event, where they could take turns trying to smash it.

Pap, sorry to hear about yours getting smashed up to.

I live in a residential area, so it is almost inevitable that it will happen sooner or later.

10/30/2015 10:04:45 AM

nOVA sCOTIA

yes next time don't worry about a thing? just take a baseball bat and shovel out and wait!! Lets see where that gets you...ahaaaaaaa. And all over a pumpkin..lol

10/30/2015 2:24:27 PM

Paradise Mountain, New York

Back in my 2002 Growers Diaries, Three teenagers came and stoled the seeds out of my pumpkins. I called the police and filed a report. The three went down in our town and was selling them. They all got caught. All of them went to court and one of them had been in trouble with the law before. That one person spent six weekends in jail. The other two paid a fine and I got the left over seeds back..... Since then, never had a problem leaving my pumpkins and squash out in front of my house...

10/30/2015 6:22:24 PM

Muddy Waters

I can see a punk sitting in jail. Big bubba asking the punk.What you doing here?? I stole some punkin seeds.lol

Big Bubbas Nice Now you can be my little punkin!!LOL

10/30/2015 7:46:30 PM

Ellwood City, PA, USA

Bubba, that's funny.

Doing Hard Time for Crimes Against Pumpkins. :)

10/30/2015 9:48:29 PM

Omaha, Ne.

I got a pallet jack this year. if I get a bad feeling I just take them in the garage, it sure helps the sleep. Kid's are just another rodent to worry about:)

10/30/2015 11:29:46 PM

Muddy Waters

The kids are to busy around here texting to see a pumpkin. I asked a local 19 year old that walks buy my house every day.What do you think about my greenhouse's?We were at a local store when I asked him. He replied"You have greenhouses" LOL He said he never noticed them.They cant put down the cell phones to see whats in front of them.Havent had vandalism in 20 years.Pre cell phones.terrible I tell you.lol

10/31/2015 6:53:53 AM

Germany

more and more cell phones out there...a side effect of enhanced cell division

10/31/2015 7:43:49 AM

Muddy Waters

Darren the kids are not the rodents.There parents are.

10/31/2015 10:42:10 AM

Griffith, In

We do a themed giant pumpkin display every year for Halloween. There are cameras on them and the word is out that if they are damaged we will prosecute. We've been lucky so far, the kids stay away from them.

10/31/2015 1:31:27 PM

NE Arkansas

The pre-cell era... lol bubba...

11/1/2015 12:49:53 AM

Prairie Du Sac Wi

Just on a side note to all this, an un carved AG can be very hard to smash. One year one of my friends said,"give me just one swing with a bat and that things toast" I said ok and gave him a aluminum bat...he tried and tried till he couldn't swing the bat no more,and it just had a small dent.lol. carved fruit would be a different story.

11/1/2015 12:52:34 AM