The College of Architecture, Design and Construction will hold its annual Pumpkin Carve event on Friday, Oct. 27, 2023. The event will take place from 9 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Dudley Courtyard.
The fundraiser was first organized by the Auburn chapter of the American Institute of Architecture Students in 1989, making this their 35th year. The event is open to all students, faculty and community members.
Layla Harbison, junior in architecture, is one of the two students who organized the Pumpkin Carve this year. She described how the event got bigger throughout the years and that they not only extended the event hours but also have 250 pumpkins to carve, the highest number since the event was established.
“We’re working with Auburn-Opelika Tourism this year to kind of make it more of a community event. We extended it by an hour so hopefully families or just people who are in town for the game will come by or just, like, students in other schools,” Harbison said.
The fundraiser is centered around traditional pumpkin carving. For $5, guests can purchase a pumpkin and express their creativity. The jack-o’-lanterns will then be lit at 5:30 p.m., with the annual competition for the best pumpkins starting at 6 p.m.
Visitors can expect numerous fun activities in addition to the pumpkin carving. A scavenger hunt will take place at 2:30 p.m., and one of the most anticipated activities by students, according to Harbison, will take place at 4:45 p.m.
"One student will get to 'pie-a-professor' in the face. It's super funny," Harbison said.
Seasonal treats and drinks will be offered for purchase all day. Lunch and free pizza will be provided for dinner.
From 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., radio hosts from Auburn University’s radio station WEGL will play at the event. Another part of the fundraising is the napkin sketch silent auction. The school’s professors, alumni and local artists will create drawings on napkins that will be displayed throughout the day and can be bid on.
“The sketches are usually pretty awesome because these are all designers,” Harbison said.
Local businesses are involved with the event and have been a great support for the student organization. Auburn's J&M Bookstore contributed sketched napkins created by their art department, and many more local businesses provided raffle prizes.
The event is a great opportunity to celebrate the spooky season. The courtyard will be decorated to create a Halloween atmosphere.
“I think it will just be so fun. Just come with your friends and all carve a pumpkin,” Harbison said.
More information on the event can be found on the AIAS’s Pumpkin Carve website.
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