By B.C. Manion
When it comes to choosing a pumpkin, it generally boils down to a matter of personal preference, said Coy Barton III, whose family operates the pumpkin patch next to New River Methodist Church on SR 54, just outside Zephyrhills.
“Some people like a perfect short, perfectly round one. Some people come in here asking for the ugliest pumpkins. Some people like the tall, skinny ones.
“Some people know what they’re going to carve already, in advance, so they want a certain shape.
“That’s why I like to get a good mixture,” said Barton, whose pumpkins come from Ohio, sell for 50 cents a pound and range from 5-200 pounds. The stand sells Magic Lanterns, Ghost Riders, Pie Pumpkins and Big Macs.
Besides picking up pumpkins at the patch, patrons also can buy hale bales, corn stalks and decorated scarecrows. There are also cutouts of Halloween decorations, where people can take pictures of children and adults.
At Harvester United Methodist Church, 2432 Collier Parkway in Land O’ Lakes, pumpkins do more than raise money. They help the church reach out.
The church recently had a Playtime in the Patch, where pre-schoolers were having a ball playing games, doing crafts and having their faces painted.
The church also hosted a free fall festival for families.
The pumpkin patch, which the church has operated for several years, is popular, said Pastor Sam Maihack. “We’ve already been branded as the pumpkin church.”
The pumpkins, which come from North Carolina, sell for 50 cents for the teeny tiny ones to $20 for the super-large ones. Proceeds support the church’s youth ministry and missions.
The Seal Swim School, at 19509 N. Dale Mabry Highway in Lutz, also uses its pumpkin patch to reach out to the community.
It has a family fun festival every Friday night in October, where kids can pose with pumpkins, jump around in the bounce house, paint pumpkins and get their faces painted.
The swim school generally sells 3,000 to 4,000 pumpkins a year, but no purchase is necessary to join in the fun.
The school takes great pride in the quality of its pumpkins.
“All of our pumpkins are kept shaded. We wash them. We turn them. We really baby our pumpkins,” said Melanie Stairs, marketing director of the swim school.
“Dirty pumpkins don’t sell,” added Erin Grande, the school’s director.
The Friday night festivals are fun, said Laura Sutton, a customer service representative for the school.
“The kids come and they have their costumes on. They’re just so cute and happy.”
While there are full-fledged pumpkin patches in some locations, other places merely offer pumpkins as a sideline – as a convenience to their patrons, or to draw attention to themselves.
Community Thrift Shop, at 21021 SR 54 in Lutz, decided to let a vendor sell pumpkins in front of the shop, after some customers mentioned it would be nice to have a pumpkin patch there, said Caroline Werter, a thrift shop volunteer.
Besides offering a convenience for its customers, the thrift shop also will receive 25 percent of the vendor’s proceeds, which will be donated to charities.
At Plant Stop, 3904 Land O’ Lakes Blvd. in Land O’ Lakes, a small pumpkin patch is intended to draw attention to the relatively new business, said Pat Onorato, the store’s owner. The shop has also used a special weapon to advertise the patch: “My little grandson Gunner (Onorato) was out there in front, pointing at the sign,” he said.
.
