They’re among the biggest pumpkins you’ll see on Halloween night in Winnipeg.
Each gourd tips the scale at over 1,000 pounds and is part of Chris Okell’s spirited display at his south St. Vital home.
Okell has carved massive pumpkins at his house for the past 15 years. But this pair is the largest yet.
“It’s something that my son and I have done for years,” says Okell.
The two bright orange Atlantic Giants, as they’re called, come from a farm in Roland Manitoba.
Lit up on Halloween, they’re a unique treat for visitors.
“We absolutely love it,” says Okell. “It’s not even just the kids, it’s the adults, the big kids. They remember what it’s like to be a kid and remember the house that did something different.”
The trick is moving the massive pumpkins 100 kilometers northeast to Winnipeg and then setting them up.
“This year I showed up with a flatdeck and a bob cat,” says Okell, who enlisted help from family and friends.
It’s not just the spirit of the holiday that motivates Okell. He’s hoping the display will help raise money to fight cancer – a disease that took his mom’s life in 2010.
“It is very emotional to me. My mom and I were really tight,” he says.
“I’m just hoping that people will see that no matter what kind of stuff you go through, life goes on. Pick something up and make the best of it. And this is how I’m going to do it.”
Okell is hoping to find a bigger purpose for his already great pumpkins.
You can visit Okell’s display Halloween night at 39 Baisinger Drive.
Better Winnipeg is a weekly feature that highlights people, events and organizations that make Winnipeg a better place to live. Share your story ideas with us at betterwinnipeg@globalnews.ca.
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