Downtown Chatham Overflowing With Eye-Catching Decor For 'Pumpkin Walk'

CHATHAM, NJ — They’re emblazoned with ghosts and covered with pieces of mirror, with every unique hand-decorated pumpkin by talented Chatham High School artists.

The students have partnered with downtown businesses to cover their pumpkins with eye-popping designs that will be on display in Chatham destinations as seasonal attractions part of Chatham's "Pumpkin Walk."

The pumpkin displays serve another role, in that they're also part of a downtown scavenger hunt through Halloween weekend.

The Pumpkin Walk project on Chatham High School’s artistic end was the brainchild of its National Art Honor Society students, including the group’s co-presidents Cate Hackett and Kyle Beebe.

“We chose the Pumpkin Walk to spark some creativity in our high school art community as well as our town community and spirit (no pun intended) for the upcoming Halloween season,” said Hackett.

Hackett and Beebe, along with art teachers and honor society advisors Eric Hreha and Kiera Spadora, helped to spearhead the initiative as a way to show off student talents, while increasing foot traffic to Chatham’s downtown, according to a news release from the high school.

Something impressive to Hackett was the number of students who took their pumpkins home to work on them outside of school.

While enjoying the pumpkins, the scavenger hunt entails a hidden message to be unscrambled from letter clues within each display in downtown shops, with the pumpkins visible even when stores are closed.Those who submit correct responses to the word scramble will be in the running for a gift basket raffle from T.M. Ward.

To view the pumpkin display map, scan the QR code below or click here.

Questions or comments about this story? Have a news tip? Contact me at: jennifer.miller@patch.com.