CALEDONIA — For over a decade, the Dewitt Family has gone above and beyond when it comes to carving pumpkins. This year is no different; on display at their home in Caledonia is the great Jack-O-Lantern tower.
The attraction showcases 220 brightly lit pumpkins. The tower stands prominently at the family’s home at 5127 Wagon Trail, just west of Wind Point.
Pumpkin carving party
The tradition originally started 11 years ago at their parent’s home in St. Francis, Wisc., when Sara and Ryan Dewitt carved a bountiful amount of pumpkins. They threw a party as a way to celebrate their birthdays. What started as one fun night, has turned into so many more memorable moments, more than a decade later.
Each year, family and friends of the Dewitts pitch in to build the Jack-O-Lantern tower. The party features a day of pumpkin carving, cooking out, and spending time with loved ones.
The couple works to clean out all of the pumpkins ahead of time so that their guests can focus on sketching and carving their unique masterpieces.
“We were fortunate for a beautiful fall day,” said Sara about the pumpkin carving party.
Caledonia’s largest pumpkin tower
Three years ago, the Dewitts moved the one-of-a-kind pumpkin magnum opus from its original location in St. Francis to their home in Caledonia.
Ryan came up with an idea to build a stage to showcase a large stack of Jack-O-Lanterns. Each year, he sets up and takes down this unique Halloween attraction.
He also has the honor of carving “Happy Halloween” into 14 different pumpkins.
After family and friends create their own unique designs, the Dewitts screw each pumpkin onto the handcrafted tower, which this year, stands about 20 feet tall.
Visit the Jack-O-Lantern Tower
The Jack-O-Lantern tower tradition not only brings their closest relatives and friends together, but also welcomes the community to gaze at the larger-than-life display.
The tower is lit up each night at dusk, and if the family is home, they keep the pumpkins lit.
“It’s a thing that we love to do. We want to share it with the community,” said Sara.
Guests are welcome to drive by and are encouraged to take photos of, or with, the Jack-O-Lantern tower. The setup will run through Halloween.
“We want people to enjoy it,” she said.
Halloween fun
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