More than 60 volunteers, some of them shown here, unloaded some 3,500 brightly colored pumpkins of all sizes Saturday morning marking the opening of the First Community Congretational Church’s third annual Pumpkin Patch. The church’s front lawn at 200 Leeland Heights Blvd. is filled with pumpkins and over the month of October, lot of activities are planned.

The pumpkins arrived from an American Indian reservation in New Mexico. Growers there said it was their best crop of pumpkins in years. In the Midwest, the pumpkins harvest has been slowed due to the heavy rains during the past summer.

Pastor Deb Frysinger said pumpkins are sold to raise money to help feed those who need food in Lehigh and for missions by the church’s youth. She said the pumpkins are less expensive than what can be purchased in local supermarkets.

“Stop by and ramble through our Pumpkin Patch. I am sure you’ll find your favorite pumpkin for Halloween, a pumpkin pie or for fall decorate purposes,” she said. A flea market was also underway Saturday morning as it is each weekend with several vendors manning tables.

See story in this week’s printed editions of The Lehigh Acres Citizen for what’s happing this month at the Pumpkin Patch. The papers are in racks on Tuesday afternoons and are delivered to many in Lehigh the same day.

Another trailer load of pumpkins will arrive in about 10 day to two weeks because the 3,500 will have sold fast as they did last year and the year before.