FARMINGTON, Utah — From Taylor Swift to Harry Potter, the Minions to the Munsters, Disney princesses to Snoopy, Farmington resident Ken Klinker has carved hundreds of designs into pumpkins.
Each October for the last 22 years, Klinker has displayed elaborately designed jack-o-lanterns in his front yard. To date, his creations have amounted to almost 420.
“I just kind of got addicted to carving pumpkins,” Klinker said with a chuckle. “ It became a hobby and kind of an addiction because I just wanted to keep carving more and more pumpkins because I thought they were so cool.”
Klinker said he began carving pumpkins when he was a kid. Then as an adult, he started using patterns that could be found at grocery stores.
“And I started carving more and more pumpkins with patterns on them,” he said. “Well, pretty soon those patterns were too simple, so I started doing more elaborate ones."
But instead of carving real pumpkins that rot after a few days, Klinker transitioned to foam pumpkins over the last several years, carving them with a Dremel tool and drill bit.
“I got tired of doing elaborate carvings that took four or five hours, and then two days later I had to throw them away,” Klinker explained. “The good thing is that you can keep a foam pumpkin. The collection that I have here is about 22 years’ worth of pumpkins that I've carved.”
His collection has gotten so big that he even sells his foam pumpkins online on his own Etsy account, which he says has helped sustain his hobby.
For fellow Farmington resident Catherin Stapley, who visited the display, the craftsmanship was immediately noticeable.
“Just seeing the detail is amazing,” Stapley said. “I mean, I can recognize Rocky and Bullwinkle. I can recognize Mount Rushmore. He's amazing. I cannot believe the skill and the talent that is going on here with these pumpkins.”
His jack-o-lanterns take anywhere from one to six hours of work depending on the design. Each year, he adds another 15 to 20 pumpkins to his display.
While Klinker says the craftsmanship has become an enjoyable part of the process, it's the faces of real people that make it all worth it. He says that's a reason he wants to continue growing his collection.
“This is kind of a dream come true,” Klinker said as he looked at the large crowd gathering around his display. “It's so fun to see all these people looking at pumpkins and hearing the little kids in the background going crazy over a new pumpkin that they see, and it's just working out great."
Klinker’s display is free to the public and is located at 1288 Cannon Drive in Farmington. While there is no fee to see the display, Klinker asks visitors to bring non-perishable goods for the Bountiful Food Pantry if they are able.
