More than 1,000 people gathered in a scenic Minneapolis neighborhood recently to celebrate an annual ritual — the sharpening of a giant No. 2 pencil. The 20-foot-tall pencil was sculpted out of a mammoth oak tree at the home of John and Amy Higgins. The beloved tree was damaged in a storm a few years ago, when fierce winds twisted the crown off. Neighbors mourned, but the Higgins saw it not so much as a loss, but as a chance to give the tree new life. The sharpening ceremony on their front lawn has evolved into a community spectacle that draws hundreds of people to the leafy neighborhood on Lake of the Isles, complete with music and pageantry. Some people dress as pencils or erasers, while two Swiss alp horn players provide the entertainment. The hosts commemorate a Minneapolis icon — the late music superstar Prince — by handing out purple pencils on what would have been his 67th birthday. As for the pencil, the Higgins said they’re okay knowing that someday it will be reduced to a stub. “Like any ritual, you’ve got to sacrifice something."
