Jack o’ Jaunt: City hosts pumpkin carving contest
October 30, 2020
The City of Palo Alto will give away $50 gift cards to the three contestants with the scariest, most creative and cutest jack o’ lanterns during its first ever “Jack o’ Jaunt” pumpkin carving competition Friday on University and California avenue.
Over 75 people of all ages are participating, and a wide array of different pumpkins will be on display according Community Services Manager Tyler Stetson. Winners of the contest will have their pumpkins displayed on all of the City’s social media accounts and will also receive a $50 gift card to a restaurant of their choice.
The contestants will be able to carve their pumpkins from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. and the viewing will start soon after at 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. The judges, a panel of city-partner VIPs, will vote for their favorite pumpkin in the different categories.
While the event is open to the public, there will be safety precautions in place. Social distancing will be enforced, and the pumpkins will be spread out on the designated streets, according to the City of Palo Alto’s recreation division.
“We are very excited to be able to offer this event to the community in a safe and enjoyable way,” Stetson stated in an email to The Paly Voice.
![Shounak Dharap, president of the school board of Palo Alto Unified School District, announced Friday morning that Superintendent Don Austin separated from his superintendent position at PAUSD. Corbin Dodd, an Ethnic Studies and AP Seminar teacher at Palo Alto High School, said that Austin's separation from the district surprised him and his colleagues. "Negotiations are happening right now, so there's a lot of talk about the school board and the superintendent, but it [Austin's separation] wasn't on my radar, and I don't think it was on the radar of any of the teachers I've spoken to," Dodd said.](https://palyvoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/IMG_7950-300x225.png)
