by Elizabeth Connolly
Hometown Weekly Reporter
For 17 years, the lawn at Epiphany Parish on Front Street, directly behind the town common, has been splashed with orange every October. If you’ve walked, jogged, or driven by, you might’ve felt the desire to stop and stroll through thousands of pumpkins. They come in just about every size, shape and color you can imagine, and are incredibly photogenic. On any given day you might come across a photographer snapping away, a couple taking photos of their dog, or even a family photo shoot. “Once we had a family come with their newborn on the way home from the hospital,” said Alison DiPasca, the pumpkin patch coordinator. “And just the other day, new parents brought their 3-week old daughter to the patch. I hope they come back next year and the next because this year she slept through the whole visit!”
The pumpkins are consigned from Pumpkin Patch Fundraisers, a 1,200 acre farm on the Navajo Reservation in Farmington, New Mexico. More than 700 Native Americans are employed during pumpkin harvesting season, and the off-season staff is entirely Native American. These jobs are vital to a region that has an unemployment rate of 42%. In addition to helping the local economy, the pumpkin company partners with over 1,000 organizations to help raise money for youth groups, civic organizations, schools, habitat groups, churches, scouting, and more. They grow 35 varieties of non-GMO pumpkins and pride themselves on sustainable practices. You can really feel good about your pumpkin purchase!
“It's so wonderful to see the community come together to support it,” DiPasca added. “The patch touches a lot of people and we are most definitely blessed for all the support we get in return.”
Epiphany’s pumpkin patch is located at 62 Front Street in Walpole, and will be open through October. It is staffed by volunteers Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturdays and Sundays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. There is an honor box available when the patch is not staffed. The patch has some exciting special activities coming up, including a Touch-A-Truck and extended bake and craft sales on Sunday, 10/15 from 12-2 p.m., caramel apple sundaes and another special craft sale on 10/21 and 10/22, and a Halloween costume event on 10/28.
