Cove Governance

— Governing Council & LLC —

The Village of Pumpkinlight™ Cove is owned & operated by a fictitious-yet-seemingly-real governing council & the quite-real studio Pumpkinlight & Co. LLC™

Thaddeus Hardwick

COUNCIL PRESIDENT | Mr. Hardwick is a relatively recent arrival to the Cove in so far as he is one of the youngest members of our citizenry to hold this office—a mere 40 years of age.
A rather serious man, his background includes 10 year’s worth of governmental positions in medium-sized communities in the New England region, 15 years as a New England historian, and a brief stint as lead judge in Sleepy Hollow’s annual pumpkin carving contest.
He lives in the mayor’s residence with his wife and their orange cat. They have two adult children who are both historians in Massachusetts.

Constance Pettrigrew

Ms. Pettigrew is both a member of the council and the only drama teacher at Pumpkinlight High School—“Go Lanterns!” Her background is chock-full of teaching positions at various schools in and around Maine. She lives in town with her pet raven.

Rogustus Addams

Mr. Addams is not only a council member long-standing, but he is also the only member of the community related to its founder, Rudyard Addams. He has always lived in Pumpkinlight Cove, with exception to five years that can’t be accounted for.

Abigail Lockewood

Ms. Lockewood is a council member and the Cove’s resident pumpkin grower. In fact, every year, she only works part-time in her council position, during the fall season, so she can tend to the local pumpkin patch and organize the annual October Nightfright.

Lemuel Wilcott

Mr. Wilcott is the newest member of the council, elected in 2026. He is also related to one of the original colonists of Pumpkinlight Cove and serves as the Cove’s resident historian. Ironically, his past is a mystery, which includes time in Sleepy Hollow, NY.

Pumpkinlight & Co. LLC™ is a storytelling studio that crafts spooky-yet-fictional storytelling experiences ideal for family time, thunderstorms, and whilst sitting in a moonlit attic.

It’s principal, The Curious Mr. Blend™, is the Cove’s resident storyteller, as well as the creative director for the studio’s noncommissioned wares and bespoke projects. Moreover, he is the mad scientist behind our fictitious community, the Village of Pumpkinlight™ Cove, and thus, the head of our spooky little village.

Meet Mr. Blend
The Curious Mr. Blend has nearly 30 years of combined experience in concept development, writing, typography, illustration, publication, and art direction.
Moreover, as the resident storyteller for the Cove, he—by way of publishing a series of books and broadsides and conducting live storytelling events—tells spooky tales from the Cove. Stories not only from its recent past (in third-person perspective) but those unfolding at this very moment.

Background

Rumors suggest Mr. Blend rides a penny-farthing or that his home office houses skull-and-raven decor alongside an eighty-three-year-old typewriter. Does he even own a penny-farthing? Sadly, the answers to those questions shall remain a most curious mystery. However ...

What can be said is that Mr. Blend was a voracious reader as a kid.

From regular fiction to choose-your-own-adventure books (especially fighting fantasy books, such as The Citadel of Chaos), he consumed stories with a hunger for adventure whilst in elementary school.

In fact, he always kept a watchful eye on the small reading nook in the corner of his fifth-grade classroom, making sure he quickly finished the project at hand so he could snatch the best seat in the house whilst continuing The Hobbit, or There and Back Again; The Chronicles of Narnia; A Wrinkle in Time; or some other journey.

And creative writing was part of it.

Mr. Blend attributes his love of writing to a number of creative-writing workshops taught in his elementary school. Small periods of time in which he and his classmates would craft tales of their own.

He found one particular story, called Gory Story (written by a friend and read in class), particularly interesting. Sure, the playfully macabre elements were fun—what kid wouldn’t enjoy that in the early to mid-80s?

But it was the excitement of a story created from imagination, listening to it unfold, curious about would happen next—that is what truly captivated him. Those were, in many ways, some of the best times of his childhood. And eventually, they served as a guide for his career.

(The other side of Mr. Blend’s home office)

“WHAT’S WRONG WITH weird? Weird's like the nuts in my cookies. It's the nuts that make things interesting!” — Florence Zimmerman, from the movie The House with a Clock in Its Walls

Select Employer & Client Experience

Pumpkinlight & Co. LLC™ (2026–present)
Chantilly Regional Library (2025–2026)
Guidepost Montessori (2025)
American Retirement Association (2020–2024)
Laseriginals™ (2022)
Ox Hill Baptist Church (2022)
Herndon Elementary School (2021)
The Werd Nerd (2020)
CINQ Creative (2018-2019)
Neil Adams Photography (2016–2019)
Sweat City lifestyle blog (2018)
North Star Science & Technology (2017–2018)
Identity Guard® (2017)
James Lambert Consulting, LLC (2017)
The Ink Snack creative-writing blog (2016)
Allianz Trade North America (2012-2016)
DeVry University (2012)
Partners For Community Solutions (2009–2010)
American Red Cross (2002–2008)
Capitol Eyes (2007)
Whitaker Security, Inc. (1998)

Skills & Expertise

Concept development
Copywriting & fiction writing
Editing
Typography
Character & world creation
Illustration (hand-drawn & photography)
Book design
Website design & publication
Live storytelling
Art direction
Archival giclée printing
Digital-asset production
Project management
Vendor relations

“HE IS EQUALLY a master of turning phrases and of raw creative exploration ... ” Vail Henry, former creative director, Identity Guard®

“I HIGHLY RECOMMEND the redoubtable and Curious Mr. Blend for his ability to create engaging reading experiences of all kinds … ” Matt Scanlon, chief marketing officer, American Retirement Association (ARA)

“ ... HIS CREATIVE INSIGHT and conceptual thinking are second to none.” Steph Doyle, former creative director, CINQ Creative

“I ABSOLUTELY LOVE the [archival] prints I purchased! Not only was the print itself great, but the quality of the paper was quite impressive ... ” Ashley Meredith, director of instructional design & course development, ARA

“ ... HE UNDERSTANDS WHAT it takes to capture the people's eye and keep it ... " Adrienne Moore, former digital experience manager, ARA

“ ... IT WAS ALL more than I could have hoped for! I can't even begin to describe my jubilation when I gazed upon the finished products [writing & illustration] ... ” Erika Weinert, freelance copyeditor, The Werd Nerd Edits