Pumpkin patch: First Congregational opens holiday sales

By Staff | Oct 14, 2015

Pastor Deb Frysinger

When the big tractor and trailer pulled up to the front lawn of the First Congregational Community Church at 200 Leeland Heights Blvd E., on Saturday, Oct. 3, the mouths of volunteers dropped and words can’t describe the thoughts of Pastor Deb Frysinger when she looked inside.

There were not even half of the more than 4,000 pumpkins that were supposed to be dropped off.

“Frustrated? I was disappointed and was in a real way,” Frysinger said. “All I could scream out, ‘Where are our pumpkins?'”

The delivery of the pumpkins was to mark the 6th annual Pumpkin Patch opening, with thousands of people picking up pumpkins each year.

The pumpkins were deliverered from a Navajo farm in New Mexico, a group that Frysinger has worked with for years, even before she joined First Congregational.

MEL TOADVINE Not enough pumpkins were left at the First Community Congregational Church in Lehigh for the start of The Pumpkin Patch. Ada Thompson, a member of the church stands in the foreground. More pumpkins were expected to arrive this past weekend.

“Well, I called the Navajo farm – they were so apologetic – and what had happened is that the driver had a first stop in Fort Myers and the church ended up with most of the pumpkins headed for Lehigh’s Pumpkin Patch.”

It ended up that the church in Lehigh only received about 500 small and 600 large pumpkins.

Seventy volunteers showed up to unload the pumpkins and they had it done in less than 90 minutes – typically a three-hour task.

“You could really tell the difference of the number of pumpkins if you were driving down Leeland Heights Blvd. We even had people to stop and ask what happened to all our pumpkins,” Frysinger said.

The farm is hoping to harvest enough pumpkins to make a second drop and they are due this coming Saturday at about 9 a.m.

“We’re asking for those 70 volunteers and anyone else in the community who wants to help unload, to be with us to make our front lawn as orange colored as ever,” she said.

Frysinger and other church leaders noted that The Pumpkin Patch is the church’s main fundraiser for the congregation to keep up expenses, which includes several ministries, among them a massive food give-away to the needy.

Once all of the pumpkins arrive, there will be events planned for the following days. There will be pie eating contests, pumpkin rolling contests and more.

Children from the different elementary schools will be invited on class trips to see the patch.

Plans are for an Oktoberfest on Saturday with German foods and kids’ activities.

On Oct. 24, there will be a costume for the kids, and maybe one with their pets, and maybe another for the grownups if they want.

Volunteers who man the tables where you pay for the pumpkins said the patch is a big deal not only for the adults, but also for the children, who love to romp through the patch that leaves the front lawn covered in bright orange.

The month will end with the traditional Trunk or Treat event, where people give out candy on Halloween to as many as 700 children that come though.

Pumpkin prices run from a quarter to the big ones for $30.

: MEL TOADVINE Not enough pumpkins were left at the First Community Congregational Church in Lehigh for the start of The Pumpkin Patch. Ada Thompson, a member of the church stands in the foreground. More pumpkins were expected to arrive this past weekend.