Compost your Halloween pumpkins at this family-fun event, featuring pumpkin-smashing activities and Olympic-style games for children of all ages. 

Join us to see how many pounds of pumpkins Boston can divert from the trash and into sustainable compost in just three hours!

• Make sure to remove any candles, wax, and glitter from pumpkins.
• Pumpkins with paint or permanent marker will not be accepted to be composted at this event. 
• This event is made possible through the City's partnership with Mothers Out Front Boston, South Street Youth Center, The English High School, Garbage to Garden, and Save that Stuff!
• Rain or shine!

Rinaldo L. Sestito United States Army 29 May 1923 – 14 December 1944 Rinaldo Leonard Sestito was born on May 29, 1923 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and resided in Boston, Massachusetts when he enlisted in the U.S. Army on March 22, 1943 to fight in World War II. Rinaldo was a Sergeant in Company G, 83rd Infantry Division, 330th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Battalion and was promoted to Sergeant on August 1, 1944. On December 14, 1944, Sgt Sestito was killed in action at the age of 21 in Strass, Hürtgen Forest, Germany. Sgt Sestito was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart and is memorialized at the Netherlands American Cemetery and Memorial, Plot N, Row 13, Grave 1, in Margraten, Netherlands. Rinaldo L. Sestito was survived by his parents Dominic Sestito and Atonina Picariello, as well as his siblings Mary A. Sestito Schipani, Pasquale Sestito, and Cecelia A. Sestito.

RAIN DATE: Sunday, November 3, 9 a.m.- 12 p.m.

Register for the event

We will work together to improve a new entrance and trail into this beautiful forest, making it more welcoming for residents and wildlife alike. Please be sure to bring water, sturdy footwear, and clothes for working outdoors. No experience necessary! Urban Wilds staff will provide tools, work gloves, and instructions.

For over 20 years, Egleston Square youth, residents, businesses, and community organizations have cared for this piece of their neighborhood. In 2024, the City of Boston officially acquired the land as a City park to be preserved for generations to come! Celebrate this major milestone with the community, hear from neighbors, and participate in a community cleanup.

Max Hirshovitz was born in Russia on October 30, 1898 and immigrated to Boston, MA. Hirshovitz and his family settled in Boston, living first at 45 Irving Street then at 47 Wall Street. In 1917, when he was eighteen, HIrshovitz applied for U.S. citizenship. He was in the National Guard prior to graduating High School. Max graduated from the Boston High School of Commerce in 1917 and immediately enlisted into the Army.  Max served during World War I with the rank of Corporal. He deployed to France in 1918 with the 26th (“Yankee”) Division and participated as part of operations near Chateau-Thierry in the summer of 1918.  Corporal Hirshovitz was killed in action by an enemy shell on July 23, 1918 near the French town of Trugny. He was posthumously awarded a Purple Heart and brought back home to be buried at Montefiore Cemetery in Woburn, Massachusetts. Max was survived by his parents, Father Jacob Hirshovitz, mother Minnie Hirshovitz and his five siblings.  

RAIN DATE: Sunday, November 3, 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Sign Up Online

We will focus on cleaning up fallen leaves, improving trails, managing vegetation, and removing trash. Please be sure to bring water, sturdy footwear, and clothes for working outdoors. No experience necessary! Urban Wilds staff will provide tools, work gloves, and instructions.