Armed with knives, peelers and modified clay sculpting tools, Nancy Baker got to work Friday morning slicing into more than 1,000 pounds of pumpkin.

Over the course of several hours, the high school art teacher and food carving micro celebrity, aided by a helper, worked to shape the biggest gourd in Annapolis into a ghastly, skeletal pirate.

“I travel places to carve pumpkin and other food,” Baker said. “It’s fun [when] I get to do one where I live.”

Several people stopped by to watch, including a woman who asked for seeds before carving even began.

Friday, Baker was one of 10 artists around the city carving or sculpting eight pumpkins, all weighing at least 600 pounds. It’s become a tradition in the state capital.

This is the sixth year that the Downtown Annapolis Partnership has worked with other groups to bring the humongous pumpkins downtown, according to organizers. It’s a way to spread some seasonal cheer — and encourage folks to walk around and peruse local shops and eateries.

Downtown Annapolis was busy on a crisp Friday afternoon, with people who arrived on tour buses walking around and others watching the artists carve faces into larger-than-life pumpkins.

Strips of pumpkin rind gathered on the sidewalk as the artists neared the end of their work around 2 p.m.

The pumpkins typically appear in early October, and get turned into giant works of art a week before Halloween. They’ll be on display downtown through Nov. 2, weather permitting. A full list of where the pumpkins can be found is available online.

“I think they really become the most photographed thing in Annapolis,” said Erik Evans, executive director of the Downtown Annapolis Partnership.

The massive pumpkins are purchased at a pumpkin weigh-off contest in Pennsylvania and then transported to Annapolis. The number of pumpkins the partnership buys depends on how many people attend the contest and bid on the gourds — and how many the partnership is able to physically transport back to the city.

The whole enterprise costs about $25,000 to $30,000. It includes purchasing the pumpkins and paying people to go get them. It also includes the cost of disposing of a half-dozen pumpkins that each weigh hundreds of pounds.

For that price, Annapolis gets to see people wander around town and lining up to take photos with the carved artwork.

“It’s a fun way to get out and enjoy your community,” Evans said. “And if you happen to shop and and dine along the way, then the merchants are happy.”

Though it’s only her second October carving in Annapolis, Baker is well practiced at making art from giant food products.

The South River High School teacher has appeared on television programs for the Food Network and Disney+, and has been hired by corporations and professional sports teams because of her food art.

It started when “someone waved a block of cheese and a wad of cash in front of my face,” Baker said — she was hired by Total Wine and More to carve its logo while the company was doing a big expansion.

She’s made busts of celebrities out of bacon, a giant cheese sign for the NFL draft, and more.

“I’ve done a lot of crazy things,” she said.

Her work has allowed her to connect with her high school students and show them how to apply their skills and talents, the art teacher said.

She started a club last year called YEA — for “young enterprising artists.” Baker said she uses her own example of food carving to show students how they can make money with their art.

“You never know how you can support yourself with your talents,” she said.

The Banner’s Jerry Jackson contributed to this article.