By Heather Lusk
When Country Market closed last year, it left a void in local pumpkin sales that St. Francis Episcopal Church hopes to fill.
“I ordered more pumpkins this year because of that,” said Deb Lanie, who is in charge of Pumpkin Patch, an 11-year-old church fundraiser to support annual mission trips and children in Boone County.
Pumpkins range from basic orange to decorative white and multicolored, plus gourds, mini pumpkins and pie pumpkins.
“It reminds me of fall, because there are different colors like red and orange,” said Zionsville West Middle School fifth grader Will Selm, who was among many children who helped unload and organize the pumpkins when they arrived last year. He plans to help unload again this year when the Pumpkin Patch opens on Oct. 1, despite it being his birthday.
“We actually love it enough to do it on a birthday,” said his mother, Elizabeth Selm.
Pumpkin sales will take place weekdays from 3 to 6 p.m. and weekends from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the church until all of the pumpkins are sold, “which sometimes isn’t until Halloween day,” Lanie said.
The pumpkins are ordered from a nearby supplier who also previously supplied Country Market, according to Lanie.
“We came up with (an order) number that will hopefully be enough but not too many,” she said.
Prices range from $1 up to $12.
“I like the ones that are fat, because I can add more detail when carving,” said Will who will help with pumpkin sales this year by counting and measuring pumpkins that people wish to purchase.
