The Granby Congregational Church’s Pumpkin Patch is back and open for business starting on Sunday, Oct. 1 at the south campus on 242 Salmon Brook Street. Thousands of pumpkins in different colors and shapes await visitors at the patch. It will be open weekdays from 12 to 6 p.m. and weekends from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The Pumpkin Patch Fundraisers originated in 1974 on a farm in North Carolina with three acres of pumpkins. Richard and Janice Hamby agreed with a local church to sell the pumpkins and share in the proceeds. They have been selling pumpkins since, although due to Hurricane Hugo, they moved their entire operation to the Navajo Reservation in Farmington, New Mexico.
The Hambys employ over 700 Native Americans during the harvest months and more than two dozen full-time staff from the reservation that has a 42 percent unemployment rate. They have partnered with over 1,000 non-profits, churches, scouts, and other civic organizations in the continental U.S.
Granby’s Dick Mullen introduced the Appalachian Service Project trips for our local youth to help the people of Appalachia and the Pumpkin Patch here to raise funds for the kids to go on these mission trips.
When looking for a Jack-O’-Lantern or some home decorations this fall season, the Granby Congregational Church’s Pumpkin Patch should be on your list! The pumpkin patch is not only a fun event to visit, it’s also a great way to support a good cause.
Author’s Note: I sat down with Sara Scotto who currently organizes the Pumpkin Patch and asked how she got involved. She remembers how Mullen would stand up in church during the announcements time, but she didn’t know him, and her children were young and not eligible for the mission trips.
Oddly enough, she replied to a Facebook post from a daughter who took a new job and needed help driving her dad to appointments in the area.
You guessed it, that dad was Dick Mullen [who passed away in 2019]. Scotto thinks of those trips fondly and tells me that Mullen shared all his life lessons and wisdom on these drives. She says with a smile, “Anyone who ever met Dick could never say no (to him) …he was a force of nature and could convince you to do it and convince you it was your idea to take it over.”