If you've ever had the urge to smash pumpkins, you'll have your chance this Saturday, Oct. 13.
That's when Uptowne Olds will be holding its first annual Pumpkin Smash, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the parking lot behind Sim's Furniture.
The Olds Fire Department will have a ladder truck there during that time. A big truck filled with pumpkins will also be stationed there. Olds and area residents are invited to buy a pumpkin, go up the ladder truck and drop it for $10.
Uptowne coordinator Dalaura Glubrecht says fire officials have told her as many as four people can go up in the ladder truck at a time to drop their pumpkins, so the lineup shouldn't be too long.
She also says firefighters will take up pumpkins for those who may be afraid of heights.
Glubrecht says a big tarp will be set out on the parking lot and cordoned off to ensure no one gets hit or hurt by the pumpkins as they're dropped.
In addition, appropriate music will be played by The Smashing Pumpkins and others.
"We'll have a bunch of different music (playing)," she says. "We'll have Smashing Pumpkins and kids' music going on, like The Monster Mash as well."
Glubrecht says after the event is over, Uptowne Olds volunteers will clean up the area.
"Uptowne Olds is taking full responsibility for all those smashed pumpkins everywhere."
The Pumpkin Smash is one of the Second Saturday events, organized by Uptowne in collaboration with the Olds Institute.
The idea is to hold events in the Uptowne area on the second Saturday of every month to raise money for Halloween Howl, an annual event held each year as close to Halloween as possible. This year's Howl will be held on Oct. 27. For the second straight year, it will feature a Harry Potter theme.
Also this month, Uptowne is holding the Great Pumpkin event. Businesses are setting out pumpkins decorated in various ways.
On Saturday, Oct. 13, until 6 p.m., residents can vote for their favourite -- either in the parking lot during the Pumpkin Smash or on Facebook. The votes will be tallied and the winner not only has bragging rights, but will also receive a trophy, the Golden Pumpkin.
The decorated pumpkins will remain on display until Halloween Howl.
Uptowne coordinator Dalaura Glubrecht says organizers had hoped to have all those pumpkins on display in front of participating businesses early last week but "given all that terrible snow we had, we just didn't get them out."
"I've been asked to look into ways -- what makes your pumpkin last for that long, especially if you are carving pumpkins, and it's a little bit of a process," she adds. "So we're all doing that right now, to make sure that all those pumpkins really do last until the Halloween Howl."
