
“It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” is a 1966 American prime time animated television special based upon the comic strip Peanuts by Charles M. Schultz (click here). Most of my readers here in the Finger Lakes weren’t even born as 1966 was fifty years ago. But the sixties were a magical time when people believed in their own self-worth and television shows were produced for the entertainment of the viewing audiences.

So you can imagine how excited I became when I found the great pumpkin at Tomions Farm Market near Penn Yan. I have to admit that I like Linus believe in the great pumpkin. Our world today is filled with all kinds of treacherous television shows, selling us drugs, distorted images of sex, and the great life that is lived by the rich and famous. What we need is someone who understands the human dilemma and will be able to truly help our veterans, feed and care for the homeless, and allow us to earn enough money so we won’t become destitute in our old age.

There are lots of pumpkin farms around Penn Yan. The local newspaper reported that the pumpkins this year are smaller than usual due to the dry weather, but there seems to be plenty of pumpkins for sale. The pumpkin has become our symbol of Halloween and I see more outdoor Halloween decorations than I do Christmas decorations. There’s no doubt in my mind that the “Great Pumpkin” will come and bring us the things that we all want. He will come out of the fields near Penn Yan on Halloween. But truthfully, I won’t be out waiting in the pumpkin patch like Linus waiting for the “Great Pumpkin” to arise. I need my sleep!