Common Roots hosts 9th annual pumpkin smash to end growing season

The Common Roots Urban Farm hosted pumpkin smashing, gave out meals and contest prizes in its ninth annual Harvest Hootenanny and Pumpkin Smash at BiHi Park on Sunday.

Sara Burgess, a spokesperson for the urban farm, said the event celebrates the end of the growing season and engages the community.

“For some people, coming to the hootenanny every year is a way that they participate in the farm,” she said.

In a regular year, visitors can smash pumpkins, listen to live music, enjoy a free meal and even make cider.

Amid COVID-19, Burgess said the event looked a bit different this year.

There wasn’t live music at this year’s event to ensure visitors didn’t linger and gather, and the meals were to go.

But, many of the event’s signature characteristics stayed the same.

“With distancing in place, we can still smash pumpkins and take home delicious food,” says the urban farm’s Facebook event page.

There were three pumpkin smashing stations, Burgess says, for “a bubble per station.”

Smashing pumpkins is not just for the fun of visitors, but an engaging way for the farm to get compost, she said.

“There are all of these pumpkins after Halloween and we need compost. So what if we smashed those rotting jack-o-lanterns and turned them into compost to grow food for next year?”

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Burgess said after the first year, the event took off. Last year there were nearly 400 visitors, she says.

This year, she expected a lower number and said over 200 people signed up for free meals.

Burgess says hot drinks will be served and little snack packs will be available to take as well.

The farm had a sign-in sheet at the entrance, not just for contact tracing but to enter into the contest as well.