As promised, here is your bonus Meet the Carvers entry in honor of Blaze starting up again tonight and running every night now through Halloween. Take it away, Janice Shields.

BB: Tell us something non-pumpkin related about yourself.

JS: I work as an "interpreter" here at Van Cortlandt Manor...Oops, that's sort of pumpkin-related.

BB: That works! What kind of carvings are you working on for Blaze 2008?
JS: Cats and bats and witches and such. Dino babies, rocks, and delicately carved creamware.

BB: Huge variety. Very nice! Can you sum up Blaze in three words?
JS: Pray...For...Good Weather!

BB: That's four words.
JS: Yes, and it doesn't really answer your question.

BB: The judges tell me they will accept your answer! OK, can you offer some advice for the casual carver?
JS: Wash your hands and keep your carving area clean and be sure your pumpkins are thoroughly scooped out or they will rot.

BB: Lots of good advice. What's the best music to listen to while carving?
JS: I have no control over the CD player in the carving station (heh, heh) but the Bob Dylan that gets played is fine with me. One of our carvers listens to Wagner, but only when no one else is around... I think he is afraid the other carvers might not share his enthusiasm.

BB: Who doesn't love a good dirge? OK, got a pumpkin haiku to share?
JS: Vern is our poet,
and a pumpkin artist, too
so read his haiku

BB: The Vern man profile is coming up. So what's your favorite thing about Halloween?
JS: Believe it or not, seeing how excited our visitors are when they see all of our wonderful pumpkins - especially the kiddies!

BB: That's my favorite thing, too! Pumpkin pie...a la mode, no a la mode, or no way?
JS: No way in October. A la mode any other time.

BB: If pumpkins could talk, what would they say?
JS: Boo, or Boo-hoo.

BB: If you weren't spending October carving pumpkins, what would you be doing?
JS: I'd be telling people, if they seemed interested, everything they ever wanted to know about Chinese export porcelain at Van Cortlandt Manor. And on my days off, I'd be working for a certain presidential candidate in Pennsylvania, since it's a battleground state.

BB: Of course you won't say which one.
JS: Of course not, because Blaze is a strictly non-partisan event. That's why I can't carve a pumpkin of a particular candidate even though I thought it would be really, really scary!

BB: Thank you, Janice!