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Fulton Ferry IsPumpkin Patcha _ u _ i : J _ _ . M _______n d 1 l u u i u a j i i c a i dContinued from Page Imouth wide to reveal a yawning cavern. %u201cI%u2019ma pumpkin,%u201d he announced.Rummaging around in the pumpkin pileand clambering over the strewn pumpkins,choosing the perfect Jack-O-Lantem provedto be a challenge for the children. Thoughbarely reaching four feet in height, pumpkinweight did not become a considering factorfor the students as they gallantly lugged theirpieces of orange around the parking lot,bowled their pumpkins and carried them ontheir heads and against their stomachs.Ebony, wandering around with her shoppingbag, returned to elaborate on her plans forthe pumpkins.GOING TO SCARE THEM%u201cI%u2019m going to cut it and then put it in myroom and when people come, I%u2019m going toscare them,%u201d she said seriously. Peering inher bag, at her one small and one largepumpkin, she added, %u201cThe big one I%u2019m goingto give to my mother and father.%u201dThe pumpkins are the star attraction ofClearwater%u2019s Pumpkin Sail, this yearcelebrating its 5th anniversary, but the sloop,and all that it stands for docked at the landing, and gently swaying to and fro, hasbecome an attraction in its own right.With the pumpkins beaming their orangefaces in the background, the crew of theClearwater manned exhibit booths that offered information of the sloop, its activitiesand environmental concerns. The whole purpose of the Pumpkin Sail, after all, is to lurepeople down to the river and if possible impart a bit of knowledge on river lore, waterlife and river conservation. The 106 ft. Clearwater first began to sail the Hudson River 15years ago when folk singer Pete Seegerrecognized the need to change the tide ofAmerican behavior that was slowly but surely destroying the river through pollution andabuse. Since then, the sloop, modeled afterthe 19th century sailing vessels that used tocrowd the Hudson River, has sailed thewaters as a floating natural sciencesclassroom, teaching children about life in theriver. And passing out pumpkins for Halloween.%u201cEverything we have ever done is to getpeople to come down to the river,%u201d saysMichele Monjeau, an environmentalassociate at the festival. %u201cPeople have funand they learn how to protect the river.%u201dFUN IN MANY GUISESFun that day came in many guises. Therewas pumpkin fun, and sloop fun and lookingat crustaceans fun and getting your facepainted fun. Students climbing aboard thesloop tried their hand at the tiller and, between eight of them, managed to pull and tugthe tiller from one side of the boat to theother. They peered through windows thatopened into the main cabin where 11 peoplesleep, eat and live in one room, and staredwith awe at a barrel filled with scrubbers toswab the decks.%u201cEvery day?%u201d one boy asked incredulously-%u201cWe scrub the decks every morning atseven o%u2019clock,%u201d Kelly Klein, the sloop%u2019smaintenance person assured him. The tripthrough the sloop also prompted a discussionof lifestyles and habits.%u201cDo you have a T.V.?%u201d came the inevitablequestion.%u201cWe don%u2019t even have showers. We onlyhave electricity if we dock and we use paytelephones more than anyone,%u201d Klein replied.And then it was her turn to ask questions.%u201cHow many of you watch television whileyou%u2019re eating dinner,%u201d she asked the groupand seven of eight hands shot up. %u201cYou knowwhat we do?%u201d she asked. %u201cWe talk during dinner. Isn%u2019t that a great idea?%u201d The sevenseemed dubious, but one consentinglyreplied, %u201cWell, sometimes we talk.%u201d Thediscussion came to a close again as the sloopbegan to sway in the water, and the studentswith undeveloped sea legs shrieked in excitement.%u201cWe%u2019ll all fall down,%u201d one remarked tottering about and another dung to the woodenpen that contained the excess pumpkins.They stared up at the soaring mast and nearly fell over backward craning their necks andthen appropriately cooed and ahhed as Kleinexplained the acrobatics that sometimes tookplace high above the water.Wandering back off the sloop again therewas yet more to see as a large aquariumholding Hudson River life lured the studentscloser to the water. Pressing their facesagainst the glass of the aquarium, they eyeballed up close flounder undulating on therocky bottom and squealed at the sea horsesengaged in a slow canter in their watery en-(P h o en ix /K o c h Photos)vironment. With their small chiseled headsbobbing in the brine and their small finsworking furiously to guide them back andforth across the aquarium, they were a bighit and held the rapt attention of more thanone little girl.At the opposite end of the spectrum, in theplankton exhibit, cuteness was abandoned forsomething more appropriately Halloweenish.Steve Stame, education director at Clearwater, flashed pictures of enlarged crustaceans fished out of the Hudson River earlierthat day on a white wall.%u201cYou have to promise me you won%u2019tscream,%u201d he told the class. They solemnlyromised, but when a sand flea, kicking itsairy legs, appeared on the screen, they stifled themselves, holding their hands overtheir mouths and giggling nervously. Therewere many grimaces, but after a fewseconds, rapidly increasing fascination, untilone girl even bravely put her hand on thescreen, simulating the real live gesture oftouching the creature. %u201cIt%u2019s got lots of legs,%u201dshe pointed out.The only thing left for the day was to carrythe pumpkins home, but that proved to be thegreatest challenge. Lugging their bags andhoisting their pumpkins, the class straggledaway from the festival and in a trail headedup Henry St. A short few blocks away theywere resting on the sidewalk, tired of theirheavy cargo. %u201cIt%u2019s heavier than my head,\one boy remarked staring with disbelief athis pumpkin. %u201cBut once I cut it ... %u201d- J ________ 1I t l S j I M IDon%u2019t m iss our big TV special.O versized T V cart$139 oak, teak o r w hiteIf you go for TV in a big way, don't miss this. 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