Our Pumpkin Patch Fundraiser…

October 18, 2011

Our elementary school runs a fabulous fundraiser called Pumpkin Patch.

This has evolved over the years into a major PTA effort and yields in the neighborhood of $35,000 profit for the school.

Yes, really. In one 5-hour Saturday.

This year I was in charge of Big Kids Games out on the blacktop – a collection of 12 or so games intended to appeal to the older crowd. Little Kids Games are in the gym.

This is Pumpkin Pop, a board with balloons that are popped with a real dart.

Pumpkin Football was a real hit. As you guessed, you need to put the football through the hole.

This was the biggest hit: Pumpkin Pitch. A radar gun tracks the speed of baseballs thrown against this backstop. One 15-year-old boy spent more than 20 minutes at this game alone.

In addition to the game areas, there are bouncy slides, a Running Scared Obstacle Course through the playground, a giant Hay Maze, a Haunted House, Little Tykes Village, and of course:

A bake sale, that sold out in 2 hours flat.

I just love the fall (especially when the weather cooperates)! What types of activities do you do in your community?

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Category: Activities, Fundraising, Holidays
Tags: Pumpkin Patch Fundraiser, school fundraising |

4 Comments »

Sarah
on October 18, 2011 7:58 am
Wow! That is an incredible amount of money your school raises. Do you charge per event or just an entry fee? How does it work?
Heidi Farmer
on October 18, 2011 8:06 am
Each game requires a ticket or two, and tickets are $1 each; there is no entry fee. That 15-year-old boy probably had no idea he just spent $20-30 because to him, it was just tickets. There’s also a huge community raffle, t-shirt sales, donations for key advertising spots, the bake sale, the food (both american and asian) – it’s a well-oiled volunteer machine! I really shouldn’t say it was just a 5-hour event because it requires countless volunteer hours to produce. But it is a great event for the community, and obviously, for our school.
Cheryl
on October 18, 2011 8:43 am
I bet you didn’t know that in the last picture you took was of the new neighbors on your street 🙂
Heidi Farmer
on October 18, 2011 9:36 am
Oh my gosh! No I didn’t! You’ll have to fill me in…