On two perfect October days the west lawn of Christopher Columbus Park was transformed into a Pop Up Pumpkin Patch. Ann Babbitt, Friends of Christopher Columbus Park Vice-President, conceived of the idea for this alternative experience when the annual Fall Festival had to be cancelled due to the pandemic. Parents and grandparents with babies, toddlers and young children walked under the Pumpkin Patch welcome sign onto a field populated by scarecrows and awash with colorful acorn, leaf, and pumpkin decorations. Over the two days 150 tiny pumpkins were scattered among the decorations for the children to ‘Find a pumpkin. Take a pumpkin.’ Excitement was in the air for adults and children alike. As Ann said, “It was as I envisioned…. a fun time for the neighborhood children and an event that brought smiles to all of our faces.â€
An additional highlight of the day was the arrival of the Great Pumpkin, an inflatable, gigantic homage to the spirit of fall. Robyn Reed, Park Art Curator for the Friends of Christopher Columbus Park, conceived of and created this massive structure made from the material used for orange plastic table cloths (exterior) and large black plastic trash bags (interior). If you learned about ratios in school and wondered how this knowledge applies in real life, Robyn is the one to ask. She designed a paper model and a second model using the plastic material before extrapolating this information to construct the gigantic nearly 80 square yard finished product. Her delight in this creation was clearly evident as parents and children visited the Rose Garden to gaze in awe and snap photos of the Great Pumpkin.
Sometimes imagination comes to life. Fifty-four years ago on October 27, 1966 the children’s animated story, “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brownâ€, aired for the first time. Linus waits all night in vain in the pumpkin patch for the Great Pumpkin to appear. He says, “Each year, the Great Pumpkin rises out of the pumpkin patch that he thinks is the most sincere. He’s gotta pick this one. He’s got to. I don’t see how a pumpkin patch can be more sincere than this one. You can look around and there’s not a sign of hypocrisy. Nothing but sincerity as far as the eye can see.†It took decades but the Great Pumpkin finally found the most sincere pumpkin patch at Christopher Columbus Park.
To learn more about the all-volunteer Friends of Christopher Columbus Park please visit www.foccp.org Also, visit our Facebook page. Follow us on IG @foccp and don’t forget to tag us or use #foccp or #christophercolumbuspark for a chance to be featured!
Please consider supporting FOCCP’s efforts in the park by making a donation, becoming a member (foccp.org/membership) or a sponsor (foccp.org/corporate-sponsorship). Thank you and enjoy your Park!