CRETE TOWNSHIP – On November 4th, jack-o’-lanterns will meet their dramatic demise! The Forest Preserve District of Will County invites the community to Plum Creek Nature Center for the thrilling annual Pumpkin Smash. Don’t just dump – come to stump!
Willy the Woodchuck, the beloved mascot, officially kicked off the smashing spree. This event not only adds fun to the fall season but offers an eco-friendly pumpkin disposal. Instead of contributing to landfill waste, discarded pumpkins will be composted.
From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., participants can roll, drop or bash their pumpkins from a 40-foot-high overlook or with the aid of hammers and mallets. The event aims to beat last year’s impressive 988 pounds of pumpkins collected. Post-smashing, attendees can warm up by a roaring fire with roasted s’mores and hotdogs.
The Pumpkin Smash is part of the SCARCE initiative, an environmental education organization in DuPage County. Since 2014, they have composted over 1,012.40 tons of pumpkins, averting greenhouse gas emissions.
Cindy Cain, the district’s Public Information Officer, stressed the environmental importance, “The Pumpkin Smash program is all about getting this organic matter back into the ground. People decorate with pumpkins in the fall and carve jack-o’-lanterns for Halloween, but come Nov. 1, they’re looking for ways to dispose of their funky fruit.
As the temperatures drop and pumpkins fade, Crete Township stands ready to transform waste into an eco-celebration.
