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Date: 10/3/2023
SPRINGFIELD — A day filled with fall fun can be expected at Trinity United Methodist Church’s first Pumpkin Patch Festival.
The event is set to take place on Oct. 14 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., on the front lawn at Trinity Church, 361 Sumner Ave. Admission is free and open to the public.
Pumpkin Patch Festival Publicity Chair Brenda Sheldon shared that there will be over 400 pumpkins from local farms — both large and small — for visitors to choose from.
Additionally, there will be food trucks, music, games and a silent auction.
The free activities include pumpkin painting, cornhole, taking a photo with “Mr. Scarecrow” and a children’s fishing game for prizes.
Tickets can be purchased on-site for the bounce house and “win a cake musical chairs” — the traditional game of musical chairs, with the chance for kids and adults to win a cake.
Sheldon said that there are several themed gift baskets for the silent raffle including Legos, apple harvest, Italian night in and mindfulness relaxation, to name a few.
Some of the craft vendors are JS Beadables and Things, Ethel’s Emporium, Mama Life Oils and Tribe Power Bites. Sheldon believes that a popular booth will be the face painting and henna offerings.
The food truck options include Batch Ice Cream, Souper Sweets Truck and Firehouse Hot Dogs.
Sheldon shared that the purpose of this event is to bring community awareness to the church and ensure that people in the Forest Park area know that it is a welcoming congregation. She noted that the church is welcoming to all ethnicities and the LGBTQIA+ community.
At the festival, the church will be selling pumpkins and apple crisp.
“[It is] going to be fun,” Sheldon said. As this event has never been done before, she shared that “excitement is mounting.”
She went on to say that this event will be the start of an annual tradition.
For additional information on the Pumpkin Patch Festival, visit trinityspringfield.org.