Grab your Halloween costumes and leave your flashlights at home: The Pumpkin Walk is back for its fourth straight year. And it promises to be bigger than ever.
The Yorkton Co-op is hosting its annual Pumpkin Walk at Jaycee Beach on Oct. 28 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Attendees can walk through a guided path surrounded by hundreds of carved pumpkins. Hot dogs and hot chocolate will be available.
After previous years with carnival and zombie-style decorations, the co-op is creating a new theme: Pirates.
鈥淲e鈥檝e always got a different theme to it,鈥� said Bruce Thurston, general manager for the Yorkton Co-op.
Aside from the nautical setting, the Pumpkin Walk will feature something special for people to see in the sky.
鈥淲e鈥檝e got a bang-up firework show, literally,鈥� Thurston said.
The co-op has teamed with Paradise Fireworks, a Regina-based company. They travel across Saskatchewan arranging firework shows.
Paradise Fireworks worked with the Yorkton Co-op last year. They鈥檙e returning to the Pumpkin walk with a pirate-themed 鈥減yromusical.鈥� A pyromusical is a firework display that coincides with a music performance.
鈥淸Fireworks] explode on the beat,鈥� said Les Engen, owner of Paradise Fireworks. 鈥淸The] colours and intensity match the tempo.鈥�
The pyromusical will be built around pirate-style music and will last for roughly 15 minutes.
鈥淲hen people are cheering, you know you鈥檝e hit the right chord,鈥� Engen said.
Prairie Dome Seed Potatoes will be providing the pumpkins. There will be over 1100 carved jack-o鈥�-lanterns. The co-op decided to let the community put their personal stamp on the pumpkins. They invited kids from Yorkton schools and seniors to carve the orange orbs for the path.
鈥淎ny group that wants to carve pumpkins is welcome to,鈥� Thurston said. 鈥淚t lights up our trail.鈥�
As much fun as the Pumpkin Walk is, Thurston is looking forward to setting everything up.
鈥淚t鈥檚 an absolute blast,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 the fun part.鈥�
Thurston is thrilled with the turnout for past Pumpkin Walks. Last year鈥檚 event had approximately 9500 attendees.
鈥淭he whole community gets involved,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t grew into something that鈥檚 absolutely tremendous now.鈥�
