PETERSBURG, Alaska – A backyard, a generous community and a lot of pumpkins can make a childhood memory.
In Petersburg, Bennett McGrath has built an annual fall tradition around a makeshift pumpkin patch at her home. Alaska Public Media reported October 21 that the effort, now nearly a decade old, grew from her wish to give children the pumpkin-patch experiences she remembered from Oregon.
Neighbors help make it happen
This year, local grocer Hammer and Wikan donated 200 pumpkins, along with straw bales and cornstalks, according to the report. Alaska Marine Lines covers the shipping costs.
McGrath adds a maze, a fort and face painting. Together, those pieces turn a backyard into something larger: a seasonal gathering made possible by people sharing what they can.
The story is not about a pumpkin patch opening for the first time. It is about a familiar tradition continuing because neighbors and businesses keep supporting it. The report does not give an exact date for this year’s gathering.
A small idea with staying power
There is a reason this kind of story feels good. Community does not always begin with a large building or a big budget. Sometimes it starts when one person remembers what made childhood special and decides to pass it along.
That is a welcome thought to carry into fall, whether your nearest pumpkin patch is around the corner or an ocean shipment away.
