EVERETT — Whether used for Halloween, Thanksgiving or all autumn, glass pumpkins remain popular in our region years after they were first introduced.
Visit the Schack Art Center today to see the proof.
You’ll find about 700 blown-glass gourds displayed in a gigantic pumpkin patch in the middle of the Schack’s gallery.
It’s all part of the art center’s free sixth annual Schack-toberfest, which continues through Sept. 25.
Most of the glass pumpkins — offered for sale in a range of sizes, colors, shapes and prices — were made in the Schack’s hot shop.
The most popular of the glass pumpkins are orange, of course, said Maren Oates of the Schack staff.
“But lots of people enjoy the non-traditional colors that might work better with their home decor,” Oates said. “Collectors who have been coming for years will be excited to see the new color combinations and textures that our glassblowers Jo Andersson and Jesse Kelly have added this year.”
The Schack’s primary caution in the pumpkin patch?
“Just like with real pumpkins, you never want to pick the glass pumpkins up by the stem,” Oates said.
On the gallery walls around the pumpkin patch look for autumn-themed paintings, photos and more by the likes of Kelly Sooter, Jackie Cort, Shannon Tipple-Leen, Bonnie Johnson, Stephen Yates, Laurie Richardson, Kathy Rinaldi, Michael Eggers, Helen Drummond, Andy Friedlander, Melissa T. Newell, Jennifer MacLean, Fran Kaufman, Janie Olsen and many more.
The Schack also offers free activities for kids from 1 to 4 p.m. Sept. 17 and 24 and the opportunity through Oct. 30 to make your own glass pumpkin for $60 in the Schack’s hot shop. Check schack.org/events for complete schedule of activities.
Adults 21 and older will enjoy Pints &Pumpkins from 5 to 9 p.m. Sept. 22 at the Schack. Tickets are $25, or $20 for Schack members, available now at schack.org or by calling 425-259-5050. Admission includes a souvenir Schack pint glass. And, that night, guests get a 10 percent discount on any pumpkins they buy from the patch.
Proceeds benefit the Schack, which won the state’s 2014 Governor’s Award for Outstanding Arts Organization.
Those who attend the fundraiser can wet their whistles with a pint from Scuttlebutt, Diamond Knot or Lazy Boy Brewing and enjoy tasty bites from Lombardi’s Italian restaurant.
Hear live music from the indie duo The Winterlings in the pumpkin patch and watch Jesse Kelly demonstrating glass blowing in the hot shop. Buy a $10 raffle ticket for the chance to make a large glass pumpkin with Kelly and his team.
Pints &Pumpkins also includes a silent auction of art on 12-inch-by-12-inch panels by a bunch of local artists and a first-come, first-served Goblet &Pint Grab. If you can grab one of 30 handblown glasses by artists Aaron LaChaussee, Jesse Nelson and Isaac Feuerman, it’s yours for only $25.
The center is located at 2921 Hoyt Ave., Everett, and is open daily: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday.
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