SEAFORD, Del.-Â It is eight days until Halloween but some families couldn't wait that long to jump into all of the fun.
Bioenergy Devco and the Bioenergy Innovation Center made it all happen on their front lawn. Visitors were able to get all types of candy from the center's workers and other participants decorated their cars as part of the trunk or treating.
Facility Manager Jeff Deatz says events like this allow the center to talk with neighbors and educate them on what the company makes from materials it takes in.
"It's essentially the fats, oils, and greases that are produced during the processing of poultry," Deatz said. "And we receive that material in and combine it with wood chips. And it's blended together and placed in compost piles and the end product is a fantastic soil amendment."
One of the highlights of the first-time event was kids getting to come out and pick their own pumpkin and decorate it. The center does not work with pumpkins but Director of Community Engagement Monica Peterschmidt gave advice on how to discard them.
"You should compost your pumpkin after you carve it and scare your neighbors with it," Peterschmidt said. "You should throw that right in the compost. I would suggest you take the seeds out or you will have pumpkins growing in your compost."
Two members of Seaford High School's Future Farmers of America came out to join in on the festivities. Their group will be constructing and putting up bat boxes and wood duck boxes to give the creatures a home they can go to. President Hannah Moore says the chapter members enjoy helping out where they can.
"We just do a lot of community events like different chapter branch cleanups, different cleanups around our community," Moore said. "Just volunteer work. We like to get out there and make ourselves known to help our community as best as we can."
A community coming together to celebrate not just Halloween but a collaboration to make Sussex County an environmentally friendly place.
