Columnist Lisa Ferguson: Sun Lite for October 18, 2004

Lisa Ferguson

Monday, Oct. 18, 2004 | 8:18 a.m.

Presidential pumpkin pickers

See, here's the problem with the presidential campaign: The candidates and their minions are focused entirely too much on the issues and not nearly enough on poll results at least, not the fun ones.

Since when, you may wonder, does studying percentage points of any sort qualify as a hoot? We suspect it happened when the folks behind www.pcjackolantern.com, an online purveyor of pumpkin-carving software, got into the business of quasi-politics.

The company, whose software (which costs $9.95) allows users to design and print their own patterns for carving on hollowed-out Halloween gourds, is encouraging people to cast a vote in its Pumpkin Poll. Click on the image of the pumpkin carved with the face of either George W. Bush or John Kerry to show support for your favorite candidate. Each vote (only one per day, please) entitles you to print, free of charge, a pattern of that man's mug for the carving.

Each click of the mouse will be counted as the poll results are continuously updated, the company assures. A recent check of the site showed the Bush pattern with a monstrous lead over the Kerry design.

Creepy characters?

What if you intend to support Independent partier Ralph Nader come November? Check out www.spookmaster.com, yet another pumpkin-carving-pattern site urging visitors to "Spook the Vote" this year. A design featuring the election underdog's face is available, as are those of several other political figures and symbols.

By subscribing to the site (for a fee of $5.95) you can print patterns of past presidents Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt and Bill Clinton; former first-lady-turned-senator Hillary Rodham Clinton; the Governator, Arnold Schwarzenegger; former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani; and Vice President Dick Cheney.

Designs fashioned after the Bush-Cheney '04 and Kerry-Edwards 2004 campaign signs can also be had, as well as patterns depicting Mount Rushmore and Uncle Sam. Several other patriotic-themed patterns are available free of charge.

Carving a niche

Now that you've settled on a subject for your pumpkin masterpiece, it's time to get busy carving the ridiculously intricate design.

Drop the flimsy kitchen knife, pal: Unless you sport the rock-steady hands of a surgeon, you'll probably require power tools to tackle this task. Enter the Dremel Pumpkin Carving Kit, being hawked through the end of this month at Lowe's and other hardware stores and on www.Amazon.com.

For $19.99, you get a battery-operated "rounded-edge" carving tool, a cutting bit, a half-dozen carving templates and, undoubtedly, buckets of praise for your perfect pumpkins from the neighbors on Halloween night.

The do-gooders at Dremel are also offering some pumpkin-carving tips this year: Start by using a paper template (cut slits in it to help the design stay flat around the gourd) and trace images onto the pumpkin's skin; or use a large needle or pencil point to poke holes in the shape of the pattern on the surface. Remove the stringy pumpkin innards by using an ice cream scoop.

Once the jack-o'-lantern is carved, soak it in water for several hours to halt shriveling, but be sure to dry it thoroughly to prevent mold; then slather all cut surfaces with petroleum jelly to keep them from drying out.