It was an afternoon that would've made Billy Corgan smile (were he capable of it), as the City of Kamloops held their first "Pumpkin Smash" at McArthur Island Park.
The day offered events like the pumpkin drop, pumpkin pinata, pumpkin bowling and more, all to encourage people to dispose of their perishable Halloween decorations responsibly.
"We were trying to keep pumpkins out of the landfill... and we always have," says Emily Lomas, the city's environmental services coordinator. "But we've put a little bit more effort into making sure people know we take them and then compost them and we thought doing an event like this would be a fun way to raise awareness as well."
Last year, the city collected over 13,000 kilograms of pumpkins at their yard waste sites and they're hoping this event can help them top that total.
Here's a smash cut of pumpkins smashing NOT set to 'Cherub Rock' because apparently, "that costs money!" #Kamloops @KamloopsMatters pic.twitter.com/ItxEWO3Sdw
— Eric Thompson (@EricThom1108) November 2, 2019
The McArthur Island parking lot where the smash was held was full of people and shortly after, pumpkin guts. Now, the city's streets department will help scrape up the mess and bring it out to Cinnamon Ridge where it will be composted.
Things went so well, it's likely the event returns in the future.
"I think there's been lots of interest so I don't think we'll have an issue with doing it next year," says Lomas.
