Farmer Mike is the stage name of professional pumpkin carver Mike Valladao of

Half Moon Bay, California Half Moon Bay is a coastal city in San Mateo County, California, United States, approximately south of San Francisco. Its population was 11,795 as of the 2020 census. Immediately at the north of Half Moon Bay is Pillar Point Harbor and the un ...

. He specializes in carving giant pumpkins from 100 pounds to more than a half ton each at events such as the

Half Moon Bay Art and Pumpkin Festival The Half Moon Bay Art and Pumpkin Festival is an annual festival held in the coastside community of Half Moon Bay, California for one weekend during pumpkin harvest season. It is one of the oldest and largest local festivals in California. Proc ...

, the

State Fair of Texas The State Fair of Texas is an annual state fair held in Dallas at historic Fair Park. The fair has taken place every year since 1886 except for varying periods during World War I and World War II as well as 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It ...

, Orange County MarketPlace, and the

San Diego Zoo The San Diego Zoo is a zoo in Balboa Park, San Diego, California, housing 4000 animals of more than 650 species and subspecies on of Balboa Park leased from the City of San Diego. Its parent organization, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, is a p ...

, as well as various hotels, casinos, and malls. Farmer Mike is known for wearing orange overalls and a straw hat while carving in public. He has been featured in ''The Old Farmer's Almanac'' and ''

Boys' Life ''Scout Life'' (formerly ''Boys' Life'') is the monthly magazine of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). Its target readers are boys and girls between the ages of 6 and 18. The magazine‘s headquarters are in Irving, Texas. ''Scout Life'' is pu ...

'' magazine, and has appeared on ''

The Tonight Show ''The Tonight Show'' is an American late-night talk show that has aired on NBC since 1954. The show has been hosted by six comedians: Steve Allen (1954–1957), Jack Paar (1957–1962), Johnny Carson (1962–1992), Jay Leno (1992–2009 and 201 ...

''.

Carving technique or style

Farmer Mike developed a technique known as "Pumpkin Carving in the Round", which takes advantage of the thick rind of giant pumpkins to provide a three-dimensional sculpted effect. His primary tool is a

buck knife Buck Knives is an American knife manufacturer founded in Mountain Home, Idaho and now located in Post Falls, Idaho. The company has a long history through five generations of the Buck family from 1902 to the present day. Buck Knives primarily man ...

. Carvings have included whimsical faces, various animals, movie characters, dragons, landmarks, and caricatures of presidential candidates.

History

In 1984 Mike saw a pumpkin at California's

. At the time it was the heaviest pumpkin ever grown. Mike contacted a grower for seeds and planted them. The following year, Mike had large Atlantic Giant pumpkins, but nothing to do with them. So he carved one. Word of his talent spread, and in 1986 he returned to Half Moon Bay as the festival's "official" pumpkin carver. He continues to hold that position and has carved at the festival for more than 20 years. Farmer Mike is sometimes called the Pumpkin Picasso or the Picasso of the Pumpkin Patch. The ''

San Francisco Examiner The ''San Francisco Examiner'' is a newspaper distributed in and around San Francisco, California, and published since 1863. Once self-dubbed the "Monarch of the Dailies" by then-owner William Randolph Hearst, and flagship of the Hearst Corporat ...

'' first called Mike the Pumpkin Picasso in 1997. In 2008 Mike Valladao authored the illustrated children's book ''Farmer Mike Grows Giant Pumpkins''.Valladao, Mike. ''Farmer Mike Grows Giant Pumpkins''. Quarter Circle V Publishing, 2008. p. back cover.

References

External links

Farmer Mike, Carver -HMB Web Site
* http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/100810dnmetfairpumpkin.2615c29.html Pumpkin Carver at State Fair, Eric Aasen, Oct 8 2010 * http://boyslife.org/hobbies-projects/projects/2387/how-to-carve-the-perfect-pumpkin/
The HMB Art and Pumpkin Festival web site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Farmer Mike 1959 births Living people People from San Mateo County, California

Carving technique or style

History

See also

References

External links