Tuesday 17 September 2019

End of an Era - The Pumpkin Edition

One of the things I love most about living relatively close to where I grew up is that I get to share experiences with my kids that I loved in my childhood.  One of those items was 'the great pumpkin' at Plant World, an Etobicoke staple in gardening for generations.  

As a kid, my mom would take us to visit the pumpkin while she shopped for plants and we loved playing in the giant jack-o'-lantern.  Each year, as a family tradition Chris and I take the minions to Plant World and while we shop for pumpkins they run around playing in the same giant beast of a fake pumpkin I did.  We even take a photo each year to show how much they've grown.

One of the first ever visits to the pumpkin circa 2013.


Anyone who has lived in Toronto knows that condo builds are popping up everywhere.  In the Junction I'm seeing graffiti on billboards announcing new builds spray painted with, "We Don't Need Anymore Condos".  This week BlogTo shared that the current location of the Junction Farmers' market is going to become yet another condo build.  Earlier this year we lost the only subway accessible first run movie theatre in the west end of Toronto, The Humber, to a condo build.  Don't get me wrong, growth is great, but where are all of these people going to shop, or have a sense of community?



Needless to say, it didn't surprise me when I found out that Plant World Family will be closing at the end of September.  I imagine that large expanses of condos will pop up soon after.  This weekend we're going to visit Plant World one last time.  I don't know whether or not the Great Pumpkin is out, but we'll see (I'll update if it is so anyone in the area who wants to visit can).  I'll probably pick up some succulents for my workspace while I'm there cause it's a little early for pumpkins.


Thank you Plant World!  You served Toronto for three generations and my family for two.  Best of luck on your new adventures!

It looks like it's time for a new Halloween tradition for the minions.  Anyone have any Halloween traditions you'd like to share?



No comments:

Post a Comment