A large catapult was a fan-favorite way to launch the pumpkins, but residents also flung the gourds at a target or a tarp on the grounds.

Pumpkin guts laid in piles as families, students, adults, and even Mayor Ruthanne Fuller gathered at Newton City Hall and War Memorial to smash their jack-o'-lanterns. The slogan “don’t trash it, smash it” promoted the city’s second annual Pumpkin Smash on Saturday.