The Grandview Heights Public Library will offer treats, a costume contest and a live giant pumpkin carving demonstration during Beggars Night on Saturday, Oct. 31.
The event runs from 6 to 8 p.m. at the library, 1685 W. First Ave., the same hours as Grandview Heights' citywide trick-or-treat. The library and Grandview Heights Parks & Recreation are co-hosting the evening, a partnership the library's announcement describes as a returning collaboration.
The headliner is Gus "Squashcarver" Smithhisler, a Columbus-based professional giant pumpkin carver who will demonstrate his craft on-site.
Smithhisler has carved pumpkins weighing more than 2,000 pounds, with designs including an octopus and a bear catching a fish, according to the OSU Alumni Magazine. He has been hired by the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, the Bellagio casino in Las Vegas and the Ohio State Fair, among other venues.
An Ohio State civil engineering graduate and licensed Professional Engineer (PE), Smithhisler started carving giant pumpkins in 2001 at the Indiana State Fair Pumpkin Weigh-off, according to his website. He appeared on Halloween Wars Season 6 on the Food Network. After 32 years at the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR), he retired to focus full-time on the business.
"I love doing this, and it's turned into a business that I can make money at," Smithhisler told the OSU Alumni Magazine in a September 2025 profile.
Beyond the carving demonstration, families can enter the costume contest and pose for photos. The library encouraged residents to make the stop part of their trick-or-treat route.
The library-Parks partnership is not new. Last year, the city promoted a similar Halloween event at the library called "Howlin' Halloween," which also featured treats and costume contests during trick-or-treat hours. The two organizations also co-coordinate the annual Music on the Lawn summer concert series, which draws an average of 5,000 attendees each year, according to the library.
Upcoming
- Saturday, Oct. 31: Beggars Night at the Library, 6 to 8 p.m., Grandview Heights Public Library, 1685 W. First Ave.
