Someone I Love Went To The Pumpkin House In Kenova, And All I Got Was This Lousy T-Shirt

As Jackie reminded me recently, it's that time of year!

If you've not been to the Pumpkin House in Kenova, WV, I recommend you visit this year. It's always a lot of fun, and the Griffith's put on an incredible show.

Each year, WSAZ typically runs a few stories about Ric Griffith's obsessive-compulsive punkin' carving. And because Sitemeter tells me a lot of people stop by The Film Geek after googling "the pumpkin house kenova wv" (the second highest google referral for this month, right after "Jack Baker porn titles), here's some of what WSAZ has been saying (my comments in blue):

The pumpkin house!!! Need we say more? It's become a priority-one Halloween tradition for thousands of families in our region and beyond! And every year we tell you about the pumpkin man, Ric Griffith, and all of his madness. Tonight, for the first time ever, we talk with the pumpkin lady!

Sandi Griffith will be the first one to tell you--her husband really is crazy.

“I've learned to quit complaining. If you look at power boxes, he kept blowing breakers so he got electricians in to put in boxes... To do more.” said Sandi. “I've got timers on everything so [I] don't blow the fridge which she who one must obey appreciates,” said Ric.

He jokes, but for Ric Griffith, the real challenge behind the pumpkin house has been keeping Mrs. Griffith happy.

“I complained because we didn't have any storage and I came home one day and we have this two-story building. I complained about the yard, but I won't say too much about that because I'm afraid he'll concrete the yard over.” said Sandi.

Sandi Griffith sounds like a reluctant partner in all of this…

“I'm not a fan of messes or crowds so I don't have much choice about that,” said Sandi.
But, when you carve out the chaos and Ric is somewhere out of earshot buried deep in his work, the pumpkin lady fesses up.

“I would probably not admit it to him and want to make sure he can't hear me, but I love it. It's like our town's homecoming because we see people we haven't seen all year and people come from around the world,” said Sandi.

So, from the late 70s and only 4 pumpkins to today and more than three-thousand: Ric says at this point, the only way it will all end is with his death.

“I said (to my wife) what will you do if I die before you and and thousands of people show up looking for pumpkins? She said, I'll put up a sign that says, "he's dead, go away!" said Ric.

As funny as that is, they're not joking. They fear that will be the only way to get the word out to the thousands of devoted followers. Some new things to look forward to: The wall of pumpkins is one-third larger than it was last year, and expect some singing pumpkins.

Just be careful where you park!

Here's a YouTube clip from The Griffith's appearance last year on the Ellen DeGeneres Show. For those with eagle eyes: Mrs. Film Geek walks through the background of Ric's interview at about the 1:39 (or so) mark.