Buzz
Seven hits to split this pumpkin.
Hudson River Park pumpkin
fest was smashing success
BY TEQUILA MINSKY
Late Saturday morning, Nov.
7, Madelyn Wils, president
of Hudson River Park
Trust, stopped by the Pumpkin
Smash at Chelsea Waterside Park,
11th Ave. and 23rd Street, her
two dogs in tow.
When asked: In this time of
the Pandemic, how do you feel
about this outdoor event? Wils
responded with a glint in her eyes,
“If ever there was a time to give a
wallop to something orange. Now
is the time!” In the background,
clanking pots and pans and car
horns announced a historic
moment— election results were
in, Joe Biden garnered a majority
of electoral votes. He is now,
President-elect.
Given an aluminum bat and
with much vigor Wils smashed
the one of the season’s former décor—
the third annual Pumpkin
Smash was well underway.
The Pumpkin Smash offered
children a chance at uncensored
damage and parents opportunities
to show off their mettle.
Under watchful eyes, bats and
sometimes hammers became the
weapons of pumpkin destruction.
From Battery Park City, one
family with two young daughters
piled seven pumpkins into a cab
to add their Halloween decorations
to the accumulating Hudson
PHOTOS BY TEQUILA MINSKY
River Park compost. The youngest
daughter put smashing the
pumpkin she had decorated off
to the poignant last.
One young man gripping his
bat, with a bit of bravado queried
park staff: How many hits before
it’ll smash, ten? His powerful
strokes split that squash in seven
hits!
In another form of smashing,
a nearby open bed truck allowed
children from on high to propel
pumpkins onto the cement.
Up to fi ve people in participating
groups were allocated 15
minutes of smashing fun with
monitored social distancing.
Staff continuously ushered groups
through during the four-hour
event.
Since September, the Pumpkin
Smash is the fi rst and only in-person
event held by Hudson River
Park among its 50 public events,
now broadcast on Facebook Live
and Instagram.
“We’re so happy we can offer
virtual programs for the community,”
says Kira Levy, Director of
Marketing and Events. “We’ve
had more than 100,000 visitors.”
Levy adds that virtual programming
broadens the reach of the
audience, now attending from
all around the country and even
South America. The silver lining
from forced adaptation is that
this sort of programming will
continue to be a part of Hudson
River Park outreach. On-demand
reruns of the entire Park’s programs
as well as upcoming events
can be found at the website: www.
hudsonriverpark.org.
The autumnal event follows
the reopening of the compost site
at Hudson River Park, which is
currently the largest composting
site in the city. While this year,
it was somewhat limited, it still
brought 1,000 pounds of pumpkins,
now smashed, to add to the
Park’s composting site. Last year,
2,000 pounds of pumpkins were
smashed.
In 2019, in total, the Park
collected approximately 86,000
pounds of food scraps from the
local community— a 23 percent
increase from 70,000 pounds
collected in 2018. Combined
with horticulture waste, the
Park diverted a total of 450,000
pounds from landfi lls in 2019.
Instead of food and plant waste
slowly decomposing in landfi lls,
the Park returns this organic
matter to the earth and uses it to
nourish plant bed.
Pumpkin Smash is a collaboration
between Hudson River Park,
the Horticulture River Project
and Public Programs.
Welcome to Pumpkin Smash.
With much vigor, Madelyn Wils
takes aim at a pumpkin. The
princess and the pumpkin. Taking
aim for a good smash. Family
fun for all, smashing pumpkins.
Taking aim. Pumpkins soon to
join the compost bins. Dad offers
pointers. Getting ready to throw
the pumpkin onto the cement.
Tally-ho here falls a pumpkin to
the cement.
With protective goggles, some
children felt more comfortable
with a hammer. A family plots its
pumpkin demise strategy.
Schneps Media November 12, 2020 13
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