HISTORY OF PUMPKIN PATCH

 Link to the Rockwall Pumpkin Patch Website

Pumpkin Patch was conceived in 1989 during a discussion between longtime friends, Claudette Hatfield and Claudette Johnson.  Claudette H. observed that Friends really needed a major fund-raising project.  Claudette J. agreed and said that her organization, Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church Ladies’ Guild (now Council of Catholic Women) also needed a project.  The Hatfield’s yardman became involved in the discussion and he suggested they buy pumpkins and resell them for Halloween and fall decorating.  And, he just happened to have a source.  His friend in Muleshoe, Texas, expected a bumper pumpkin crop and had no market.  The women decided to try selling pumpkins and divide the profits between the two organizations.

 And, as most anecdotes go, “the rest is history”.  A 1992 news article reports that more than 250 volunteers worked more than 1,200 hours to sell in excess of 25,000 pumpkins that year.   While the location and the range of merchandise have changed since 1989, two things remain the same.  Volunteers still do all the work, and pumpkins from the Pumpkin Patch decorate area homes and yards.

 There are tasks to perform year-round.  Preparations begin in earnest in the early spring when the Pumpkin Patch Steering Committee, formed in 2002, meets.  Pumpkin Patch is the largest source of income for Friends.  For the past four years, Pumpkin Patch has been located on a vacant lot at 310 South Goliad, owned by local businessman Dewayne Cain.  We are fortunate to have this high visibility location again in 2006.