Pieces of orange flesh were all that remained after a 1,149-pound pumpkin was dropped on the streets of Old Town Auburn Friday.

Hundreds turned out for the first ever Great Pumpkin Drop, featuring the winning pumpkin from this year’s Auburn Community Festival.

The popularity of the event could summed up best by Dominic Cornell, 12, a student at Live Oak Waldorf School, who was one of the first to grab a seat for the show.

“This is not something you see every day,” he said. “It’s gonna go splat.”

Spectators poised their cameras for the perfect shot as grower Randy Warren’s giant gourd was hoisted 100 feet in the air by personnel from Auburn Crane.

“It’s going to the top,” said 7-year-old Sadie Prawalski, watching from atop her mother’s shoulders. “It’s still going up!”

Finally, Capt. John Ruffcorn of the Auburn Police Department led the countdown.

“3, 2, 1 — Drop that pumpkin!”

The great orb was released and fell to the ground, sending pieces of orange shrapnel into the street.

“My favorite part was hearing the pop sound after the great pumpkin fell from the sky,” said 15-year-old Joshua Totaro, of Auburn.

Eight-year-old Zoey Terkla claimed a souvenir chunk of the shattered pumpkin.

“It’s heavy,” she said. “I’m going to make pumpkin pie!”

Kyle Cunningham, 5, grabbed a considerably smaller hunk — and took a bite of it.

He reported it did not taste good.

But some tasty treats were available after a “piñata” pumpkin dropped earlier in the afternoon.

A throng of princesses, cats, superheros and even Darth Vader rushed to the crumpled gourd for a treat.

While some onlookers were hoping to snag a few seeds from the 1,149-pounder to grow their own monster pumpkin, they’ll have to be patient — Warren scraped the seeds out and will be giving them away this spring at the Journal.

Warren thought it was a fitting farewell to the gourd.

“It’s an awesome end to pumpkin season and an awesome end to a pumpkin,” he said.

Although KAHI radio station was orginally slated to be a part of the event, it had to drop out for "legal reasons."

Michelle Miller-Carl can be reached at michellem@goldcountrymedia.com.