Thousands of detailed pumpkin carvings arranged in elaborate displays are part of a month-long event at Monmouth Park Racetrack. Watch video
OCEANPORT - There are cartoon characters and mobsters, amusement rides and a rock band, the White House and pumpkin carvings of the candidates currently vying to call it home.
On every Friday, Saturday and Sunday in October, more than 5,000 jack o'lanterns are scheduled to light up Monmouth Park Racetrack as part of a new event called The Glow: A Jack O'Lantern Experience.
Shannon Donnelly, who is producing the event for Townsquare Media, said tens of thousands of visitors are expected to experience the pumpkin carvings during the event's run.
"We really wanted to bring something different to the Jersey Shore and we know that everybody loves Halloween, so we thought that was a unique event for Monmouth Park and the community," Donnelly said. "We love to provide family entertainment, so kids can come here and adults come here, it is really something everyone can enjoy."
The jack o'lantern experience features live carving stations, hundreds of detailed pumpkin carvings of celebrities and other characters, towering creations built out of dozens of pumpkins and themed exhibits incorporating hundreds of glowing pumpkins.
Bayville resident Kristen Mason attended the first night of The Glow event with her whole family.
"The artistry of the portraits was amazing and the dinosaur display was the best part, because that was by far the most elaborate creation," she said. "And the setting (at Monmouth Park) was great, because it wasn't too crowded and we were able to see everything. The kids loved it."
Mason's 8-year-old daughter, Elizabeth, said she was only expecting to see a bunch of simple pumpkin carvings, but then she realized that she was in for much more when she walked outside and saw a pumpkin replica of an amusement park.
"It was really cool because there was a giant Ferris wheel made out of pumpkins," Elizabeth Mason said.
However, she said her favorite display was the large guitar made out of pumpkins.
"Because we went to Nashville and there was a guitar there that looked exactly like it," she said.
Trenton residents Ron, Rosemary and Victoria Russell made the hour trek to Monmouth Park to check out the event after hearing about it on the radio.
"I was expecting a bunch of smaller pumpkin carvings. But when I saw everything they had here, I just kept thinking that it must've taken an extremely long time because all of the effort that went into it," Victoria Russell said. "I thought it was all really cool. Especially the dinosaurs, because I loved how they did all of the bones on the dinosaurs, it was really detailed and very unexpected."
Tickets for The Glow: A Jack O'Lantern Experience must be purchased in advance online through the event's website.
"And people should make sure to purchase their tickets early, because we already have some dates that are sold out," Donnelly said.
Rob Spahr may be reached at rspahr@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TheRobSpahr. Find NJ.com on Facebook.