© 2025 Central Michigan University
News, Culture and NPR for Central & Northern Michigan
Donate
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

1500 Jack-o-lanterns illuminate Shepherd, MI

WCMU | By XMendoza
Published November 1, 2018 at 12:41 PM EDT
1 of 12
A display of 1500 pumpkins on his front lawn in Shepherd, MI on Oct. 30, 2018. "We carve out the bottom of the pumpkins then use a drill with a beater that chews the inside out and we put it at a trailer."
Xavier Mendoza | WCMU
2 of 12
"The kids and I were hanging out one evening and said, 'Let's carve pumpkins,' and we were thinking like a hundred, but I came home with three loads, ended up with 250, and it snowballed from there."
Xavier Mendoza | WCMU
3 of 12
Kent Roth, displays 1500 pumpkins on his front lawn in Shepherd, MI on Oct. 30, 2018. The pumpkins are complimented by traditional halloween decorations.
Xavier Mendoza | WCMU
4 of 12
Roth speaks with neighbor, Doug White, as they talk about Roth's pumpkin display on his front lawn in Shepherd, MI on Oct. 30, 2018.
Xavier Mendoza | WCMU
5 of 12
"The weather held us back a little this year. But, with the help from the community, we had tents up for the carvers and everyone, but the runners who set up the pumpkins, were fairly dry."
Xavier Mendoza | WCMU
6 of 12
A small pumpkin is contrasted by a pumpkin double its size on Roth's front lawn in Shepherd, MI on Oct. 30, 2018.
Xavier Mendoza | WCMU
7 of 12
Pumpkins varied in Roth's pumpkin display in Shepherd, MI on Oct. 30, 2018. All types of designs seemed to be present at the event. From fully carved pumpkins, to pumpkins with letters and even hard pumpkins with warts.
8 of 12
The night view of the pumpkin display on Roth's front lawn in Shephard, MI on Oct. 30, 2018. "We're using 1500 christmas lights, C7s and C9s. We plug in four wires and extension cords for them all."
Xavier Mendoza | WCMU
9 of 12
"The pumpkins are lit up for four days before halloween. Then they'll be gone Thursday morning."
Xavier Mendoza | WCMU
10 of 12
The illuminated version of the pumpkins Roth's son carved out in honor of his late father's passing last year.
Xavier Mendoza | WCMU
11 of 12
"Next year, when we have more pumpkins, I'll probably open the backyard for people to walk back and forth to see all of the pumpkins."
Xavier Mendoza | WCMU
12 of 12
"Anyone is welcome to come help and or contribute. Thank you to all of the volunteers that came out and helped. They're the ones that really made it possible."
Xavier Mendoza | WCMU

Credit Xavier Mendoza | WCMU
Kent Roth, displays 1500 pumpkins on his front lawn in Shepherd, MI on Oct. 30, 2018. The pumpkin tradition started five years ago when he and his family made 250. "It started with an idea with the kids like, 'Hey why don't we decorate hundreds of pumpkins?' Then I gradually added more pumpkins every year. We doubled it to 500, then 1000, but then 2000 was too many so we've just gone up by 250 the past couple of years."

Credit Xavier Mendoza | WCMU
"It's gotten so big it's become a community event. Papa's Pumpkin Patch has been the sole provider for the pumpkins these years, then we would carve them out the weekend before Halloween. We worked on them Saturday and Sunday this year." Roth says the pumpkins started with just his family's carvings and now people all over contribute their own pumpkins for the event.

Credit Xavier Mendoza | WCMU
"These pumpkins are going to be the only ones not lit up. We just didn't have enough lights to bring over here. Next year, we'll be using LED lights so that all of them will be lit."

Credit Xavier Mendoza | WCMU
The name carved out is a memento to Roth's late father. "My son actually made them. It honors my father who passed away a year ago, right before the pumpkins were out."

Credit Xavier Mendoza | WCMU
Roth said the community supports the annual event and looks forward to it during Halloween. "Everybody's in support. My most asked question right after people say it's awesome is, 'Why?' But, everyone is excited about it. They're already talking about next year and what pumpkin they'd like to contribute."

Credit Xavier Mendoza | WCMU
"The most I've seen from Halloween a couple of years ago, I was out trick-or-treating with the kids," he said. "Then I see 75-100 people at my house and all I thought about was, 'Wow, what's going on at my house?'"

Credit Xavier Mendoza | WCMU
"Some local farmers will be taking the pumpkins Thursday morning. They'll be used for livestock feeding. Then the insides, we just give out. I actually just delivered 3 loads of pumpkin guts to a local hog farmer he's going to be using for feed."
Local/Regional News