A woman walked up to her stoop cradling in her arms some new purchase. She was overheard saying to her neighbor, “Look at this gourd. Doesn’t it look just like a RAT?” A boy walking home from Leeds School was overheard saying to his buddy, “This is the first year I get to carve!” The anticipation was building for the Great Leeds Pumpkin Contest which was held on the clear moonlit night of October 27th.
The new venue at Upland and Chestnut was ideal for the large gathering of Leeds folk who really know how to get into the spirit of Halloween. Cheering kids followed their pumpkins down the hill to see if theirs crossed the finish line first. Neighbors young and old criss-crossed the roadside pumpkin gallery to take in the creativity on display by our community and vote for their favorites. They saw four pumpkins transformed into a punk rock band, a space alien, a discoteque, a Las Vegas Elvis Presley, a gorilla face, a Good Night Moon Mouse House that offered a view through the window to a fully furnished room with a happy mouse family munching on
gummy bears and enjoying the glow of a working fireplace! One pumpkin was turned into a gorgeous full lipped lady with an autumn leaf hairdo, another an upside down pig face, five carved pumpkins stacked became a totem pole while eight in a row spelled out “Frankenstorm.” Pumpkin party revellers enjoyed homemade soups, baked potatoes with the fixins’ and other treats while listening to Shawn Gundersen’s line up of spooky tunes and comic banter.
Jim Montgomery of Grove Avenue won first prize for his delightful mousehouse and went home with the coveted rosemary apple pie baked by Ananda Lennox. The adorable trick-or-treating ghost with glowing eyes and mouth, and carrying a tiny pumpkin filled with candy corn was made by Anna Rosen and won first prize in the youth contest. Each and every pumpkin carved, decorated and displayed was ooohed and ahhhed over…including the RAT!
Thanks to the many helping hands and pumpkin carvers for making this event so fun!
A complete list of pumpkin winners and photographs can be viewed here.
Photo galleries of this event can be found here.
Gazette Series about Leeds – Part 2
by Alice Manning, 1975, continued from Oct newsletter
The oldest citizens and those who had studied the history of the area told of its establishment, a fantastic, almost unbelievable tale. It seems that the hard times following the Revolutionary War left the economy in a miserable state and the treasury of the Commonwealth in an almost bankrupt condition. Unable to meet the demands for back pay for those who had served in the armed forces, and hard-pressed for a solution to the dilemma, the commonwealth fell back on the ancient custom of bestowing grants of land in lieu of wages. Many tracts of land in the western part of the state were given over at that time and many of the first settlers are said to have been the soldiers who were given these home lot grants instead of salary.
The first settler in Leeds is believed to be Calvin Clark who was born in the Justin Smith house on Elm Street in Northampton in 1770. Research has brought forth the fact that Calvin Clark was the fifth son of Deacon Elijah Clark who lived and died (1731 to 1791) in Northampton. Elijah Clark was a prominent man in town and in its military affairs. He served on many committees in connection with the revolutionary War and is listed as a lieutenant at Bennington. It is highly possible, then, that he took acreage in or nearby Leeds to compensate for money owed him.
At the age of 22, the year of his marriage, old records tell us that Calvin came into property owned by his father. Histories also tell us that in 1792 Calvin settled “about six miles west from the center of Northampton. The house was built on the farthest direction toward Williamsburg” on what is now known as Audubon Road.Clark, and his young bride, settled into their new home near the narrow gorge on the banks of the Mill River and set the wheels in motion for the settlement of one of the most attractive little villages in New England.
To be continued …
Leeds Photo of the Month – February 2013
Leeds native, Michael Rockett, and friends play a brisk game of hockey at Dimock Pond. Read more
A Look at Leeds by Rowan Hodgson
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Leeds Photo of the Month – November 2012
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Carving up a Storm…The Great Leeds Pumpkin Contest
The new venue at Upland and Chestnut was ideal for the large gathering of Leeds folk who really know how to get into the spirit of Halloween. Cheering kids followed their pumpkins down the hill to see if theirs crossed the finish line first. Neighbors young and old criss-crossed the roadside pumpkin gallery to take in the creativity on display by our community and vote for their favorites. They saw four pumpkins transformed into a punk rock band, a space alien, a discoteque, a Las Vegas Elvis Presley, a gorilla face, a Good Night Moon Mouse House that offered a view through the window to a fully furnished room with a happy mouse family munching on
gummy bears and enjoying the glow of a working fireplace! One pumpkin was turned into a gorgeous full lipped lady with an autumn leaf hairdo, another an upside down pig face, five carved pumpkins stacked became a totem pole while eight in a row spelled out “Frankenstorm.” Pumpkin party revellers enjoyed homemade soups, baked potatoes with the fixins’ and other treats while listening to Shawn Gundersen’s line up of spooky tunes and comic banter.
Jim Montgomery of Grove Avenue won first prize for his delightful mousehouse and went home with the coveted rosemary apple pie baked by Ananda Lennox. The adorable trick-or-treating ghost with glowing eyes and mouth, and carrying a tiny pumpkin filled with candy corn was made by Anna Rosen and won first prize in the youth contest. Each and every pumpkin carved, decorated and displayed was ooohed and ahhhed over…including the RAT!
Thanks to the many helping hands and pumpkin carvers for making this event so fun!
A complete list of pumpkin winners and photographs can be viewed here.
Photo galleries of this event can be found here.
Pumpkin Party 2012 Photo Galleries
Pumpkin Party 2012 Photos
Photos taken by Joel Emrick
Click on thumbnail to enlarge.
More Galleries:
A p
hoto gallery of this event by Penny Geis can be found here.
Intro to the Gazette Series about Leeds, by Alice Manning, 1975
As the harsh tones of the old bell spread over the little village, followed the Mill River for a distance, crept up the hill toward the schoolhouse and was lost against the forests on Bear Hill (VA Hospital), memories flooded back for many. This old bell had announced to the fa
thers, mothers and grandparents of those present at the celebration each day with unrelenting regularity and in clear cold tones that another work day had begun. It also sent out the message that life was real, made up of hard work and very little fun, and if they wanted a pay envelope at the end of the week they had better be up and to work.
Among the crowd were those who had lived in Leeds all their lives as had their parents before them. These men and women were proud of their little community and had instilled a love for the place by passing on to their children the tales of its past glories and events. They knew their history went back a long way and that the village of Leeds had played an important part in the economy of Massachusetts and New England. Many tales were told and retold that day.
Watch for second installment!
Block Party 2012 photos
Leeds Photo of the Month – October 2012
Photo taken at last year's Pumpkin Contest. Do you have a great Leeds photo? Read more