Over the weekend of October 26th and 27th 2024 the excitement for the upcoming holiday came to a head. We love the fall season at Nature Up North because it’s a season of change. Trees are changing colors, temperatures are dropping, snow is in the mountains, and wildlife is beginning its winter preparation. Halloween often signals the shift from fall to winter, so we wanted to do something to participate. Partnering with SLC Arts, Grasse River Heritage, and North Country Compost, we were able to put on a Pumpkin Party in Heritage Park that featured pumpkin carving and painting with opportunities to learn about the history and nature of Heritage Park, best practices for holiday sustainability, and the cultural significance of the season to the people of Akwesasne! Thank you to Grasse River Heritage for sponsoring the event to cover the cost of 20 pumpkins to give to the community for free, and thank you to Adon Farms for donating the remainder of their pumpkin crop to us for the event!

What better way to get into Halloween and nature than to carve pumpkins in the great outdoors? That’s the idea we started with, and it grew into something much more meaningful. For us, no event is complete without finding a way to engage our community members in nature, so we partnered with Grasse River Heritage to host the event in Heritage Park in the heart of Canton. Heritage Park was a beautiful backdrop for the event with a footpath around the island that finished pumpkins were placed on for the public to enjoy as they walk the trail. The trail also features several fun wood carvings and informative signs about the history of the island as Canton’s industrial hub. Digital Media Interns Donatella and Liz put together some bingo cards composed of features in the park for participants which were a big hit. Kids and families could earn candy for each bingo they could find, and lots of bingos were found.

In addition to the pumpkin carving and getting into nature, we wanted to make sure our participants learned something while they were there. That’s why we also invited community members to speak at the event. One was our Environmental Education Intern Ellie who talked about the importance of being mindful of our wastefulness during the holidays. Specifically, there were three things she wants us to keep in mind this holiday season. First, avoid single-use plastics and individual candy packaging by buying candy like Nerds or Milk Duds that come in cardboard boxes instead of plastic wraps. The second suggestion was to thrift costumes rather than buy new each year. Some of the best costumes we see each year are DIY, and reusing clothes, household items, or other old costumes are great ways to reduce waste. Some communities also hold costume swaps where people trade costumes each year! Finally, composting pumpkins after the holiday keeps pumpkins out of landfills and provides a valuable boost to your local ecosystem. Check out North Country Compost’s page to learn more about their programs and how to get involved! This year the Green Team and Canton Central School is also looking for your old pumpkins for a day of pumpkin smashing. Look for a bin at the school after Halloween to drop off your pumpkins. All of these pumpkins are destined for the compost pile after they’re smashed!

Turk Rockwell of Akwesasne was the other community member we invited to talk with or guests. She shared with us some of her knowledge of the importance of fall plants, community gardening, and sharing the responsibility of food amoungst community members. The Three Sisters is part of the Akwesasne creation story and tells us that the three crops corn, beans, and squash are the three parent crops for the rest of the food that is grown from the ground. All three of these foods are also staple harvests for the fall season, and can be prepared in a variety of ways to make delicious meals.

Finally, no pumpkin carving and painting competition is complete without our winning pumpkins. This year’s prizes were provided by Nature Up North, SLC Arts, and The Children’s Museum on Potsdam. Each prize was given to a winner in either Best Carved Pumpkin, Best Painted Pumpkin, or Most Creative Pumpkin. Check out the pictures of each! After all was said and done we had 13 pumpkins carved or painted by the community, and between 30-40 people attend the event. Any leftover pumpkins we had were donated to St. Lawrence University’s student activities or Campus Kitchens for food.