‘Smashing Pumpkins’ Event Held at Painted Turtle Farm
The aftermath of the “Smashing Pumpkins” event, held at the Painted Turtle Farm. (Brandon Fey/The Gettysburgian)
By Nathaniel Swindell, Staff Writer
On Nov. 8, Partnerships for Sustainability hosted “Smashing Pumpkins” at the Painted Turtle Farm, where students were encouraged to take a sledgehammer and smash pumpkins to their hearts’ content.
Students and faculty members donated their Halloween pumpkins to be smashed and then used for compost at the farm. The event featured a fire pit, snacks and music by appropriately named alternative rock band, The Smashing Pumpkins.
“We thought this could be a really good way to help reduce the amount of pumpkin smashings that happen on people’s porches around town, and also, a really great way for students to let out their frustrations by getting rid of some of the pumpkins that might otherwise end up in the garbage can,” said Center for Public Service Coordinator of Sustainability Initiatives Meghan Clark ’23, one of the event’s organizers.
Clark commented further on the importance of relieving stress and gave some tips on what students could do if they feel overwhelmed on campus.
“This is definitely letting some aggression out, but if you have a bad day, you just need to clear your head, campus is a really great space to walk in,” she said. “And, if you come out by the quarry pond, come out by the farm, there’s a lot of green, there’s a lot of trees, there’s even a little track that kind of circles around here. We used to do that in one of my environmental studies classes, where the professor would talk about some birds that we had. It’s just a really good way to forget all the hustle and bustle of campus and enjoy some peace and quiet.”
She also spoke about the event’s connection to greater sustainability, saying, “We have a compost bin here at the farm that benefits really greatly from pumpkins. We’re trying to get it back into working order so that we can use the compost to help provide food for the local community.”
Partnerships for Sustainability hopes to host this event again next fall, in addition to other events about environmental education.
“We hope to hold this event every fall semester,” said Clark. “It was a way to get rid of pumpkins around Halloween time, and in the spring we also like to have really fun events, but also combine them with a little bit of education, since the best way to get people out there is to promise them some fun, but then also give them a bit of information that can help keep their campus and their community environmentally friendly.”
Concluding, Clark emphasized the importance of student engagement and encouraged interested students to get involved.
“We want to have more fun events that engage you all, and bring you out for sustainability, so we’re here to serve you. If you have any ideas for anything that you want to bring to life on campus, please come to me, and we’re happy to work with other groups to make it happen,” she stated.
