Carrying on a ‘hallowed’ tradition

PINE PLAINS — John Bradley, who lives in the house on the corner of the intersection of North Main Street and Hoffman Road, had a ton of pumpkins on his porch at the end of October.

Some were gutted and de-seeded, but not yet decorated. Some were too large to even move. All were part of a family tradition that turned 16 years old this last Halloween, and for neighbors and trick-or-treating families that frequent that area of Pine Plains, it’s something of a community staple.

It was more than 16 years ago that Bradley and his mother, Francis, came up with the idea for an enormous display of pumpkins. It was something Francis had seen at college — a bridge covered in lit jack-o’-lanterns — that spurred the project.

The Bradley family owns the land that the Patchins Mill was built on. Bradley’s grandfather was the last owner to operate the mill, and the house that he lives in is directly across the street from the old mill building, which sits no more than a foot from the road. It’s not in the greatest of shape, as time has taken its toll on the building, but it’s an important piece of family and town history, Bradley stressed.

As has been the case for almost two decades, dozens and dozens of pumpkins were  brought in from different farms in the area. Rocky Reef, Millerhurst and Daisi Hill have always given the Bradleys a discount, but the Bradleys have also paid out of pocket every year to purchase the rest of the giant orange squashes. This year they spent more than $500.

This year was a special one for the tradition and for Bradley. His mother died last February, and this was the first Halloween without her.

There was a special memorial service for her on Saturday, before the pumpkins, which totaled approximately 160, were lit by those in attendance. They remained on the bridge and its surroundings
for the following two days.

“I think she would have rather had the tradition carry on,� Bradley said. “This was her home.�

Counting down the days to Halloween and having the community participate in the carving is an important aspect of the tradition.

“I see more people every year,� he said. “There are always different groups, but the people always come down and carve.�

One of the regulars is Alec Sisco, who lives up the road and even took the reins the year before when Francis was ill, arranging to get all the pumpkins to the house in time to be carved.

When asked what it was that drew him to the tradition, his answer was simple.

“I’ve been doing it for a lot of years. I’m not really that artistic, but I like doing this and when it’s displayed it’s cool to say, ‘I did that.’�

Starting last year, Sisco, who is a junior at Stissing Mountain High School, started getting student clubs in the Pine Plains school district involved, including the Key Club and Student Council.

Along with the carving, Bradley is also looking to drum up support to have the bridge moved away from the Patchins Mill building. If there was less traffic so close to the structure, the family could begin to restore it, he said.

“This is something everyone would enjoy, if it doesn’t fall down.�

But the pumpkin tradition will continue no matter what, Bradley said. And the community will continue to be a part of it.

“This bridge will be packed on Halloween,� Sisco said a few days before the event. He reported that he carves between 30 and 50 pumpkins every year. “Everyone who lives here says this is part of their Halloween.�