Frenzied people can seek refuge from their busy lives when they visit the Palo Alto Glass Pumpkin Festival. Multicolored opaque, transparent, and fragile glass pumpkins encircle patches of grass on the peaceful backyard of the Palo Alto Art Center, located between Embarcadero and Newell.

“I’ve recently learned to work with lamp work beads, so I know how much work it is,” observer and Houston resident Penny Sargent said. “It’s fascinating to see how much you can really do with glass.”

Exhibiting and selling glass pumpkins crafted 25 artists, the 12th Annual Great Glass Pumpkin Patch will last until Friday, Oct 5. An official sale will be held on the following Saturday, Oct 6.

“It’s exciting, and it has grown,” the art center’s volunteer coordinator Janette Herceg said. “It’s a great opportunity for the art center and Bay Area to focus on a art form that you don’t see represented very much in the art community. Glass blowing is a very specialized medium, and there’s only one or two places that you can go in the Bay Area.”

This tradition started 12 years ago when founders Bobby Bowes and Linda Craighead, who also serves as director of the art center, agreed to promote the exquisite pieces of glass art through pumpkin patch exhibitions. The sale also functions as a celebration of fall, tying in components such as Halloween and pumpkins.

Visitors have the option of joining tours of the exhibition, which occur six times per day. The tour features a glass blowing demonstration by glass-blowing artist Barry Farley. Farley has been preparing for his next demonstration and his exhibition of pumpkins, which embody the theme of fantasy. According to Farley, creating glass pumpkins is an art form that requires an immense amount of hard work to create the ultimate masterpiece.

Palo Alto residents appreciate viewing such unique local treasures and have adopted this event as an important part of Palo Alto culture and tradition.

“I love the glass pumpkins, although I don’t always buy them,” Liz Lillard-Bernal, former journalism and English teacher, and prospective customer said. “These pumpkins have become a fall mainstay. I know a number of people who collect them.”

With its loyal customers and a beautiful array of pumpkins, the Palo Alto Glass Pumpkin Festival is expected to attract many customers, according to Farley.

“My first experience was two years ago,” Farley said. “When people came in through the gates, it was a frenzied event.”

Prices of these pumpkins range from $30 to $2000. Most of the profits go to the artists who make the pumpkins, and the rest goes either to the Palo Alto Art Center’s programs for children or to the Bay Area Glass Institute.

Herceg also acknowledges the previous success of the festival.

“During the last two days, they sold $300,000 worth of glass pumpkins,” Herceg said. “Each year becomes bigger and more impressive.”