Mission Creek Regional Park showcased many creative jack-o-lanterns at last night’s Spooktacular Pumpkin Walk in Kelowna.
The tenth annual event hosted by the Regional District of Central Okanagan is a pumpkin carving contest where the public act as the judges.
From 3 to 5 p.m. members of the community patrolled the dark trails of Mission Park, which were only slightly illuminated by the haunting glow of jack-o-lanterns and voted on their favourite of the three categories: scariest, funniest and most original.
“It is extremely popular,” said James Chester, parks events coordinator for regional parks.
“As you can tell there is probably two or three hundred people out here and it’s been that way since 4 p.m. There are 80 pumpkins out there. It’s been well received by people in Kelowna and it’s nice and central, so it’s always pretty good.”
The event had great energy, with people of all ages dressing up in the Halloween spirit. The event is not only a great way to see some spooky artwork but is also a great way to bring the community together at Halloween time, Chester noted.
“There’s two, three, four hundred people at any given time in the park voting and deciding on which the best pumpkins are. They get to meet their friends. There’s people of all ages out here. They’re dressed up in costumes. It’s just a really fun night out in the park with the community.”
The winners of each of the three categories were awarded a $100 gift card. In addition, there was also a door prize that each contestant has a chance at winning.
Donations for the food bank were also being accepted at Mission Creek Park.
READ MORE: Plain cigarette packs to hit shelves as ‘best in the world’ regulations kick in
sign