California
Meet the California family whose house becomes a magical pumpkin palooza
Prize money up for grabs in world championship pumpkin weigh-off
Which is the heaviest pumpkin of them all? The Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-off will decide the winner.
HALF MOON BAY, Calif. – Some people go overboard with Halloween. Nathan and Jodie Fillhardt readily admit they’re among them. They actually embrace the notion.
Every year around this time, the Fillhardts drive several times from their home in Scotts Valley, just north of Santa Cruz, to Bob’s Pumpkin Farm in Half Moon Bay, a two-hour roundtrip. Over the course of those visits they load up on more than 150 of Bob’s best and biggest – at a cost of $1,000 to $3,000 – and they’ll spend days carving them for the elaborate decoration of what their neighbors call “the pumpkin house.’’
The tradition began nearly 15 years ago before they had their daughter, Elizabeth, 8, and has continued to grow, becoming a bigger family celebration than Christmas. After carving 173 pumpkins last year, the Fillhardts are shooting for 200 this fall.
“We load up the back of our car every weekend starting the last week of September,’’ Nathan said. “Every year we try to beat last year’s record. The first year we started with like 20 pumpkins and the next year about 50 and …’’
“Are we going to ever try to get to a thousand pumpkins?’’ Elizabeth says, jumping in. Her parents respond that would take quite a bit of help from the neighbors.
It’s not out of the question. Jodie said their subdivision of about 250 houses and several cul-de-sacs draws more than 1,000 trick-or-treaters, and most neighbors embrace their presence, handing out candy from the driveway instead of constantly opening and closing the front door.
“The entire neighborhood really gets into it, so much so that the weekend before Halloween the neighborhood gets together and hands out awards to different houses for different styles,’’ she said. “We always get the pumpkin award.’’
Half Moon Bay, a coastside enclave of 11,000 less than 30 miles south of San Francisco, offers small-time charm, breathtaking views of the Pacific Ocean and a wealth of surfing and hiking opportunities. In the fall it gets transformed into a pumpkin paradise that draws tens of thousands of visitors to its mid-October festival, capping a week that starts with a contest featuring 2,000-pound-plus pumpkins.
That’s all well and good for the Fillhardts, who often have lunch downtown before heading back home. But the object of their desire is the abundance of large orange gourds at Bob’s Pumpkin Farm, the only patch they visit among the numerous options in town.
“We’re here for the pumpkins,’’ Jodie said, “not for all the festivities.’’
Watch CBS News
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.
Yosemite National Park’s eastern entrance will reopen just in time for Memorial Day, officials announced this week.
Tioga Road — a popular scenic section of Highway 120 — has been closed due to ice and snow since November. It will reopen to all traffic at 8 a.m. Monday, according to the National Park Service.
The road is typically closed each year between November and late May or early June due to wintry conditions, while all other park entrances remain open year-round. The 45-mile road closure extends from the Tuolumne Grove east of Crane Flat to the Tioga Pass Entrance Station.
Preparing the road for reopening is a significant undertaking that includes plowing through multiple avalanche zones, clearing downed trees and rockfalls, and preparing campgrounds and critical facilities for visitors, according to the park service.
This year’s May 26 reopening is about two weeks earlier than last year — and about a month earlier than the year prior, park data show.
Additionally, the park service will not provide early access to Tioga Road for cyclists this year, as they do some years. Some cyclists were upset by the announcement.
“It’s outrageous that they’re not giving two days to cyclists on the road system without cars this year,” one Reddit user wrote in the Yosemite forum, adding that they planned to write a letter to the park service and their local representative about the decision.
“Cyclist-only days should be a tradition that is celebrated and encouraged, not an afterthought in favor of motorists,” another person wrote.
But officials are bracing for a busy season. Visitors who plan to enter Yosemite between 6 a.m. and 2 p.m. this holiday weekend will need a reservation and should be prepared for extended wait times, according to the park service. Those planning to come any day between June 15 and August 15 or during Labor Day weekend will likely need a reservation as well.
Drivers using Tioga Road should plan for limited services along the roadway, bring appropriate levels of food and water and utilize food lockers if away from their vehicle, the park service said.
Yosemite may also face staffing shortages this year due to cuts at the National Park Service and other federal agencies, according to the Yosemite Conservancy, a nonprofit dedicated to the park’s conservation.
“The National Park Service (NPS) will likely be understaffed in Yosemite National Park this summer,” the group wrote on its website. “Last year, the NPS was already operating at a 30% staffing deficit — meaning any other cuts and restrictions to their staffing and funding will deepen that deficit.”
Park officials urge visitors to be patient and courteous to staff working at entrance stations and throughout the park, noting “they are here to help and ensure a safe, welcoming experience for all.”
“We’re thrilled to welcome everyone over Memorial Day Weekend as we honor the memory of nation’s fallen service members,” read a statement from Yosemite’s acting superintendent, Ray McPadden. “The park team has worked super hard to safely reopen every area of the park. We wish visitors a safe and enjoyable weekend.”
Hiker influencer found dead in Arizona desert after going missing on trail
Justice Department begins dismissing Biden-era police lawsuits against Minneapolis and Louisville
New York's Suffolk County approves law punishing convicted animal abusers if they own pets
NBA Insider’s Celtics Update Could be Important for Detroit Pistons
San Francisco's Chinatown hosts Pride celebration – AsAmNews
-
Technology1 week agoMeta asks judge to throw out antitrust case mid-trial
-
World1 week agoCommissioner Hansen presents plan to cut farming bureaucracy in EU
-
News1 week agoVideo: Doctors Heal Infant Using First Customized-Gene Editing Treatment
-
News1 week agoNew Orleans jailbreak: 10 inmates dug a hole, wrote ‘to easy’ before fleeing; escape plan found
-
Movie Reviews1 week agoDevil’s Double Next Level Movie Review: Trapped in a punchline purgatory
-
Business1 week agoVideo: How Staffing Shortages Have Plagued Newark Airport
-
Business1 week agoConsumers Show Signs of Strain Amid Trump's Tariff Rollout
-
Movie Reviews1 week ago‘Nouvelle Vague’ Review: Richard Linklater’s Movie About the Making of Godard’s ‘Breathless’ Is an Enchanting Ode to the Rapture of Cinema