Thursday, Aug. 7 marks a first for Papa’s Pumpkin Patch. We will host about 200 people from across the country who are Cycling Around North Dakota In Sakakawea Country — also known as CANDISC.

The event has been going on for years, and Papa’s is fortunate to be the sixth stop on this year’s route of nearly 450 miles. Cyclists of all ages will travel from Linton, ND, nearly 70 miles to Papa’s on Thursday; spend the night with us; and then head out to their final stop in Mercer, ND, before returning to Garrison on Saturday.

We’ve been doing some early-season setup to welcome the cyclists, including putting Pumpkin and Patch — our wonderfully painted satellite dishes — out to welcome everyone. There’s nothing like the life-sized painting of an 1,800-pound pumpkin in your back yard to remind you fall is right around the corner!

Take good care and enjoy the last few weeks of summer in style.

Papa