by Kelly Johnson
Fall is underway, and South Cobb Regional Library (SCRL) is with yet another full month. Amid the library’s continued support of Project U First and its weekly Hygiene Donation Drive, there will be one day dedicated to the glamming up of the Great Pumpkin—ahead of trick-or-treating on Halloween.
The Great Pumpkin is the fictional holiday spirit in It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, an animation first featured in 1966 as a television special. The animation is based on Charles M. Shulz’s comic strip, Peanuts. It continues to be aired or watched during the Halloween season to this day.
Of course, the character who introduces the myth of the Great Pumpkin (to Charlie Brown and us, the viewers) is Linus. It is a fantastical myth, born of American culture, which attempts to explain the magic and wonder of Halloween; and it does a brilliant job in doing so. (But notice I said, attempts.) Let’s face it, Halloween tends to be a mystery to a lot of people, and this has led to a lot of interpretations. Perhaps that’s the allure of the holiday; it is blank slate which can be celebrated in an infinite number of ways. Most dress up and seek candy from neighbors and strangers alike. So, the Great Pumpkin is one such interpretation to explain Halloween, as innocent and child-like as it is.
For me though, Halloween has always had a more ethereal, spiritual attraction. One that transcends time, even predating Christianity, as learned from my history teacher in high school. The knowledge my teacher parted with had been more of an “us and them” comparison (since it was an all-Black school); but that resonated with me because what he shared wasn’t in the textbook—which all teacher’s should carry both first hand experiences and world knowledge (in my opinion). Nevertheless, he had explained the difference in attitude around time as to signify Halloween.
For Eurocentric cultures, Halloween marks a transition in which crops had to be harvested since the earth figuratively dies before winter, and there is only so much time in which to prepare before the ground hardens and trees gray. This is what the parable The Ant and the Grasshopper is about, preparing for the future which coincides with how our society, American culture, regards time. Especially from a capitalistic point of view. Thus, the proverbial saying, “time is money”, yes? Whereas for those who may be born into Afrocentric, Latin, and Asiatic cultures—especially those nearest the equator—there was no worry of lands succumbing to the winter equinox and so, time is a bountiful as the Earth’s oceans. This notion, this connection with nature lends itself to longer life expectancies, as well as different ways to celebrate the seasonal transition, or should I say planetary shift? For instance, the Nigerian Odo Festival celebrates “Halloween” for eight months, every two years. The Chinese may do it for fourteen days in July (of the Lunar calendar); they call it the Ghost Festival. However, their Mid-Autumn Festival occurs this time of year and it celebrates family rather than the indications of dying lands.
All of this said, though, the big picture is the intrinsic connection between land (the planet) and time and how this connection is celebrated in various ways by different people, largely due to a particular perspective or sense of time, which is innate. I think the following hyperlink offers a good run down of Halloween in America, beginning with the Celtic Festival, Samhain [pronounced “sow-in”]. For those of us assimilated here in Mableton, Cobb County and even in this country, I think costumes, candy, and the Great Pumpkin will do just fine.
To bring this back around, South Cobb Regional Library will be open October 27th, on a Friday, from 4 PM to 5:30 PM for pumpkin painting. It’ll be a great opportunity to paint a Jack-o-lantern, because carving one can be messy. This isn’t to knock carving a pumpkin, but I recommend doing so closer to Halloween, or the day before or night of in order to keep it viable. Long enough to peel, slice, puree and store it in the freezer for Thanksgiving’s pumpkin pie—which is what I do. I’m sure painted pumpkin can be recycled as such as well. I mean, in a way, linking Halloween and the moral or belief of the Great Pumpkin to Thanksgiving through homemade pumpkin pie(s) does symbolize sacrifice, hope, and perseverance, one may be sustained in winter, or in life in general. I believe so.
Well, other noteworthy happenings at SCRL are:
- The availability of Paper Pumpkin Kits, Mondays and Wednesdays (except for October 23rd, Monday), all month long (while supplies last);
- Balloon Splatter Painting, October 7th, Saturday at 2:00 PM;
- Easy Breezy Watercolor For Beginners, October 9th, Monday at 6:00 PM;
- Coaster for a Cause, October 10th at 3:30 PM.
As always, check that book out. Get your creativity on. Your brain will thank you.
Be sure to subscribe to the Cobb County Public Library System’s (Library System) Newsletter here.
Underlined events are hyperlinked to the Cobb County Public Library’s website Events page.
All times are 24 hour or military time, Eastern Standard Time (EST).
OCTOBER 2023
WEEK 1
| DATE | DAY | TIME (24hr) | EVENT |
| October 01, 2023 | Sunday | 13:00 – 17:00 | Hygiene Donation Drive for Project U First |
| October 02, 2023 | Monday | 10:00 -20:00 | Hygiene Donation Drive for Project U First |
| 10:00 – 20:00 | Paper Pumpkin Kits | ||
| 10:30 – 11:00 | Family Sing and Dance Along | ||
| 17:00 – 18:00 | Belly Dance | ||
| October 03, 2023 | Tuesday | 10:00 – 20:00 | Hygiene Donation Drive for Project U First |
| 10:30 – 11:00 | Baby Time | ||
| October 04, 2023 | Wednesday | 10:00 – 20:00 | Hygiene Donation Drive for Project U First |
| 10:00 – 20:00 | Paper Pumpkin Kits | ||
| 10:30 – 11:00 | Family Storytime | ||
| 11:00 – 12:00 | Bubble Dance Party | ||
| October 05, 2023 | Thursday | 10:00 – 18:00 | Hygiene Donation Drive for Project U First |
| 10:30 – 12:00 | Stay and Play | ||
| 15:00 – 16:30 | Computer Basics and Digital Literacy | ||
| 15:30 – 16:30 | STEAM Kids | ||
| October 06, 2023 | Friday | 10:00 – 18:00 | Hygiene Donation Drive for Project U First |
| 10:00 – 18:00 | Paper Pumpkin Kits | ||
| October 07, 2023 | Saturday | 10:00 – 17:00 | Hygiene Donation Drive for Porject U First |
| 11:00 – 11:30 | Saturday Storytime | ||
| 14:00 – 15:00 | Balloon Splatter Painting |
OCTOBER 2023
WEEK 2
| DATE | DAY | TIME (24hr) | EVENT |
| October 08, 2023 | Sunday | 13:00 – 17:00 | Hygiene Donation Drive for Project U First |
| October 09, 2023 | Monday | 10:00 – 20:00 | Hygiene Donation Drive for Project U First |
| 10:00 – 20:00 | Paper Pumpkin Kits | ||
| 18:00 – 19:00 | Easy Breezy Watercolor for Beginners (with Marietta Cobb Museum of Art) | ||
| October 10, 2023 | Tuesday | 10:00 – 20:00 | Hygiene Donation Drive for Project U First |
| 10:30 – 11:00 | Baby Time | ||
| 15:30 – 17:00 | Coaster for a Cause | ||
| 16:30 – 17:30 | No Fear Craft Club | ||
| October 11, 2023 | Wednesday | 10:00 – 20:00 | Hygiene Donation Drive for Project U First |
| 10:00 – 20:00 | Paper Pumpkin Kits | ||
| 10:30 – 11:00 | Family Storytime | ||
| October 12, 2023 | Thursday | 10:00 – 18:00 | Hygiene Donation Drive for Project U First |
| 13:00 – 13:30 | Parachute Play | ||
| 16:30 – 17:30 | The Last Word Book Discussion | ||
| October 13, 2023 | Friday | 10:00 – 18:00 | Hygiene Donation Drive for Project U First |
| 10:00 – 18:00 | Paper Pumpkin Kits | ||
| October 14, 2023 | Saturday | 10:00 – 17:00 | Hygiene Donation Drive for Project U First |
OCTOBER 2023
WEEK 3
| DATE | DAY | TIME (24hr) | EVENT |
| October 15, 2023 | Sunday | 13:00 – 17:00 | Hygiene Donation Drive for Project U First |
| October 16, 2023 | Monday | 10:00 – 20:00 | Hygiene Donation Drive for Project U First |
| 10:00 – 20:00 | Paper Pumpkin Kits | ||
| 10:30 – 11:00 | Family Sing and Dance Along | ||
| 17:00 – 18:00 | Belly Dance | ||
| 18:30 – 19:00 | Pajama Storytime | ||
| October 17, 2023 | Tuesday | 10:00 – 20:00 | Hygiene Donation Drive for Project U First |
| 10:30 – 11:00 | Baby Time | ||
| 16:30 – 17:30 | No Fear Craft Club | ||
| October 18, 2023 | Wednesday | 10:00 – 20:00 | Hygiene Donation Drive for Project U First |
| 10:00 – 20:00 | Paper Pumpkin Kits | ||
| 10:30 – 11:00 | Family Storytime | ||
| October 19, 2023 | Thursday | 10:00 – 18:00 | Hygiene Donation Drive for Project U First |
| 10:30 – 12:00 | Stay and Play | ||
| 15:00 – 16:30 | Computer Basics and Digital Literacy | ||
| October 20, 2023 | Friday | 10:00 – 18:00 | Hygiene Donation Drive for Project U First |
| 10:00 – 18:00 | Paper Pumpkin Kits | ||
| October 21, 2023 | Saturday | 10:00 – 17:00 | Hygiene Donation Drive for Project U First |
| 10:30 – 11:30 | Tween Book Club |
OCTOBER 2023
WEEK 4
| DATE | DAY | TIME (24hr) | EVENT |
| October 22, 2023 | Sunday | 13:00 – 17:00 | Hygiene Donation Drive for Project U First |
| October 23, 2023 | Monday | 10:00 – 20:00 | Hygiene Donation Drive for Project U First |
| 10:00 – 20:00 | Paper Pumpkin Kits | ||
| 10:30 – 11:00 | Family Sing and Dance Along | ||
| 17:00 – 18:00 | Belly Dance | ||
| 18:00 – 19:00 | Graphic Novel Book Club [Virtual Program] | ||
| October 24, 2023 | Tuesday | 10:00 – 18:00 | Hygiene Donation Drive for Project U First |
| 10:30 – 11:00 | Baby Time | ||
| October 25, 2023 | Wednesday | 10:00 – 18:00 | Hygiene Donation Drive for Project U First |
| 10:00 – 18:00 | Paper Pumpkin Kits | ||
| 10:30 – 11:00 | Family Storytime | ||
| October 26, 2023 | Thursday | 10:00 – 18:00 | Hygiene Donation Drive for Project U First |
| October 27, 2023 | Friday | 10:00 – 18:00 | Hygiene Donation Drive for Project U First |
| 10:00 – 18:00 | Paper Pumpkin Kits | ||
| 16:00 – 17:30 | Pumpkin Painting | ||
| October 28, 2023 | Saturday | 10:00 – 18:00 | Hygiene Donation Drive for Project U First |
| 11:00 – 13:00 | Hocus Pocus Interactive Movie |
OCTOBER 2023
WEEK 5
| DATE | DAY | TIME (24hr) | EVENT |
| October 29, 2023 | Sunday | 13:00 – 17:00 | Hygiene Donation Drive for Project U First |
| October 30, 2023 | Monday | 10:00 – 20:00 | Hygiene Donation Drive for Project U First |
| 10:00 – 20:00 | Paper Pumpkin Kits | ||
| 10:30 – 11:00 | Family Sing and Dance Along | ||
| 17:00 – 18:00 | Belly Dance | ||
| 17:00 – 18:00 | Lego Time | ||
