WEDNESDAY, NOV 1st
PUMPKIN DROP-OFF:
3:00 p.m.-5:30 p.m.
Bring your carved pumpkins (with a tea light or LED candle) to Lent Lane between 3:00pm & 5:30pm on Wednesday, November 1st.
Our volunteers and the Port Hope Panthers will help place your Jack O’ Lanterns along the lane, so all can gaze at the gallery of gorgeous gourds!
PUMPKIN PARADE / VIEWING:
6:00 p.m.-8:30 p.m.
The viewing of the lit pumpkins runs from 6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
To manage a safe distance for all community members, viewing of the pumpkins will be facilitated in one-direction only, starting at the Little Station in Lent Lane and working your way north to Walton Street.
5th Annual Pumpkin Parade
Critical Mass is excited to announce our 5th Annual Pumpkin Parade.
Bring your pumpkins out to shine one last time on Lent Lane in Downtown Port Hope!
This free event takes place on the night after Halloween (November 1st) and gives the community an opportunity to show off their creative designs and display their jack-o-lanterns for all to see one last time!
At the end of the evening, pumpkins can be gathered up by local farmers to use as feed. Any remaining pumpkins will be composted courtesy of Harnden Haulage, facilitated by the Municipality of Port Hope.
Critical Mass is excited to announce that the 5th Annual Pumpkin Parade also has a couple new additions to the event!
- A 360 photo booth by Two Blue Shirts Productions, and
- Not-so-spooky animations projected onto the Little Station!
Bring your carved pumpkins (with a tea light or LED candle) to Lent Lane between 3:00 pm and 5:30 pm on Wednesday, November 1st. Volunteers and Port Hope Panthers will be onsite to help guide you.
Volunteers and signage will be onsite to help guide you. Port Hope Panthers and Hope Community Church will have volunteers on site again this year to help carry and place pumpkins along the lane and to help clean them up at the end of the night.
Our friends at CN Railway will also be providing complimentary hot chocolate this year. Be sure to stop by our booth to warm up your hands with a cup of hot cocoa.
While this annual event is free to attend and hot chocolate is complementary, pay what you can (pwyc) donations to Critical Mass are greatly appreciated to support our efforts to bring free arts experiences and programming to the community.
COVID PROTOCOLS:
We are mindful that COVID-19 is still prevalent in the community, we encourage members of the public to wear a mask if they are feeling ill and to keep a safe distance from others when viewing the pumpkins.
The event is suitable for all ages and is stroller and wheelchair accessible.
Rain or shine.
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For more information contact:
Debbie Beattie
Critical Mass: A Centre for Contemporary Art
p. 905-269-2120
e. info@criticalmassart.com
Have a look back at one of our previous pumpkin parades:
Health & Safety Plan for Infection Control
Pumpkin Drop-Off (4pm to 6pm) | Location, Lent Lane
• Volunteers on site to monitor pumpkin drop-off (4pm to 6pm)
• one-way pedestrian traffic enforced to ensure social distancing
Plan for PPE & high touch surfaces
• Community is encouraged to wear a mask and maintain social distance while viewing pumpkins
• Volunteers will wear masks
• Hand sanitizer will be available on site
• There are not many high touch surfaces: there are railings at the steps up to the lane, and the pumpkins themselves during drop off or end of night toss. Gloves will be provided to volunteers handling pumpkins.
• Hand sanitizer will be available to individuals at top of stairs before viewing pumpkins in lane (and especially if touched railings)
Pedestrian Flow
• Volunteers will mark 2-meter socially-distant drop-off locations along the lane (with stakes and reflective tape) – these will remain in place during the event as visual cues for people to social distance themselves while viewing the pumpkins on display
• Pedestrians will walk (in one direction) down the lane to view the pumpkins and take photos.
• Volunteers will politely encourage viewers to keep moving along, so there is no temptation to congregate and talk for long periods of time.
Event Staff/Volunteers on site
• 6 to 8 volunteers will be on site at all times to be stationed at key traffic flow areas to maintain the correct flow for pedestrians; to monitor the drop off of pumpkins between 4 p.m. & 6 p.m; to light the candles before viewing; and to clean up/put out candles and toss unlit pumpkins into bin after the event
Pumpkin viewing & Physical Distancing | 6:00pm to 8:30pm
• Volunteers will wear masks, reflective safety vests and LED lights
• Volunteers will light candles in pumpkins
• Lead volunteer(s) will be in charge of Fire Extinguishers
• First Aid Kit will be on event site at Volunteer station
• Volunteers will monitor pedestrian flow (1-way south to north traffic in the lane)
Disposing of Pumpkins | 8:30pm
• Pumpkins will be tossed into the provided bin (Harnden Haulage) by designated volunteers
• Gloves will be provided to volunteers tossing pumpkins
• Social distancing measures will remain in place as volunteers approach bin one at a time
Egress/Flow
The public will be guided to drop off and view pumpkins from one direction (south to north). Starting at the Little Station building in Lent Lane (accessible from Augusta Street and Elias Street parking lot, and pedestrians will be guided to walk down the lane to Walton Street.
Volunteers will direct the flow of pedestrian traffic. Signage and arrows will be placed at both ends of the lane and near the stairs of the Elias Street parking lot up to the lane, to inform pedestrians. Same directions will be in place for pumpkin drop off between 4pm and 6pm.