Church and Stillwater Noon Lions Club members hosted the 2020 Pumpkin Patch during October at Highland Park United Methodist Church .

As the Sept . 12 deadline to order pumpkins neared , there was much debate about opening the patch . At the Sept . 11 meeting , the decision was made to go ahead with the patch . We applied the guidelines set by the City of Stillwater which required the use of face masks by staff and customers , sanitizing stations and social distancing .

We decided to order a full semi load of pumpkins and gourds from Pumpkin USA , a 1,200 acre pumpkin farm in Farmington , N . M . Through the efforts of many volunteers , the truck was unloaded in two-and-a-half hours . Amazingly , customers purchased pumpkins as the truck was being unloaded .

The patch closed Saturday , Oct . 31 , after selling 2,100 pumpkins . We attribute the success to the excited Lions and church members , people wanting to get out of the house , the great weather , quality product , funding of great causes and people expecting the patch

to open . We heard many stories and received much appreciation from our customers .

A percentage of sales return to Pumpkin USA to operate their farm , and the church and Lions Club keep a percentage that is divided equally between the two .

The church ’ s playground is used by neighborhood children . More than half of the church ’ s portion will be used for updating playground equipment as well as providing school supplies and other needs for Highland Park Elementary School . A certain percentage is set aside each year to respond to newly identified needs among the various missions of the church . A small portion of the proceeds go to the church to cover any added expenses of hosting the Pumpkin Patch on their property .

The Lions Club ’ s proceeds help fund eyeglasses for adults and children in Stillwater ; corneal transplants through the Oklahoma Lions Eye Bank ; disaster relief through Lions International ; Oklahoma Lions Service Foundation ; Lions Meadows of Hope foster care community in Perkins , Okla .; Lions Health Screening traveling Trailer ; Lions Clubs International Foundation ; academic

scholarships for Meridian Technology , Lincoln Academy , Northeastern Oklahoma State University in Tahlequah and Southwestern OSU in Weatherford ; fighting childhood hunger ; and vision screening for more than 1,400 Stillwater elementary school age students and adults each year .

Highland Park United Methodist Church and Stillwater Noon Lions Club members appreciate the Stillwater community supporting the patch , which enables us to return much needed services to our community , state , nation and international .

We especially want to thank the many Lions and church volunteers who staffed the patch daily , the customers who purchased pumpkins , and the following who provided items and services to operate the patch : Stillwater Medical Center , Quality Water Services , Bill Bernhardt Jr ., Renaissance Assisted Living and Stillwater Milling Company .

We ’ ll see you in October at the 2021 Pumpkin Patch !

Story by Richard W . Hawkins

COMMERCE | 2021 Profile Magazine of the Stillwater Chamber of Commerce