Dig in With Graver: Finding Answers to the Great Pumpkin Question

PHOTO BY KRISTY GRAVER

In an effort to fight a post-Halloween funk, I took a walk through my neighborhood.

As I passed West View Giant Eagle, I spotted a single, sad-looking pumpkin on the shelf. To me, these autumnal fruits have feelings. With a heart heavier than Charlie Brown’s bag of rocks, I emailed Giant Eagle to ask what happens to all of the unsold pumpkins that never got the chance to be jack-o’-lanterns.

“Some of our stores actually sell out of pumpkins leading into Halloween, and other stores that may have excess will discount pumpkins and continue to sell them into November,” public relations manager Jannah Drexler explained. “Once we’re officially out of pumpkin season, or if a store has a lot left over, our stores will look for opportunities to donate what’s left.”

Giant Eagle management is currently in talks with the Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium, which received a large number of orange orbs from Soergels Orchards last month for its annual Jack O’Lantern Extravaganza.

“Plenty of animals have received pumpkins for snacks and enrichment,” said Katie Hughes, the zoo’s director of marketing & communications.

She sent me a video of the lion cub Kiazi (a name that means “potato” in Swahili) batting one around. Watching Potato play with a pumpkin is the epitome of positive vibes.

Here are some other spooky things that have helped heal my Halloween hangover:

PHOTO BY KRISTY GRAVER

Did U know?

On that same walk through West View, I saw an interesting factoid about Ghost Orchids printed on the side of a U-Haul truck. The flower only grows in Florida swamps, proving that life finds a way, even in the most inhospitable conditions.

PHOTO BY KRISTY GRAVER

Good mood food

In my mind, the word “harvest” conjures images of cornucopias, scarecrows and delicious deli sandwiches. At Harvest on Main Community Market in Sharpsburg, I met some friendly folks and grabbed a made-to-order turkey on Mancini’s bread. This bad boy was stacked high with Buffalo cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickles and banana peppers. I paired it with a quart of unstuffed pepper soup. It was a simple meal that sent my serotonin levels soaring.

FROM EVANS CITY AREA VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT FACEBOOK PAGE

A hot take on a horror classic

The new novelty logo that’s emblazoned on a few of Evans City Area Volunteer Fire Department’s trucks features a zombie as a nod to the region’s role in “Night of the Living Dead.” This news gave my brain a boost.

PHOTO COURTESY OF BREHM’S RETURN

Brehm & Breakfast

I had a nice chat with Alex Redmond, who likes to haunt Brehm’s Return — so much so that he spent a whopping 17 straight hours there in September.

Redmond moved to the Troy Hill neighborhood two years ago, around the same time the bar opened on scenic Goettmann Street. Now he’s a regular.

“I’d been looking for a fun third space, and when I saw that Brehm’s opened, I immediately fell in love with it,” he says. “It’s a welcoming community with the whole ‘Cheers’ mentality where everybody knows your name.”

Rather than spend the day alone when his family went out of town, he brought his laptop to Brehm’s and hunkered down with the crowd from 9 a.m. to 2 a.m.

In addition to getting a lot of work done, he ate three meals (a breakfast sandwich, a burger and an order of wings), reconnected with old friends, met a few new ones, knocked back a couple of cold ones purchased by fellow patrons and got to know owners Jeff and Melanie Fletcher.

The couple, who also live in Troy Hill, bought the landmark bar on Oct. 31, 2023. They modeled the place after Aretha Frankensteins, a breakfast joint in Chattanooga, Tenn. that Redmond frequented when he lived in the area.

This spooky serendipity has inspired me to book an extended stay at Brehm’s next Halloween.

PHOTO BY KRISTY GRAVER

Small wonders

The Pittsburgh Trinket Trove, a box at the corner of North Avenue and Elizabeth Street in Millvale, is filled with tiny, give-and-take treasures. It’s now home to a mini handmade pumpkinhead. Hopefully, my weird artwork can help someone who is struggling through seasons of change.

PHOTO BY KRISTY GRAVER