Chestermere families will once again have the opportunity to support community projects while participating in a family favourite fall activity.
For the twelfth year, families can bring their wagons and stop by the Chestermere Rec Centre on Oct. 20 from 10 a.m., until 1 p.m., to pick out the perfect pumpkin.
While there they can indulge in hot chocolate, coffee, juice, hot dogs, popcorn, taking family photos, meeting with friends and neighbours they haven’t seen in a while and listening to Halloween stories read by the Chestermere Public Library.
“All ages are welcome, whoever is part of a family, there’s some people who have been coming for years that wouldn’t miss this for anything,” said Event Coordinator of the Chestermere Lions Club Annual Pumpkin Patch Dawn Seguin.
Part of the reason the Chestermere Lions Annual Club Pumpkin Patch has been so successful that it has lasted for more than a decade is because people expect it, and look forward to it each year, Seguin said.
“There’s a lot of people who come from Calgary because their grandkids live here, or they have friends here.
“It’s fun, there’s kids running around, parents grabbing a cup of coffee walking around taking pictures of their kids, helping them pick the perfect pumpkin and then carrying it around,” she added, “It’s a different experience for people getting pumpkin from a field.”
Originally the Chestermere Lions Club Pumpkin Patch was at the Mountain View field, however there were many challenges having it in that location.
“They tried to grow them up there. One year it kind of worked,” Seguin said.
She added, the Chestermere Lions Club gets approximately 300 pumpkins and distributes them all over the Rec Centre field now.
“Every member of the family comes, picking out pumpkins is a fun family day,” Seguin added, “The kids really think the pumpkins grow out there on the field. It’s cute.”
For Seguin the best part of the Chestermere Lions Club Annual Pumpkin Patch is seeing the kids having fun.
“They’re so excited. Some wear their costumes, and their allowed to run and find their favourite pumpkin. There’s so restrictions.”
Not only is the Chestermere Lions Club Pumpkin Patch a great way to spend an autumn day with family, but it’s another way to help the community, Seguin said.
“It’s a fundraiser. The proceeds are donated back into the community, we’re a service club.”
Organizations who need more assistance in completing projects will go to the Chestermere Lions Club for help.
“We have a choice, if we want to put money into a project,” Seguin added, last year the proceeds went to the Ringette’s along with other organizations.
In order for the Chestermere Lions Club to help community organizations pumpkins are sold for $10.
For more information about the Chestermere Lions Club annual Pumpkin Patch please visit the Website at https://e-clubhouse.org/sites/chestermere/.
To get involved with the Chestermere Lions Club meetings are now are the Rec Centre every second and fourth Wednesday night at 7 p.m.
