Last but not least in our Meet the Carvers series, we chat with Faith Butterfield.

BB: What's your day job?
FB: I'm a museum interpreter at Van Cortlandt Manor and also a costume maker.

BB: What kind of carvings are you working on for Blaze 2007?
FB: Snakes, spiders, dinosaurs, the Dead Sea, Celtic knots and flowers.

BB: Are you working on any other Blaze-related items?
FB: Costumes for the "directionals," those one-armed skeletal bandits that point the way on the path.
BB: Love those!
FB: Thanks.

BB: What are your preferred carving tools and methods?
FB: An X-Acto knife and keyhole saws.

BB: Got any carving tips for a novice?
FB: Start in the center and work your way out. And, of course, have some fun.

BB: What's your favorite pumpkin-based food?
FB: Pumpkin pie.

BB: What's your favorite Halloween movie?
FB: Edward Scissorhands.

BB: Toasted pumpkin seeds: Salt or no salt?
FB: Salt and a little cayenne pepper.

BB: What makes pumpkins so special?
FB: They shed light and they make people happy.

BB: If I were a carved pumpkin, I'd be...
FB: A witch riding a broom over a full moon.

BB: Thank you, Faith!

Hope you blog readers enjoyed our ongoing series featuring the "dirty (with pumpkin guts) dozen" carvers who helped bring Blaze to life. Hats off to all of them!

As the Meet the Carvers series draws to a close (one left for this year), we catch up with Kate Kennard.

BB: What's your day job?
KK: Museum interpreter right here at Van Cortlandt Manor.

BB: What kind of carvings are you working on for Blaze 2007?
KK: Spiders and Celtic knots for retail.

BB: Are you working on any other Blaze-related items?
KK: General set up.

BB: What are your preferred carving tools and methods?
KK: An X-Acto knife with a very sharp blade, and, if necessary, a hand saw.
BB: For those particularly pesky bits.
KK: Yes.

BB: Got any carving tips for a novice?
KK: Start by carving a hole in the bottom of the pumpkin and look inside for bulges and thick spots, which are areas you want to avoid.

BB: What's your favorite pumpkin-based food?
KK: Seeds, preferably with salt and oil.

BB: What's your favorite Halloween movie?
KK: Arsenic and Old Lace with Cary Grant.

BB: Toasted pumpkin seeds: Salt or no salt?
KK: More salt than one would deem appropriate.
BB: Yea, me too.

BB: What makes pumpkins so special?
KK: They come to life at night.

BB: If I were a carved pumpkin, I'd be...
KK: (singing) Dancin' in the moonlight.

BB: Thank you, Kate!

Yes, there are more installments in the Meet the Carvers series - three at least - even though the Blaze is extinguished  for '07. Next up, Peggy Diaco.

BB: What's your day job?
PD: Chillin' out and living off the fat of the land in Pennsylvania.

BB: What kind of carvings are you working on for Blaze 2007?
PD: Funny faces.

BB: Are you working on any other Blaze-related items?
PD: Helping with general set up and crowd control with my trusty bullhorn.

BB: What are your preferred carving tools and methods?
PD: A knife and my right hand.

BB: Got any carving tips for a novice?
PD: Yes, bring Band-Aids and a sense of humor.

BB: What's your favorite pumpkin-based food?
PD: Pumpkin cheesecake.

BB: What's your favorite Halloween movie?
PD: Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein.

BB: Toasted pumpkin seeds: Salt or no salt?
PD: Definitely salt.

BB: What makes pumpkins so special?
PD: They each have their own personality, even before the face emerges.

BB: If I were a carved pumpkin, I'd be...
PD: Pumpkin Peg - I'd rather sit by myself on a pumpkin than by crowded on a velvet cushion.

BB: Well said. Thank you, Peggy!

The last week of Blaze was, as you may well imagine, a rather busy time for the folks at Historic Hudson Valley.

As you'll recall, Martha Stewart featured the event in a 12-minute segment on her Thursday show that included Michael Natiello carving with her in the studio. You can now view the entire show here.

Then, Martha came by on Sunday for a 7:30 tour, which she thoroughly enjoyed. She talks about it here on her blog.  

The New York Times featured Blaze on the cover of its Westchester/Connecticut/New Jersey etc. regional sections on Sunday.

The Weather Channel stopped by on Monday evening to do some live on location reporting at 8 and 9 p.m.

And, last but not least, Halloween was the scene for the FOURTH marriage proposal that took place at Van Cortlandt Manor via carved pumpkin. From what we can tell, the proposers' record is four for four. Keep that in mind for next year, lovebirds.

And yes, there's more to come on the Blaze Blog, including at least one more carver profile. Stay tuned.