How large is the demand this fall for pumpkins in Buffalo Grove?
Kingswood United Methodist Church in the village soon will find out.
Acknowledging their community reputation as the “pumpkin church,” the congregation at 401 W. Dundee Road typically purchases and sells about 20,000 pounds of pumpkins for the fall, said Carianne Short, minister of connections and discipleship, noting how the supply usually sells out each year.
But for this season, when the Navajo reservation in New Mexico that usually sells the church the pumpkins offered 30,000 pounds of the gourds for purchase, the Kingswood congregation decided to up the ante and test local demand.
“We just had the opportunity to purchase more from the place that was selling them, so we went for it,” Short said.
Kingswood during most years receive a half-full truck of pumpkins.
On Oct. 1, the vehicle arrived nearly full, carrying thousands of pumpkins and providing volunteers with plenty of work to unload and organize them.
“A fire brigade of people unloading pumpkins,” Short said of the work. “A lot of pumpkins.”
The size of the pumpkins vary, but the church has said it will sale them for $3 to $24. Short said the pumpkins average around 15 pounds.
Kingswood also is known for its other annual fall activity — the Harvest Fest. Rain or shine, the event from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday is scheduled to include a petting zoo, games, pumpkin decorating, free family photos, a bouncing castle and other activities.
Twitter @RonnieAtPioneer