VOA标准英语2011--Pennsylvania Man Gets Into Halloween in a Big Way

Pennsylvania Man Gets Into Halloween in a Big Way

Once a year, on the holiday known as "Halloween", American parents tell their kids it’s okay to take candy from strangers; as they go from door to door in costume in the traditional practice called "Trick or Treat." And once a year, one big guy, who is a kid at heart, goes in for another Halloween tradition, on a scale that is hard to believe.

American kids play dress-up for candy once each year. But Joel Keefer serves up his own Halloween tradition.

"Buying giant pumpkins², putting them on our porch, carving³ them and lighting⁴ them up with as much light as we can fit inside for Halloween for the kids," he said.

He says kids of all ages tell him they remember Halloween pumpkins at the Keefer house. And it always draws a crowd. "My neighbors want us to subsidize their candy purchases because we get so many kids to see the pumpkin¹ that they also go to their houses," he said.

For nearly 2 decades, Keefer has carved giant pumpkins for neighborhood kids. His first pumpkin weighed more than 200 kilograms (450lbs). This year’s gourd⁵ is more than three times as big, tipping the scales at 637.3 kilograms (1,405 lb). "I look for the one that has the prettiest face; that gives me the biggest canvas to paint something on," he said.

Keefer loves this time of year, but leaves the growing to the experts. "I don’t have the time or the commitment to do that. That’s done by very dedicated⁶ farmers and pumpkin growers in Canfield, Ohio," he said.

So he drives nearly 240 kilometers (150 miles) to Ohio and back, and then it takes 7 guys, a dump truck AND a forklift to get the monstrosity on his porch. All of this comes at considerable cost. "When you’re doing stuff for charity or for the fun of it… money doesn’t matter. If you thought with your wallet, some things wouldn’t be possible. If you’re going to try to stay on a confined budget, you would never end up with a pumpkin like this… because they’re not cheap," he said.

But it’s more than just fun for the neighborhood. It’s also about giving back. Keefer plans on asking adults who pose for photos to make donations this year -- for a charity that provides warm coats for children and the homeless. "And my company, Keelan Brothers Tree Services, is going to match whatever we collect," he said.

It takes a team of carvers and gutters⁷, but the whole community jumps in, literally⁸.

"It’s fun. It’s like being a little kid again, just getting in the pumpkin and being all slimed-up. It’s great," said neighbor Dana Riggs.

"The incredible part is: we get people from all over the city that come back every year from 30, 40, 50 miles away to see what we have this year," said Keefer.

And what they have this year is, great fun and a good cause for the community. A Halloween tradition that has become larger than the holiday itself because of a big man with a big heart, and a big pumpkin.

1 pumpkin   

n.南瓜

参考例句：

• They ate turkey and pumpkin pie.他们吃了火鸡和南瓜馅饼。
• It looks like there is a person looking out of the pumpkin!看起来就像南瓜里有人在看着你！

2 pumpkins   

n.南瓜( pumpkin的名词复数 )；南瓜的果肉，南瓜囊

参考例句：

• I like white gourds, but not pumpkins. 我喜欢吃冬瓜，但不喜欢吃南瓜。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Then they cut faces in the pumpkins and put lights inside. 然后在南瓜上刻出一张脸，并把瓜挖空。 来自英语晨读30分（高三）

3 carving   

n.雕刻品，雕花

参考例句：

• All the furniture in the room had much carving.房间里所有的家具上都有许多雕刻。
• He acquired the craft of wood carving in his native town.他在老家学会了木雕手艺。

4 lighting   

n.照明，光线的明暗，舞台灯光

参考例句：

• The gas lamp gradually lost ground to electric lighting.煤气灯逐渐为电灯所代替。
• The lighting in that restaurant is soft and romantic.那个餐馆照明柔和而且浪漫。

5 gourd   

n.葫芦

参考例句：

• Are you going with him? You must be out of your gourd.你和他一块去？你一定是疯了。
• Give me a gourd so I can bail.把葫芦瓢给我，我好把水舀出去。

6 dedicated   

adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的

参考例句：

• He dedicated his life to the cause of education.他献身于教育事业。
• His whole energies are dedicated to improve the design.他的全部精力都放在改进这项设计上了。

7 gutters   

（路边）排水沟( gutter的名词复数 )； 阴沟； （屋顶的）天沟； 贫贱的境地

参考例句：

• Gutters lead the water into the ditch. 排水沟把水排到这条水沟里。
• They were born, they grew up in the gutters. 他们生了下来，以后就在街头长大。

8 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。