Common Roots Urban Farm celebrates 15 years of growing community with the 15th Annual Harvest Hootenanny and Pumpkin Smash

Kjipuktuk/Halifax - On Sunday, Nov. 1 from 12 to 3 p.m., Common Roots Urban Farm (CRUF) is excited to welcome visitors to the BiHi Park farm for an extra special Harvest Hootenanny and Pumpkin Smash celebration (rain date Nov. 7). Since the farm’s very first season in 2012, gardeners, neighbours and community members have gathered after Halloween to celebrate the harvest with some good old-fashioned fall fun — and a little compost.

“We really want to celebrate this 15- year milestone,” says Hillary Lindsay, manager at the BiHi farm.  "Fifteen years of growing food, building community – and smashing pumpkins!"  The event will include all the usual favourites: live music, free food and fun activities for all ages, – including the event’s most popular tradition, the jack-o'-lantern smash.  "We'll also have a few special additions  to celebrate our 15th year," Lindsay says.    

This Sunday’s event will take place at the BiHi Park Community Farm site on Bayers Road. The celebration draws hundreds each year for local music, garlic planting, cider pressing, activities for kids and a raffle, plus free coffee, sweets and a vegetarian buffet-style meal at 2 p.m. For the pumpkin smash, visitors are invited to bring their jack-o'-lanterns and smash them (using rubber mallets or gravity) before they’re added to the farm compost pile.

Lindsay notes the special highlights of this year’s event: “Visitors will also be able to take a 15 years of CRUF Trivia Tour, step into our Memory Box Shed for a slide show of favourite photos, and even print their own CRUF memorabilia merch."  

Visitors are encouraged to bring their own t-shirts/bags for printing, and their own mason jar for cider.  

"A beautiful community has grown up around Common Roots over the past 15 years," says Lindsay.  We really want to celebrate that community, celebrate the season's harvest and toast to another 15 years of pumpkin smashing."

The event is free and family friendly, and all are invited. As Lindsay puts it, “There’s no better way to celebrate the end of a season than sharing a meal with a few hundred neighbours and friends.”  

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