By ,
Published January 13, 2015
Ric Griffith is the biggest fan of Halloween you'll ever meet. Some, including his wife, even call it an obsession. The pumpkin man has collected 2,400 pumpkins for his annual craze ... and 600 have yet to come. Orange you glad it's not your backyard?
Since 1978 Griffith, of Kenova, W.Va, has carved 25,798 pumpkins. Every year, new townspeople need to be recruited to help with the carving cause, the Associated Press reported.
After all, the town is used to the site of the ultra-orange "Pumpkin House" every Halloween.
"The most important part is scooping out the guts of the pumpkins," he said. "We have hundreds of volunteers who start coming on Oct. 25 to help."
Griffith said Habitat for Humanity sends volunteers each year who collect the seeds and the other pumpkin innards to make pies, breads and other treats, which they sell in a fundraiser.
This year, the 57-year-old pharmacist plans to work a new, high-tech display that will be made up of a 16-by-16 wall of pumpkins playing the "1812 Overture." It'll be done using a computer program that will synchronize lights in the pumpkins with the music. And on Halloween night, some might even call that a "freak show."
"I've been thinking about this for about two or three years," Griffith said. "There will be a scarecrow as the conductor and a cannon pumpkin at the end that has a little pumpkin that will sparkle as its fuse."
Is That a Sniper Rifle ... or a Lawn Chair?
MIDVALE, Utah (AP) — A parent attempting to record a middle school football game from the school's roof was misidentified as a sniper, causing police to evacuate hundreds of people from the field.
James Kranz wanted to shoot video of his children playing on Saturday. But an officer spotted him climbing a ladder onto the school's roof with what looked like a rifle, said police Sgt. Gregg Olsen.
"An officer saw a man on top of the roof, walking around, pacing back and forth," Olsen said. "He was acting extremely suspicious."
It turned out to be a lawn chair that Kranz had with him — not a gun.
A SWAT team was called in after Kranz was spotted on the roof.
Parent Andres Dominguez reported hearing someone screaming, "Shooting! Shooting!" when officials ordered the field cleared. He was skeptical, but followed fans off the field.
Another spectator spotted SWAT team members scanning the rooftop with rifles and figured it wasn't a false alarm.
"When I saw the police looking through their scopes, following this guy across the roof, I thought it was for real," Ron Watkins said.
Kranz jumped down from the roof and ran when officers tried to get him to drop to his knees and show his hands, Olsen said. Kranz told police he didn't respond because he didn't believe they were really officers.
Authorities ticketed Kranz for trespassing, then ordered him off the school grounds.
Pineapples and Sweet Potatoes: Not Just for Dinner Anymore
Fashionistas are saying yes to fruits and vegetables … but not for eating. The Ethical Fashion Show in Paris has introduced some mouth-watering new creations.
Environmentally friendly fashion designers are including "organic" materials for the latest fashions, including scarves dyed with kakishibu fruit, silk lacquered with sweet potato paste and skirts made with pineapple fibers, the AFP reported.
Santa Claus Is Coming This Year!
CONYERS, Ga. (AP) — A woman and her two young children will get a special Christmas dinner at one of Atlanta's most expensive restaurants this year — courtesy of a judge.
Chief Superior Court Judge Sidney Nation ordered Wendell Jerome Herman Rogers II to open his wallet and treat his family to a posh meal after he was charged with family violence on Christmas Day.
"Basically you were hung over and didn't want to be involved in some activities your wife planned," Nation told Rogers. "You acted up and ruined Christmas, so this year you're going to make it up to them."
Authorities say Rogers, 33, came home from a party on Christmas Eve and got into a confrontation with his wife in front of their two young children the next morning. He was charged with family violence battery and obstructing and hindering a person making an emergency telephone call.
In addition to the dinner, Nation also sentenced Rogers to serve 12 months, although the time is suspended while Rogers continues an anger management course. Rogers also has to pay a $1,000 fine.
He will have to submit a receipt for the family dinner.
Rogers' attorney, Maurice Bennett, said his client agreed he had misbehaved and readily accepted the dinner sentence, which attorneys said would set him back more than $300.
Month-Long Bass Investigation Finds Fishy Business
KENNEWICK, Wash. (AP) — Austin Kenyon insisted his smallmouth bass was one for the state record books. The state, however, wasn't hooked.
In fact, it ruled that the bass was packed with lead weights.
Two of Kenyon's friends signed statements saying the fish had been tampered with when it was weighed on a state-certified scale.
"Our determination is that the fish had been stuffed with lead weights at the time it was inspected," said Keith Underwood of the state Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Kenyon, 22, of Kennewick, claimed the fish he caught Labor Day weekend was legitimate. He said it weighed 9.32 pounds on a state-certified scale.
Ray Wonacott of Ellensburg holds the record with an 8.75-pound smallmouth bass caught in 1966.
About a half-dozen state officials were involved in a monthlong investigation into Kenyon's bass.
The fish was caught Sept. 2, weighed Sept. 5 and inspected by state officials Sept. 6. By the time the state wanted a closer look, Kenyon had already taken it to be mounted.
State officials and anglers began questioning the would-be record, saying common formulas used to calculate fish weight didn't support Kenyon's claim.
Compiled by FOXNews.com's Hannah Sentenac.
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https://www.foxnews.com/story/obsessive-compulsive-pumpkin-man-is-halloweens-biggest-fan