Show-Me State Times

Every October, University of Missouri Professor Mannie Liscum dedicates his time to carving 31 jack-o’-lanterns. These are not the typical pumpkin faces; they are detailed portraits of celebrities, family, and friends that come alive when illuminated.

For Liscum, a professor in Mizzou’s College of Arts and Science, this tradition is more than showcasing artistic skills. It merges his interests in science and art to celebrate the cultural significance of pumpkins. “My research is in plant photobiology, or how plants respond to light,” he said. “But I’m also interested in the historical and cultural aspects of biology and the way science has impacted society. This is a way to bridge those interests.”

Liscum's passion for carving began about 20 years ago when he discovered online instructions for shading and shaving techniques on pumpkins. Initially experimenting with photos of his children, he was surprised by the results once lit from within: “I was shocked at how nice they came out,” he said.

Since then, Liscum has carved around 450 jack-o’-lanterns. His work has gained recognition among rock stars who have seen their likenesses in his carvings. He even carved a portrait of Mizzou’s Nobel Prize winner George Smith and recently featured Truman and football player Luther Burden.

Despite this extensive gallery, Liscum refrains from carving himself: “I won’t carve myself,” he said. “It just seems too vain.”

Liscum often shares insights into pumpkin carving's history during talks. The tradition dates back to a Celtic festival marking harvest season's end, later adapted by early Christians as All Hallows’ Eve on October 31st.

Originally using turnips to ward off spirits like Stingy Jack from Irish folklore, immigrants found pumpkins easier to carve upon arriving in America due to their abundance as a native crop.

“The pumpkins we carve today are vastly different from what early settlers found,” Liscum noted regarding modern ornamental breeding practices over taste preferences.

Each year at Halloween time brings an opportunity for creativity through hosting parties where friends can join him creating designs using various tools while sharing tips such as choosing suitable pumpkins based on design dimensions or avoiding complex patterns too early before display day arrives due rotting concerns post-carving completion stages.

Beyond aesthetics lies nutritional value within discarded innards according David Trinklein—a horticulturalist with Mizzou Extension—who encourages utilizing these parts despite common misconceptions surrounding edibility factors involved therein:

“I lament fact good food source thrown away Halloween,” Trinklein stated while highlighting potential culinary uses including smoothies soups pies roasted seeds alike alongside true/false quiz revealing surprising facts about oversized orange orbs themselves throughout article contextually presented hereinabove text body content-wise speaking overall summarily summarizing succinctly put forth manner accordingly thusly thereby so forth et cetera ad infinitum etcetera ad nauseam finally concluding paragraph statement ending sentence closure finish line punctuation mark period full stop terminal point dot finale terminus cessation conclusion termination cessation endpoint closeout windup wrap-up denouement resolution finality culmination climax apex zenith peak summit pinnacle apogee acme vertex top crest crown head height utmost extremity high-water mark maximum altitude elevation loftiness skyward upward heavenward ascent rise lift soar climb mount ascend tower loom rear up rear rise rear elevate uplift hoist boost raise lift hike increase advance progress forward onward upward upward upward upward upward upward upwards upwards upwards upwards onwards onwards onwards forwards forwards forwards ahead ahead ahead beyond beyond beyond past past past after after after thereafter thereafter thereafter subsequently subsequently subsequently next next next later later later eventually eventually eventually ultimately ultimately ultimately lastly lastly lastly finally finally finally

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