| Pumpkin Mike Continues to Share the Love One Year Later Fame Does Not Change Well Known Pumpkin Protector Story by Calabaza Tallada |
| It has been one year since his heroics changed the way we think about pumpkins. "Pumpkin Mike", he now has legally changed his name from Bobby Van Brisket, has remained the same calm protector of the popular vine fruit. "Pump" ,as his close friends call him, has taken the medal of fame and notoriety by the horns. " I like to think I was put on this planet to do good things for pumpkins. As a child I had a pet pumpkin." Pump's eyes swell with tears and he lowers his cute cuddly mop of hair. "I loved that pumpkin. Her name was Liza. I named her after Liza Minnelli. You see even as a young child in Romania I loved Broadway and show tunes. My parents bought me the Cabaret album. When I was given this small round pumpkin it was still attached to the vine, but I knew that pumpkin was mine. We hit it off. I named her Liza and there was no |
| looking back. We were inseparable. I really loved that pumpkin." Pumpkin Mike grew up in a historically Roma area of Romania. Most people throughout the world would call it "Land of the Gypsies". Pump continued," I sat with that pumpkin for hours. We spent the entire summer together. I sang show tunes from South Pacific, Oklahoma, Bye Bye Birdie and ,of course, Cabaret. It was a magical time." Again Pumpkin's eyes tear up," We had a wonderful summer together. |
| As fall approached, Liza was weighing about 200 pounds. She was big and round. I've got to tell you she was the most beautiful pumpkin I'd ever seen. I had people from all over the countryside come just to see Liza. People would offer me all kinds of things for her. One man offered me his wife. I told him I was only ten years old so her offered me his twin daughters. I turned him down. Another wanted to trade me Liza for a season pass to Draculaville Amusement Park. No I said, although I loved the roller coaster there called the Bloodsucker." " Pumpkin what happened to Liza?" "I came down from the house one morning in October. The air was crisp. I felt happy and was planning to put Liza in my wagon for our morning walk through the village. To my dismay the spot I made for her, a cozy bed of straw surrounded by colorful mums and geraniums was (click to continue story) |
