One might expect to find painted faces and wigs askew on girls returning home after a long Halloween night. The pumpkins on the Pine Street Plaza community pumpkin wall give us a preview of what to expect in the early morning hours of November 1st. 

On Oct. 23, the Pullman Civic Trust invited Pullman residents to offer up their diverse interpretations of pumpkin art that reflects the diversity of the Pullman community. From college students to young families, a parade of proud pumpkin carvers carefully placed their artwork on the wooden shelves framing the Pine Street Bridge. 

The shelves were in construction for days before the event, and Pullman Civic Trust Vice President Carolyn Gordon, with the help of a rotation of volunteers, assembled the temporary structure.

The pumpkins will be on display until Oct. 31, after which they will be collected, or, if unpainted, fed to local cows. 

“People can come retrieve them if they want to keep their pumpkin. Otherwise, we donate them to a farm and cows eat them,” Gordon said. 

Gordon said that as downtown opens back up, the community will follow suit, bolstered by events like the pumpkin wall. 

“We do it kind of as a community service because we feel like it brings people together. It brings people downtown,” Gordon said. 

The festive fall fruits were displayed in time for the concurrent events happening downtown last weekend.

“This year, it happens to coincide with the Trick-or-Treat downtown as well as the First Down Friday,” Gordon said. “It’s perfect to unite all the different activities that are going on,” she said.

The pumpkin wall provided a fun photo opportunity and a glowing welcome to WSU parents, local families and football fans. Lisa Demerais was at the Downtown trick-or-treat event with her family and friends. 

“We knew there were going to be a lot of families,” Demerais said. 

Knowing that families from her daughter’s daycare would be at the event bolstered her confidence in the event’s safety. 

“This is her first trick-or-treating event and so it seemed like a fun, easy intro to it,” Demerais said.

Corey Cook, a friend of Demerais, emphasized the importance of downtown community events like the trick-or-treat to build connections around the challenges of raising young children. 

“Trying to get out for food, it’s between naps and temper tantrums,” Cook said. “We’re getting dinner tonight, but I don’t think we would have if we weren’t here right now. It’s been fun.” 

Through these events, the Pullman Civic Trust has been instrumental in the recent revamp of downtown Pullman. 

“Pullman Civic Trust is all about building community through our trails, around our rivers and through vibrant downtown. It just seemed like a great way to create kind of a community event,” Gordon said. “Pine Street Plaza, it’s kind of the city’s living room.” 

If you are able, be sure to visit Pine Street Plaza and get into the spirit of the season by enjoying the carved and painted pumpkins before they are collected by their artists or sacrificed to cows.