In Wheaton, a jack-o'-lantern's last stop is usually a November morning, not October 31. This fall there are two to choose from. The City of Wheaton's Environmental Improvement Commission runs a pumpkin compost drop-off on Saturday, November 7. One week later, on November 14, the Wheaton Park District holds its own free smash at the Rice Pool parking lot. Twelve years ago, Wheaton was one of the first two cities to host a Pumpkin Smash.
A program that started here
The organization behind the statewide effort is SCARCE. It says the first pumpkin collections took place in 2014, hosted by SCARCE together with the cities of Wheaton and Elmhurst. That first year kept more than 9.31 tons of pumpkins out of landfills, and SCARCE credits it with helping improve Illinois composting laws.
The program has grown a lot since then. In 2025, SCARCE counted 125 known Pumpkin Smash sites, and together they composted more than 200.2 tons of pumpkins. That's about 20 times the first year's total. Since 2014, participants have composted more than 3.2 million pounds. SCARCE sums up the program in its slogan, "Don't Trash it, Smash it!"
SCARCE says most smashes take place the Saturday after Halloween, and it has set this year's main date for Saturday, November 7, 2026. Wheaton's City drop-off is on that date. The City calendar also shows the 2024 event on November 2 of that year, which was also the Saturday after Halloween. The event comes back every year, and its date follows Halloween rather than a fixed day of the month.
October fills the town with pumpkins first
Before the smashes come the pumpkins, and much of Wheaton's October pumpkin calendar runs through Cosley Zoo.
Cosley Zoo's Pumpkin Fest runs every day through October 31, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., at 1356 N. Gary Ave. Regular admission applies, and children's rides cost extra. The Park District describes thousands of pumpkins spread across the zoo's lawn. Pumpkins, gourds, apples, cider, cornstalks, and straw bales in several sizes are for sale. On Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., there's face painting for a donation.
Two evening events at the zoo this week add more pumpkins:
- Boo Bash, Thursday, October 15, 5:15 to 6:45 p.m., $7. The Park District calls it a new Halloween event created with neurodiverse children and their families in mind. Families can explore the zoo at their own pace in a low-sensory setting.
- Spooktacular Halloween Stroll, Friday, October 16, 5:15 to 7:45 p.m., $12.95. The evening walk ends with decorating a pumpkin at the zoo or taking one home to decorate.
The Park District's newest fall event is for adults. Memorial Park After Dark runs Saturday, October 17, from 5 to 8:30 p.m. at Memorial Park, 225 Karlskoga Ave. It's 21 and over and includes lantern lighting, live entertainment, food vendors, and local legends worked into the evening. In July, the Wheaton Sentinel reported that the district was adding it to the fall calendar. The main draw is the Spirit Trail, a guided bourbon tasting with four half-ounce pours hosted by Grange House and Bourbon Belly Hospitality. The Park District's event page lists general admission at $25 in advance or $30 on the day. Admission with the bourbon tasting is $65 in advance or $80 on the day. Processing fees apply.
Halloween morning downtown, and the teal pumpkins
Halloween falls on a Saturday this year. The Downtown Wheaton Association has scheduled trick-or-treating from 10 a.m. to noon that morning, which gives families a head start before evening trick-or-treating in their own neighborhoods.
The list of participating businesses is long. It includes Kimmer's Ice Cream, Graham's Fine Chocolate & Ice Cream, Egg'lectic Cafe, Suzette's Creperie, Baby Doll Bakery, Little Popcorn Store, MOORE Toys & Gadgets, Wheaton Meat, Front Street Kitchen, and the DuPage County Historical Museum. The DWA marks some participants with an asterisk to show they're part of the Teal Pumpkin Project, an awareness campaign about food allergies. Kimmer's, Graham's, Baby Doll Bakery, Little Popcorn Store, and MOORE Toys & Gadgets all carry that mark. For families managing a child's food allergy, the asterisks are the most useful part of the page. The DWA also runs an I-Spy Scavenger Hunt downtown all month.
If you'd like more on the blocks those businesses fill, our guide to life around downtown Wheaton covers the downtown core the rest of the year.
Two smashes, two hosts, two purposes
The two November events are run by different public bodies and are set up differently.
The City drop-off on November 7 is a compost collection. The Environmental Improvement Commission runs it from 9 a.m. to noon at Commuter Parking Lot 9, Carlton Avenue and Liberty Drive. The City's event listing asks for one thing, that decorations be removed first. The pumpkins are then composted. The listing doesn't say whether painted pumpkins are accepted or name the company that processes the compost. Stripping off anything that isn't pumpkin is the safest approach.
The Park District smash on November 14 is a family morning. It runs from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. at the Rice Pool parking lot, 1777 S. Blanchard St., and it's free. Gourds are welcome along with pumpkins, and the district promises "fun methods of disposal," plus food trucks, kids' crafts, and a children's activity area. First Trust is listed as the community event partner. No food truck names have been announced yet.
For decorative gourds bought at Thanksgiving, SCARCE is holding a second Pumpkin Smash on Saturday, November 28, from 9 a.m. to noon. Check SCARCE's site locator for where that one will be held.
November Saturdays on Liberty Drive
Each smash shares its morning with other regular stops, and most of them are on Liberty Drive. The Wheaton French Market, run by Bensidoun USA at the pavilion near Liberty Drive and Main Street just south of the railroad tracks, keeps going after Halloween on shorter hours. Bensidoun lists Saturdays through October 31 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. From November 7 through 28, the market runs from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Here's how the four November Saturdays line up:
- Saturday, November 7. This is the first Saturday after clocks fall back on November 1. The French Market opens at 8 a.m., and the City's pumpkin drop-off at Lot 9 runs from 9 a.m. to noon. Both are off Liberty Drive downtown.
- Saturday, November 14. This is the busiest morning of the month. The French Market runs 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. The City's Electronic & More Recycling drive-through runs 9 a.m. to noon at the Public Works Storage Yard, 820 W. Liberty Drive. The Park District smash runs 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. at the Rice Pool lot on Blanchard Street. The recycling event takes electronics, scrap metal, fluorescent tube lights but not CFL bulbs, and textiles such as clothing and shoes. All TVs and monitors carry a charge, and the listing doesn't give the fee amounts.
- Saturday, November 21. The French Market runs on its November hours, and no disposal events are listed.
- Saturday, November 28. It's the last French Market of the season, and the same morning as SCARCE's second smash.
On November 14, the Park District smash ends at 11:30 a.m., and the recycling drive-through ends half an hour later at noon. That's enough time to drop off a carload of old electronics and outgrown clothes, then pick up bread at the market before it closes at 1 p.m.
Clearing out the porch, the garage, and the closets in November often gets homeowners thinking about what comes after. If that's where you are, the Lori Johanneson Team would be glad to walk you through where your Wheaton home stands today. When you're ready, start with What's My Home Worth?
