The last of the fall foliage may be gone and Halloween is around the corner, but Acadia, as always, is on our mind.

So why not combine one of our favorite holidays with thoughts of our favorite national park, and come up with something different for our annual jack-o-lantern carvings?

To celebrate Halloween this year, Acadia on My Mind decided to carve Bubble-Rock-o-lantern, Falcon-o-lantern and Arrowhead-o-lantern (the shape of the National Park Service logo).

We call the trio Acadia-o-lanterns, and individually, there’s Bubble-Rock-o-lantern, Falcon-o-lantern (in honor of Hawk Watch’s 20th anniversary, with the season ending on Halloween, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. atop Cadillac, weather permitting!), and Arrowhead-o-lantern (the shape of the National Park Service logo).

We may also do a Smokey-o-lantern, in honor of Smokey Bear’s 78th birthday this year. It would also serve as a reminder of the importance of fire prevention, since this month 75 years ago was the Fire of 1947 that devastated Acadia and Mount Desert Island. See the Smokey Bear pumpkin carving pattern at the end of this blog post, courtesy of the Virginia Department of Forestry.

No one can confuse our pumpkins with anything Martha Stewart might create for Halloween, or our carving skills with that of Edwin Hawkes, a Bar Harbor master bird carver who volunteers at Hawk Watch on top of Cadillac.

But if we may say so ourselves, the Acadia National Park-themed jack-o-lanterns are a fun way to celebrate Halloween, while keeping Acadia top of mind even in the off-season. Continue reading →