The Pumpkin Patch Team at First United Methodist Church in Victoria expects an 18-wheeler truck loaded down with more than 3,500 pumpkins to arrive in Victoria Friday. The round, orange fruits of all sizes will travel 1,000 miles from Farmington, N.M., where they are grown.
For the 29th year, the church will provide a pumpkin patch on its lawn at 407 N. Bridge St. in downtown Victoria, and as always, admission will be free. The patch will open to the public Saturday and remain open through Oct. 31. On weekdays and Saturdays, visitors will be able to purchase pumpkins, or just take pictures with them, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. On Sundays, the patch will open from noon to 7 p.m. On Oct. 10, the church will host a Family Day in the Patch.
“We want the community to come and enjoy the overwhelming numbers of pumpkins,” said Nelda Hensley, a First United Methodist Church member for 38 years and one of four members of the Pumpkin Patch Team. “There is a lot of picture-taking, and we want people to do that. We have a lot of families, not just in the church but from the city and surrounding areas, bringing their children, and now their grandchildren, to the pumpkin patch for pictures.”
Parents might opt for pictures of their youngsters surrounded by pumpkins — a tried-and-true fall favorite setting. Or they might snap photographs of their children sitting atop hay bales or a painted, wooden turkey complete with feathers made from a large electrical cable spool. Alternatively, visitors might have their children pose in photo stand-ins including Cinderella’s carriage and a scarecrow. “How Tall This Fall” is another photo backdrop with a measuring stick where children can stand each year to see how much they have grown.
The patch also offers children’s games such as a ring toss, bottle toss and pumpkin cornhole. Additionally, retired teacher volunteers read fiction and nonfiction stories to the children in a story tent. From an educational standpoint, the children might learn how pumpkins grow, or they might study a map to understand the pumpkins’ long journey to Victoria, in addition to other lessons. Other stories might strictly be entertaining.
Hensley said the church offers the pumpkin patch every year as a community service and church fundraiser. In the past, community organizations, such as the food pantry in Telferner and Victoria Christian Assistance Ministry, have benefited as well.
The church’s pumpkins are a tad more expensive than those found in grocery and big-box stores, but they come with advantages. The just-picked pumpkins stay fresh until Thanksgiving or even Christmas in some cases, Hensley said. The pumpkin farm returns a portion of the sales to the church, and the vast majority of those proceeds supports church youth, including a Boy Scouts troop, mission trips for junior and senior high school children, and summer camps for elementary school children. Furthermore, the pumpkin purchases support the economy in New Mexico where they are grown by Navajos who tend the 4,000-acre farm. Depending on their sizes, the pumpkins range from $2 to $25 and more, Hensley said.
The church’s famous pumpkin bread also will be for sale at the Pumpkin Patch and the Twice Blessed Showroom on Main Street. Pumpkins with dings or cuts and broken stems are roasted, and the meat is mashed and used to make the bread by church bakers. Large loaves are $5 each, and small loaves are $3 each.
“We hope it’s a pleasant place where families can come and enjoy each other and the environment,” Hensley said. “We hope the weather will cool off a little, so it feels like fall.”
Elena Anita Watts is the features editor for the Victoria Advocate. She covers faith, arts, culture and entertainment, and she can be reached at 361-580-6585 or ewatts@vicad.com.
