Farmer Mike: “The Picasso of Pumpkin Carvers”
Wearing signature orange overalls and a straw hat, “Farmer Mike” is a cornerstone of the Half Moon Bay Art and Pumpkin Festival. For almost four decades, festival attendees have flocked to his elevated stage to watch in awe as Farmer Mike, the Pumpkin Picasso, meticulously sculpts giant pumpkins into works of art.
What’s on stage with Farmer Mike in 2024?
This year Mike’s theme is “Maximizing Depth”.
Look for him to emphasize carvings that are even more three-dimensional. To maximizing depth, Farmer Mike must integrate the thickest parts of the pumpkin rind into the design. By focusing on sculptures with thicker cuts, the hope is to expose an even-deeper depth of character.
Check out the “Farmer Mike Stage” Saturday and Sunday at 766 Main Street
These are not your average jack-o-lanterns. The Atlantic Giant variety of pumpkins he carves range in size from a hundred pounds to more than a half ton each. Because giant pumpkins have a thicker shell, he takes advantage of the size and depth of the medium to create whimsical faces and reliefs that defy imagination.
Farmer Mike likes the positive, magical side of Halloween, so many of his pumpkin faces are happy. But he often lets the pumpkin shape dictate the face, “If the pumpkin looks awkward and grumpy, so will the resulting sculpture.” Fan favorites over the seasons have included everything from Spooky Trees to Puff the Magic Dragon, to the Wells Fargo stagecoach. Pop culture characters such as Charlie Brown, Yoda, and Minions have all made pumpkin appearances; no two carvings are ever identical. Over the years Farmer Mike has sculpted hundreds of festival pumpkins, making him one of the most popular and enduring traditions at the event.
Farmer Mike poses with his 50th anniversary Pumpkin Festival tribute, a 3-tier carved pumpkin water feature, plus other astounding creations at the 2022 event (above); more of Farmer Mike's many creatively carved pumpkins from past festivals (below).
How It Began
In October of 1986, “Farmer Mike” Valladao first stepped onto a stage at the Half Moon Bay Art & Pumpkin Festival with knife in hand.
At that time, giant pumpkins were rare. But Mike had grown this one and knew the shell was almost 5 inches thick. His plan was to deliver something completely different than the ‘triangle eye’ carvings most people expected. His first Half Moon Bay-stage creation was a three-dimensional laughing face that amazed the crowds.
“I had never carved in public, so that first festival was a bit of a stretch,” said Mike. “We weren’t sure people would want to take the time to watch a giant pumpkin being carved.”
Apparently they did. The nightly news picked it up. That led to national attention and even an appearance on The Tonight Show.
Farmer Mike typically completes two pumpkins per day during festival hours and can be found at the Coastside County Water District lot at 766 Main Street, about the mid-point of the festival grounds. Trained as an Engineer, Mike happily answers technical questions from festivalgoers interested in his craft.
Mike has deep roots to Half Moon Bay. In the 1800s his family opened the coastside’s first Feed and Seed store. Years later his grandmother taught grade school in a one-room schoolhouse just south of town.
Outside of Half Moon Bay, Mike has demonstrated his carving talents at the State Fair of Texas, the California Academy of Sciences, Interop New York, and the San Diego Zoo. He has been featured in Boys Life Magazine as well as the Old Farmer’s Almanac.
