Guidestone’s Pumpkin Patch is an annual event, hosted over two weekends in October, which provides a festive celebration of the harvest season for children and families. Activities include crafts for kids, a hay bale maze, face painting, pony rides, and a horse drawn wagon ride out to a pumpkin patch where children can pick their own pumpkin to bring home. For three years the event has been held at Cottonwood Meadows in Buena Vista, where there are farm animals to visit and Weathervane Farm’s beautiful gardens to peruse. Or participants can take a walk through the golden leaves of the Cottonwood trees along Cottonwood Creek. Music and food round out the festive atmosphere.
This year, our 3rd annual, was the most successful one yet, with around 1000 people in attendance over the two weekends. People came from Chaffee, Lake, Fremont and Eagle Counties to enjoy this abundant time of year. All of the event’s proceeds go to support Guidestone’s Farmhands Education Program, which provides hands-on, experiential farm & nature-based education programs to groups, children and families. Community support is invaluable to the success of these programs, and Guidestone is grateful to everyone that attended this year for appreciating and celebrating agriculture, community and education. We would also like to thank the farmers, volunteers, and the folks at Cottonwood Meadows for their continued support of this festival.
By: Andrea Earley Coen