Around 3,900 pumpkins of all shapes and sizes arrived in Dayton, Texas, on Wednesday, for the first-ever pumpkin patch organized by First United Methodist Church.
The pumpkins, set up in a field behind FUMC’s Education Center, are being sold as a community outreach project. Organizer Kelsey Conner said the pumpkin patch is also an opportunity for the Church to give something back to the community.
“It’s a fun thing for the kids. We thought there was a need,” Conner said.
It’s been three years since the last pumpkin patch was set up in Dayton at a neighboring church, and Conner said it has been sorely missed by the community.
“This is our first year to do it and we are so excited,” she said.
Community volunteerism was on display Wednesday when the pumpkins arrived by truck from New Mexico. Church members used tractors, ATVs, carts and wheel barrows to transport the pumpkins to rows of wooden pallets where they will be displayed and sold. The Dayton freshman football team, practicing at the football field next door, saw the pumpkins being unloaded and walked over to help, still dressed in their football uniforms and pads. Employees from the Dayton Police Department, Dayton Fire Department and Dayton Public Works helped as did Boy Scouts and National Honor Society students.
The pumpkins will range in price from $1 for petite pumpkins to $20 for bigger pumpkins and “Fairytale” pumpkins. The Fairytale pumpkins are white with other colors blended in.
The Church is planning some free community events in the pumpkin patch. The first takes place this Saturday, Oct. 19, with an outdoor showing of the movie, “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.” The movie will start around 7 p.m. No chairs are allowed, but guests can bring blankets to sit on while they enjoy the movie.
On Sunday, Oct. 27, from 4 to 6 p.m., the Church is hosting Sunday in the Patch. Tables will be set up for people to carve or decorate their pumpkins after purchasing them. There will also be games and snacks.
A number of backgrounds and wooden cutouts have been set up around the pumpkin patch and are perfect for family photos.
The pumpkin patch was organized for the Church by Pastor Guy Williams, Kelsey Conner, Erin Duff, Bob Sanders and Chuck Meade.
The hours of operation are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. on Sunday. First United Methodist Church of Dayton is located at 106 S Cleveland St., Dayton. For more information, call 936-258-8021.
Customers will be able to pick from thousands of pumpkins ranging in price from $1 to $20 at the pumpkin patch at First United Methodist Church of Dayton. 
Luke Duff, Adryan Duff, Jeanette Saldivar and Ava Risch try out one of the backdrops at First United Methodist Church of Dayton’s pumpkin patch. 
Children climb on bales of hay that have been placed in the pumpkin patch behind First United Methodist Church’s Education Center in Dayton. 
Children stand behind one of the backgrounds at First United Methodist Church in Dayton. The church has established its first-ever pumpkin patch behind the Education Center. 
Tractors lined up to pick up loads of pumpkins at First United Methodist Church in Dayton on Wednesday. 
David Parker used a tractor to haul pumpkins from a tractor-trailer to the grounds of First United Methodist Church in Dayton. 
Liberty County Tax Assessor-Collector Ricky Brown places pumpkins into a front-end loader at First United Methodist Church in Dayton on Wednesday. 
An army of volunteers unload a pumpkin delivery truck at First United Methodist Church in Dayton on Wednesday. Roughly 3,900 pumpkins cover the lawn behind the church’s Education Center. 
Members of the Dayton freshman football team were going through workouts down the street from First United Methodist Church and volunteered to help unload the truck on Wednesday. 
Bob Sanders, a member of First United Methodist Church of Dayton, helps distribute pumpkins to wooden pallets behind the church’s Education Center. The church is selling pumpkins through Halloween.