Fall has arrived, which means it’s time once again for the Dayton First United Methodist Church’s pumpkin fundraiser. Hundreds of the colorful gourds arrived on Sunday afternoon and dozens of volunteers turned out to set up the pumpkin display in record time. Within an hour or so, all of the pumpkins were in place and ready for sales to begin on Monday, Sept. 27.
Pumpkins in this third-annual pumpkin patch for FUMC are set up in a field behind FUMC’s Education Center and being sold as a community outreach project. Chairing the pumpkin project is Kelsey Conner.
Many hands made for light work on Sunday. Volunteers included church and community members, and Dayton ISD football players, cheerleaders, volleyball girls, ROTC cadets and members of the National Honor Society.
The pumpkins will be sold for prices ranging from $1 for petite pumpkins to $20 for larger and “Fairytale” pumpkins that come in shades of white, green, orange and yellow.
For families wishing to take fall photos of their children, the patch has multiple backgrounds and cutouts from which to choose. Bring along your own camera or cell phone, and take your own photos. There is no charge.
The hours of operation for the pumpkin patch are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and noon to 6 p.m. on Sundays. First United Methodist Church is located at 106 S. Cleveland St., Dayton. For more information, call 936-258-8021.
Hundreds of pumpkins are available at FUMC in Dayton. 
Petite pumpkins with prices starting at $1 are plentiful. 
After arriving too late to help unload pumpkins, Jeff Nations pitched in to help set up a perimeter fence at FUMC’s pumpkin patch in Dayton.