Thousands of carved and lighted pumpkins line a half-mile walking path at the Alameda County Fairgrounds, where the Halloween attraction Pumpkins After Dark stays open until Oct. 31. Scarecrow figures share the route with pumpkin designs that include mythical beasts and pop-culture figures.
One of the carvers demonstrating at the event is James Hall of Lake Elsinore, a prop maker at Encirco Studios. During a carving demonstration at the fairgrounds on Oct. 1, Hall worked on a Facehugger, the creature from the science-fiction horror film "Alien."
Hall told the Independent he carved his first jack-o'-lantern when he was roughly 3 years old, as a child in South Florida, where Halloween was a big event in his family. His early pumpkins had simple faces; over time he made them scarier and more complex.
His toolbox has grown along the way. He started with a marker and a small kitchen knife, then added sharpened clay tools, a drywall saw and eventually a chainsaw, and now makes some tools for specific carvings. He still sketches with a marker first and does fine detail with a kitchen knife.
