April M. Rojo
Staff Writer
It is that time of year to decorate your house for Halloween and the fall season. And what better way to begin than with pumpkins?
The La Verne Heritage Foundation presented its 15th Annual Harvest Pumpkin Patch.
The pumpkin patch includes a Little Kids Patch with small pumpkins and a variety of sizes to make the perfect jack-o-lanterns. Reservations can be made for schools and children’s organizations for a tour on Weber Ranch.
More than 3,000 school children are expected to participate in the tour, said Robin Molina, president of the heritage foundation.
“I think that the tour for kids is a great idea and I am going to recommend the tour to my friend’s daughter’s girl scout troop,” said Diane Lopez, a La Verne resident.
The tour consists of a tractor hayride through the orange grove, petting of baby chicks and information on the history of the grounds. They also have baby ducks and a bunny for the children’s amusement.
“I have never seen a pumpkin patch like this one with baby animals,” said Patricia Jaime, Covina resident.
The tour also shows the children how pumpkins grow in the small farm garden.
And the children can participate in decorating their pumpkins, or they can take a packet of seeds that they can grow at home.
“This is a great learning experience,” Molina said.
The tour package is $5 per child and $6 if they want to decorate a pumpkin. Adults can also join in on the tractor ride for $1.
“The favorite part of the tour for kids is the tractor ride and the petting of the chicks,” Molina said.
The Heritage Foundation was organized in 1985 and the members of the foundation volunteer their time with events like the pumpkin patch.
The money made from such events goes to the upkeep of the Weber House and the ranch, Molina said.
The Weber House is one of the oldest houses remaining in La Verne.
The orange grove is the last working grove in La Verne, said volunteer Dan Herrig.
The rain has caused the pumpkin patch sales to slow, but there is still time to go out and take your favorite pick home.
The pumpkin patch will only be available until tomorrow.
The patch is open daily from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. For more information call (909) 593-2862.
April Rojo can be reached at arojo@ulv.edu.
Journalism operations manager at the University of La Verne. Production manager and business manager of the Campus Times.
