As golden autumn leaves hung from the trees, crowds of parents holding bundled children stood and watched vegetable history in the making.
Local vendors set up shop at the Lane County Farmers’ Market for the last Saturday this season. To celebrate and extend their appreciation to the Eugene community, the market’s director and board members decided to end with a bang. Literally.
“We decided we wanted to make a big splash,” said Tom Lively, a chairperson for the market’s board of directors.
Lively, who started his own organic growing company nearly 20 years ago, donated squash for the community event, board president Keith Cooper said. Lively facilitated the event by describing to the audience each of the three pumpkin-like vegetables before Cooper dropped one squash at a time from an estimated 50-foot high crane.
Cooper also encouraged parents and families to experiment this season with squash soup recipes. Some visitors even took huge chunks of the fallen squash home to cook, said David Turner, the market’s director.
The final dropped squash featured a surprise for children in the crowd. Turner and the board spent much of Friday and Saturday morning scooping out the inside of a 50-pound, pear-shaped squash and stuffed it with prizes. Similar to a piñata, the squash burst open with countless ping pong balls, each with a prize written across it. Children and families could then redeem their prize from local vendors at the market.
As the final squash hit the pavement, herds of children stormed to the center of the circle amidst the shattered orange mush, retrieving ping pong balls and squealing in delight.
Jennifer Barwood attended the squash drop with her two children. She and her family often visit the Farmers’ Market, riding their bicycles and sometimes stopping for apple cider. When she read about the squash drop in The Register-Guard, Barwood knew she had to see it for herself.
“I thought it was awesome,” Barwood said. “It was pretty thrilling and it made a great sound.”
Turner said he and the board organized the event to thank the community for 33 successful Saturdays this season.
Kenya Luvert, a former University student, joined in on the squash festivities when she and her daughter walked by. Luvert, a Eugene native who worked in Colorado for the past 12 years, said she missed the small town ambience.
“Eugene is very unusual in the unique experience it offers its public,” Luvert chuckled. “Let’s just say, it’s great to be back.”
Turner said he hopes to continue with the squash drop to celebrate the market’s success year after year.
“I think it’s the start of a long tradition,” Turner said.
He added that he felt very encouraged by the crowd’s reception, as he watched many people scoop up the squash remains afterward.
“We scored it by putting a cut in the skin, so we’re not just ruining the food,” Turner said. “Then people can cook it for dinner, which would really just make the complete circle.”
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