As you look around you see a lot of carved pumpkins as people prepare for Halloween on Sunday, October 31st.

My pumpkin carving skills leave a lot to be desired. That is not the case for Randy Finch. Randy has carved the image of my face into a pumpkin on not one, but two different occasions.

Scott Pumpkin 90s
Photo: Scott Winters/Townsquare Media
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The first time goes back 20 years ago. I was working at WGRD with Rick Beckett and Darla Jaye. Randy, and his business partner Derek Maxfield, surprised us with pumpkins with our likenesses carved into them. I have to admit...I could definitely see the likeness!

The second time I modeled for a jack-o-lantern was five years ago. And this time it was a 3 dimensional carving of my face!

Face Scan
Photo: Scott Winters/Townsquare Media
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It all started with me taking a trip to the Ice Sculptures, Ltd., world headquarters. I had to sit still and “hold a pose” while Randy walked around me with an tablet that had an attached camera on it. This device was actually scanning my face into a 3D file that would be used to carve my face into the gourd!

3D Image of Scott's Face
Photo: Scott Winters/Townsquare Media
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Once the scan was complete, Randy went into the file to “fine tune” the scan. I should have asked him to clean up the wrinkles, the bags under my eyes, and maybe given me a nose job while he was in there! After the final details were updated, my face now existed as a 3D file on their computer (that in itself is a scary thought!).

With this file -- and with the help of some very sophisticated carving equipment -- my face would soon be carved into the side of a pumpkin. The whole process took about 15 minutes, but here is a quick time lapse video of the carving process…

Once the machine carved out the rough texture of my face, Randy went to work with a few final touches…

And then the final process was to hose me down! (This kind of reminds me of my mother washing my face as a child!)

Scott-o-lantern
Photo: Scott Winters/Townsquare Media
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It was a little creepy to see how accurate the Scott-o-lantern actually was! The carving was almost life-size which made it even weirder. Imagine seeing your “face” sitting on your kitchen counter when you walk into the room. Or perhaps sitting on your front porch when company arrives for Halloween!

You'll be able to see some of Randy's carving abilities in downtown Grand Rapids on Friday afternoon, October 29th, from 2-6 pm near Rosa Parks Circle. Randy and his crew will work on carving a 500 pound pumpkin.

 

LOOK: How Halloween has changed in the past 100 years

Stacker compiled a list of ways that Halloween has changed over the last 100 years, from how we celebrate it on the day to the costumes we wear trick-or-treating. We’ve included events, inventions, and trends that changed the ways that Halloween was celebrated over time. Many of these traditions were phased out over time. But just like fake blood in a carpet, every bit of Halloween’s history left an impression we can see traces of today.

Gallery Credit: Brit McGinnis

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