Oh, the process to become a "political pumpkin head" ....

Each pumpkin is weighed. The weight is marked on the bottom. When the Newton-Conover STEM Middle School Art students go to draw the candidates' portraits on the pumpkins, they'll know that the weight for each race has to be the same. That way, we have a "fair and balanced" chunking.

These pumpkins really did want to be considered. But, they were all too small. We chalk that up to a lack of experience in the political world. They may not have had the financial or party backing.

These pumpkins met the challenge. They fell within the appointed weight range. You may construe that as having the "right connections."

You can say that these pumpkins lined up to pay their "filing fee." Now, they're off and running!

In real life, we often hear people say, "Are those the only ones in this country/state/county who are willing to run ...." for whatever office. The process of finding someone to run for office is an arduous task. Many would like to, but few actually do.

That scenario is reflected in this year's pumpkin population. We use regular pie pumpkins, but, they have to be a certain weight to meet the mathematical criteria established to operate the trebuchet. A 3-pounder does a pretty good job.

When the pumpkin is shot out of the canon, you really want it to plop and splatter. That way, we can get a more accurate measurement. If the pumpkin is too hard or too small, it will bounce, and bounce and roll and roll and trying to determine the point of impact is difficult. So, we need a messy pumpkin.

Thanks to Walmart and Food Lion, we were able to get the number of pumpkins we need - at the correct weight. Now some are fat and squatty. Some tall and thin. But, each one has been weighed so we can make sure our "exit poll" is fair and balanced.