Fulfilling a promise to share her good fortune with the young people of the community, Mae Powell sent two of her prized pumpkins to the Huntington Library to be displayed in front of the Children’s Garden and help kindle the Halloween spirit.
The 101-year-old Powell, who has been growing giant pumpkins for a little more than a decade at her home on Gainsborough Drive, enjoys splitting the bounty with the Huntington, which is more than happy to accept the fruit. Powell’s biggest pumpkin tipped the scales at a whopping 731 pounds, considerably more than her target of 500 pounds.
Longtime friends Ann Blomstrom, Muffy Hunt and Jean Lester were in attendance last week when Powell transferred the pumpkins to Jim Folsom, the Telleen/Jorgensen Director of the Botanical Gardens at the Huntington.
“She is such a generous person and I admire that she wants to share with the Huntington,” Folsom said.