On a foggy October day a soggy, slimy pumpkin decomposes at the bottom of Veteran’s Memorial Parkway in Colwood.
It’s not even Halloween yet.
Each year the pumpkin population rises in the time-honoured tradition of ditching carved pumpkins along the dark patch of roadway in the days following the haunting night.
“I think it’s been here since they built the road,” said Ryan Evans, Langford resident and amateur pumpkin carver. “I’ve never seen someone drop off a pumpkin. It’s like they just appear at night time, that’s the mystery of it. I think it’s like the inuksuks, where people stack the stones. One person does it and then it escalates from there.”
For two years he’s been the grocery manager at Red Barn Market, across the street from the Jack-O-Lantern gathering.
“I’ve always liked it,” said Evans. “Every year we see more and more pumpkins there.”
He estimates 100 carved pumpkins were dropped off on the rocks last year and expects the number to rise.
“It’s an area of enticement. It’s a growing community and every year more pumpkins are showing up there,” agreed Colwood Mayor Carol Hamilton. “It doesn’t bother me in the least. We have bigger things to worry about.”
Did you know?
Mysterious pumpkin gatherings also occur on Jingle Pot Road in Nanaimo, along the highway through Cathedral Grove and a few appear on the Malahat.