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!

Blaze carver Cristal Rose Stevens tells the blog about all things pumpkin, including her very good friend, Alfred.

BB: What's your day job?
CS: I'm an art student at SUNY Purchase, musician, chef, stilt-walker, and freestyle rapper.
BB: A Jill of all trades.
CS: Absolutely. And I've worked at Van Cortlandt Manor since I was 12 with my mom, Faith.

BB: What kind of carvings are you working on for Blaze 2007?
CS: Everything that you see and can purchase.
BB: What are your favorites?
CS: My favorites that I've carved are the clowns and mushrooms.

BB: Are you working on any other Blaze-related items?
CS: Well, I'm making a lot of Halloween costumes.

BB: What are your preferred carving tools and methods?
CS: I prefer to use only a thick-handled X-Acto blade to carve freehand on funkins. I also use a Sharpie.

BB: Got any carving tips for a novice?
CS: Don't drop your blade on your leg, or your leg will hurt a lot.

BB: What's your favorite pumpkin-based food?
CS: I enjoy pumpkin coffee and any organic vegan pumpkin concoctions.

BB: What's your favorite Halloween movie?
CS: Hands down, The Nightmare Before Christmas. I just saw it in 3D. Other than that, does Labyrinth count as a Halloween film?
BB: Sure, if Dune counts.

BB: Toasted pumpkin seeds: Salt or no salt?
CS: No salt!

BB: What makes pumpkins so special?
CS: Well, one time I met this talking pumpkin named Alfred. He took me on a special tour to where he grew...
BB: Uhhh...
CS: Wait, that's just nonsense. They are special because they grow a lot of mold.

BB: If I were a carved pumpkin, I'd be...
CS: A fairy. Hanging out with the other fairies, and dancing around with the mushrooms and butterflies.

BB: Thank you, Cristal!

Vernon "Vern" Ford has spent several evenings doing carving demonstrations at Blaze. He took some time off to participate in our MtC series.

BB: What's your day job?
VF: I'm a graphic designer, real estate sales agent, and writer of short stories and poetry.

BB: What kind of carvings are you working on for Blaze 2007?
VF: The giant spider web, funkin fish for sale in the gift shop, spiders, Celtic knots, Dead Sea denizens, dinosaurs...
BB: A lot.
VF: Absolutely.

BB: Are you working on any other Blaze-related items?
VF: I worked on the giant pumpkin arches, the skeleton constructions, and the mother spider.

BB: What are your preferred carving tools and methods?
VF: I like to use a number 2 X-Acto knife, preferably with its blade changed often.

BB: Got any carving tips for a novice?
VF: Select the thinnest portion of the pumpkin to carve and take your time. Haste makes waste.

BB: What's your favorite pumpkin-based food?
VF: Pumpkin pie, warmed up with whipped cream on top.

BB: What's your favorite Halloween movie?
VF: How about ET!
BB: Offbeat, but a classic, and yes, I suppose it is a Halloween movie!

BB: Toasted pumpkin seeds: Salt or no salt?
VF: I never salt anything I eat.

BB: What makes pumpkins so special?
VF: They are all American.

BB: If I were a carved pumpkin, I'd be...
VF: Orange and all cut up, scarred for life and no place to go, but wait to be set aglow, or rather, wired and blazing. If Pierre Van Cortlandt could see his place now!

BB: Ha ha! Thank you, Vern!

Renatta Minnerly took some time to share her thoughts about all things pumpkin for our MtC series.

BB: What's your day job?
RM: I'm retired, so I get to do whatever I want.

BB: What kind of carvings are you working on for Blaze 2007?
RM: Skeletons, bats, heads, and hands.

BB: Are you working on any other Blaze-related items?
RM: I am helping out with the lighting.

BB: What are your preferred carving tools and methods?
RM: Saws and graphic knives.

BB: Got any carving tips for a novice?
RM: Have fun with it!

BB: What's your favorite pumpkin-based food?
RM: Pancakes, pie, and doughnuts.
BB: Pumpkin pancakes? Never thought of that.
RM: You should try it!

BB: What's your favorite Halloween movie?
RM: Hocus Pocus.

BB: Toasted pumpkin seeds: Salt or no salt?
RM: Spices and salt.

BB: What makes pumpkins so special?
RM: They are fun to carve and they make me happy.

BB: If I were a carved pumpkin, I'd be...
RM: A witch.

BB: Thank you, Renatta!

Our next carver is Inge Taub.

BB: What's your day job?
IT: I'm a retired nurse, and now I'm an interpreter at Van Cortlandt Manor.

BB: What kind of carvings are you working on for Blaze 2007?
IT: Faces for the labyrinth

BB: Are you working on any other Blaze-related items?
IT: I am helping with the lighting and during the event itself, I am a guardian on the pumpkin path.

BB: What are your preferred carving tools and methods?
IT: Knives and saws.

BB: Got any carving tips for a novice?
IT: Just have fun and enjoy yourself!

BB: What's your favorite pumpkin-based food?
IT: Pumpkin seeds.
BB: A classic.
IT: Absolutely!

BB: What's your favorite Halloween movie?
IT: Friday the 13th.

BB: Toasted pumpkin seeds: Salt or no salt?
IT: Salt, definitely.

BB: What makes pumpkins so special?
IT: They are part of the fall season, which is my favorite.

BB: If I were a carved pumpkin, I'd be...
IT: A Celtic knot.

BB: Thank you, Inge!