Westmont, Illinois - Date Issued: October 26, 2021
Featuring great events and incredible weather, this year’s Wicked West Fest Trick or Treat Trail and more was a big success. Well over 100 people participated in the Costume Contest, hosted by Westmont Special Events, more than 20 organizations were represented in the EIC’s Pumpkin Smashing Extravaganza, and the event was capped off with a best of the best competition in the Casket Races, coordinated by the Westmont Chamber of Commerce.
PUMPKIN SMASHING EXTRAVAGANZA RESULTS
The goal of the Pumpkin Smashing Extravaganza is to promote pumpkin composting opportunities after Halloween is over. This year’s Pumpkin Composting event will take place on Saturday, November 6, 9 a.m. to noon at the Westmont Library, 428 N. Cass. Make sure your pumpkin is free of decorations and inorganic material, then drop off your pumpkin so that it can be composted.
For the Pumpkin Smash Contest, representatives from community organizations brought their decorated pumpkins to the event, then climbed into a Westmont Public Works bucket truck and lifted 20 feet up into the air from where they threw their pumpkin at a target below. Contestants were judged on several criteria: Pumpkin decorations, closeness to target, distance of pumpkin splatter from the point of impact to the furthest piece of pumpkin debris, and splatter quality based on creative materials put inside the pumpkin to accentuate the mess created after impact. John Karesh and Sharon Macak, both from the Westmont Park District, earned top honors and the awe-inspiring titles of “Pumpkin Smashing Superstar” and “Pumpkin Smashing Phenomenon”. Following are this year’s results:
COMPETITOR NAME - ORGANIZATION/TITLE - SCORE - FINAL PLACING
- 2021 PUMPKIN SMASHING SUPERSTAR - John Karesh - Westmont Park Board President - 1st Overall
- 2021 PUMPKIN SMASHING PHENOMENON - Sharon Macak - Westmont Park District - 5th Overall
- PUMPKIN SMASH CONTEST HONORABLE MENTION - Maddie - Make-A-Wish - 12th Overall
- 2nd Place - John Dispensa IV - Westmont Public Works
- 3rd Place - Jason Pecard - WYBA
- 4th Place Tie - Deputy Chief Kevin O'Hare - Westmont Fire Dept.
- 4th Place Tie - Virgil Viscuso - Westmont Public Works
- 6th Place - Jim Hoffman - Special Guest
- 7th Place Tie - Rick Martin - Representing Westmont Lions Club
- 7th Place Tie - John Dispensa III - Westmont Historical Society
- 8th Place - Frank Trilla - Willowbrook Mayor
- 9th Place - Tim Collins - Westmont Police Department
- 10th Place Tie - Jon Kostal - DWBA President
- 10th Place Tie - Valerie O'Connor - Westmont Trivia and Scavenger Hunt Fierce Competitor
- 10th Place Tie - Harold Barry III - Westmont Rotary
- 11th Place - Katie Hoffman - Maercker School Ecology Club
- 13th Place - Maggie South - 2020 Westmont Citizen of the Year
- 14th Place - Dave Gullotto - Westmont Special Events President
- 15th Place - Alison Clemens - Chamber of Commerce President
- 16th Place Tie - Laura Coyle - School Board President of CUSD201
- 16th Place Tie - Carol Johnson - Westmont Environmental Improvement Committee
- 17th Place Tie - Lauren Baldwin - Westmont Trivia and Scavenger Hunt Champion
- 17th Place Tie - Greg Boltz - Downers Grove Township Assessor
Thank you to our Westmont Environmental Improvement Committee volunteers who helped coordinate and staff the event.
CASKET RACES
This year’s Casket Races, hosted by the Westmont Chamber of Commerce, featured two champions from previous years - Dynamic Expressions Dance Company and Westmont Public Works. It was a close race, but Westmont Public Works took top honors. In a show of good sportsmanship, the Public Works team donated their gift certificate awards to Dynamic Expressions.
Thanks to everyone who participated in this year's event. Photos can be found in the Village of Westmont Photo Gallery.
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