Our family has a tradition. After a busy Saturday, we gather in the big red barn for a late evening meal. It’s important to remind ourselves, and those able to join us, why Papa’s Pumpkin Patch lives: we open our doors each fall to provide families with an outdoor place to make memories. Throughout the meal, we share stories from the day, and there were two highlights we all enjoyed.

The first happened early in the day, shortly after we opened at noon. A little girl, maybe 7 or 8 years old, and her father were just entering the pumpkin patch. One volunteer overheard the little girl say to her father, “OK. Let’s be clear. We might be at a pumpkin patch but this is NOT about pumpkins. We’re here to PLAY!”

Later in the afternoon, a boy young enough to still enjoy action figures came up to another volunteer in the sale area. He had a concerned look on his face, and his mom encouraged him to speak up. He handed over a well-worn, fully functional action figure that looks like Iron Man. The little fella explained in a worried voice, “I found this sitting on one of your pumpkins over there (as he pointed to the large back yard). Maybe somebody lost it and they are looking for it right now. Will you get it to him?” The volunteer assured him we’d try.

As Papa enjoys the sunrise and the promise of a new day, he’s hopeful the little girl and her dad played hard yesterday. And if anyone in your house is missing a tiny action hero like Iron Man, just give us a call. There’s a young man out there who would be happy to know Tony Stark made it home safely.

Take good care,

Papa