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 the
previous year
meets. Pumpkin Patch is the largest source of income for Friends.
For several years, Pumpkin Patch was located on a vacant
lot at 310 South Goliad, owned by local businessman Dewayne Cain.
Unfortunately progress in the form of road expansion has taken away
this site. In 2010 we are fortunate to have a high visibility location in
front of the Ridge Road Shopping Center, where we were in 2009.
Link to the
Rockwall Pumpkin
Patch Website
