Record turnout at Naperville Park District's 2020 Pumpkin Smash

Unseasonably warm weather and the opportunity to take part in a socially distanced outdoor event helped bring hundreds of people to the Ron Ory Community Garden Plots on Saturday, Nov. 7, to drop off leftover pumpkins to be composted into the garden soil.

The Naperville Park District's fourth annual Pumpkin Smash broke the previous record of 5,684 lbs. of pumpkins, almost tripling that amount at 14,529 lbs.

Participants could either stay in their cars and let volunteers weigh and smash their pumpkins or they could get out and smash the pumpkins themselves, after having them weighed.

"A special thanks to staff and volunteers who helped run the event," said Nature Center Manager Angelique Harshman. "We were happy to see so many people contribute pumpkins this year."

The Naperville Park District event was one of more than 40 other pumpkin collections in the Chicago suburbs coordinated by SCARCE, a local environmental organization.

Composting pumpkins keeps waste out of the landfill, reduces greenhouse gas emissions, and creates a natural fertilizer for our soil.