Lord of the Gourd returns

NEWS RELEASE

BAYLISS PUBLIC LIBRARY

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The Lord of the Gourd returns to Bayliss Public Library’s Children’s Room on Tuesday, Oct. 4, from 4 to 8 p.m., to demonstrate his carving abilities.

Debbie Lehman will offer a special “StoryTime with Edgar” in the Children’s Room for the first hour of the event, from 4 to 5 p.m. There will be Craft activities for all ages starting at 6 p.m.

Northern Michigan artist/musician Patrick Harrison, a.k.a. the Lord of the Gourd, is a self-described agri-artist. He has been traveling the state of Michigan for 15 years doing carving demonstrations and performing music.

To date he has made 32 television appearances and has been featured in newspapers, magazines, and on the radio.

Harrison got his start at his family’s motel, where he would help his mother decorate the lobby every Halloween.

One night while trying to carve a pumpkin his knife slipped and he cut a huge gouge out of the pumpkin. As he tried to fix the gouge, he saw a face in the pumpkin, started sculpting, and a new career was born.

He travels the state carving fruit and melons in the spring and summer, but his favorite time of year is the fall when he switches over to pumpkins and squash. In a two-month period, he carves over 400 pumpkins.

The Lord of the Gourd’s program is very casual. He allows the audience to approach his table at their own leisure in order to see up close what he does and have their questions answered on a one-on-one basis.

Harrison is happy to share everything he has learned over the years in the hopes of teaching his audience that there’s more than one way to carve a jack o’lantern. All it takes are some sharp tools and a little imagination.

For the past three years, the Lord of the Gourd has dazzled attendees at Bayliss Library with his pumpkin and squash carvings.

The three events are part of the NEA Big Read celebrating Edgar Allan Poe and his works. Bayliss Public Library, an affiliate of Superior District Library, is located at 541 Library Drive in Sault Ste. Marie.

Lord of the Gourd will also be visiting three other Superior District Libraries: Mollie R. Kahl Community Library in Rudyard on Monday, Oct. 3, from 3:30-7:30 p.m.; Engadine Library on Wednesday, Oct. 5, from 1-4 p.m.; and Les Cheneaux Community Library in Cedarville on Friday, Oct. 7, from 1:30-5:30 p.m.

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