Hundreds (maybe thousands) of pumpkins have lined the lawn of the West Hartford United Methodist Church on the corner of New Britain Avenue and Berkshire Road for the annual Pumpkin Patch Fundraiser, and the Harvest Fair on October 18.

 by Joy Taylor

Hundreds of pumpkins line the lawn of the W.H. United Methodist Church on New Britain Avenue during the annual Pumpkin Patch fundraiser. Photo by Joy Taylor

The Appalachia Service Project (ASP) is a short-term missionary opportunity for high school youth at the West Hartford United Methodist Church. The ASP team coordinates the Pumpkin Patch fundraiser, which features pumpkins of all sizes that are grown on the Navajo reservation in Farmington, New Mexico and are shipped to West Hartford through Pumpkin Patch Fundraisers, Inc. Prices range from 75 cents for tiny pumpkins; $3-$10 for small and medium, and up to $25 for large. The profits from the pumpkin patch are set-aside strictly for missions, and have fully funded the ASP mission trip for the last ten years (a nine-day trip to the Central Appalachia region to provide emergency home repairs for desperately needy families), allowing every high school youth to participate in the trip regardless of economic means.

The West Hartford United Methodist Church will be holding the Annual Harvest Fair on Saturday, October 18^th from 9:00AM -2:00PM. The fair sells craft items made by the congregation featuring wearable art for adults and children including scarves, necklaces,  hair goods, purses, aprons, knitted and sewn items as well as home accessories including attractive  pillows, towels, potholders, seasonable items for fall and winter, and gifts.  Also popular is the bakery, and other features include the Snack Shack, Silent Auction, White Elephant & Collectibles.  Admission is free.

The church is located at 1358 New Britain Avenue, just one block east of Westfarms.  Look for the pumpkins on the front lawn!  For more information call the church office at (860) 521-7766.