Central Ohio pumpkin carver on his way to the White House
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- A central Ohio pumpkin carver is receiving national attention.
Reynoldsburg's Deane Arnold received a special invitation to showcase his skills at a Halloween event at the White House.
President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden are hosting a “Hallo-READ” event Wednesday for local students, military and neighborhood families. Children will receive books and candy.
Arnold has been featured on Food Network in shows including “Halloween Wars” and “Outrageous Pumpkins.” He also holds the 2018 Guinness World Record, along with two other artists, for the largest jack o’lantern.
Arnold said he's excited for this new opportunity. It all came about in an email he received a few weeks ago from The Office of the First Lady.
"Essentially boiled down, it's an invitation to come carve pumpkins on the South Lawn for the trick-or-treating event," Arnold said.
Arnold took up pumpkin carving more than a decade ago, but he's been an artist his entire life.
"That's kind of my creative makeup is if I see something that's intriguing, I want to get my hands on it, I want to play with it, I want to try it," Arnold said.
Arnold and his wife made the trek to Washington D.C. on Monday. He was busy all day Tuesday preparing for the event.
"When I start a pumpkin, it takes me a while to get it blocked into the point where it's actually recognizable to someone," Arnold said. "The type of sculpting I do is pretty meticulous and slow-paced."
Arnold said the first hour of carving can be boring to watch, so he likes to show up to events with showpieces that are close to finished.
"So that as I'm working on the new pumpkin, as spectators are walking by, they can see an example of where I'm going," Arnold said. "He just started that and it's going to look something like that."
Arnold said sharing his art and passion for pumpkin carving with others is what makes it all worth it.
"The idea that what I do makes people giggle is really enough for me," Arnold said.