Brooklyn is the pump-king!
Carroll Gardeners celebrated the arrival of trick-or-treating season by decorating tangerine-colored fruits at Mazzone Hardware’s 12th annual Pumpkin Fest on Saturday, and the carnival of carving was so great it cemented Brooklyn’s place as the greatest borough in the city for one neighborhood newcomer, according to his mom.
“My son said, ‘I thought Brooklyn wasn’t going to be as cool as Manhattan but now I think Brooklyn is way cooler,’ ” said Nancy Randall, whose family recently moved to Carroll Gardens from far-off isle across the Brooklyn Bridge.
Around 3,000 youngsters and their parents hit Court Street and Fourth Place for the autumn affair, raising $8,500 for the Children’s Miracle Network, which helps fund kids’ hospitals. That’s $5,500 more than last year’s haul, according to organizers, making this the greatest Pumpkin Fest ever.
“It was excellent, it was the biggest and best one we ever had,” said Matt Mazzone, who runs the event with his family business.
Randall’s 2-year-old daughter and 5-year-old son rode ponies, ate free popcorn, filled up bags of candy, and her lad Dacien also starred as an assistant to a clown performing magic on the street.
The day also boasted face painting and plenty of pumpkins — Mazzone said the store went through 1,000 of the orange gourds, which youngsters painted and carved into their own designs.
Randall and her squirts only chanced upon the extravaganza on their way to the neighborhood playground, but said it ended up being way more fun.
“This was 800 times cooler than going to the playground,” she said.
