Project 3: Photo Essay

Every fall, St. Peter’s Episcopal Church sells pumpkins for the Oxford community. This fall tradition dates back to 1994.

The pumpkin patch is open from 10–6 Monday-Saturday and 12–6 on Sundays. According to the church, the busiest times are Friday and Saturday mornings.

The pumpkin patch is especially popular for children. On Friday morning, the toddler class from St. Peter’s preschool visited the patch. The children sang songs about fall while picking out their favorite pumpkins.

St. Peter’s unloaded 2,500 pumpkins this year for their annual sale. Sneed’s Hardware and the Oxford Police Department helped the congregation unload in early October.

There are several different varieties of pumpkins for sale including white pumpkins and miniature pumpkins. The church buys the pumpkins from a Navajo Indian Reservation in New Mexico to support economic opportunity in that community.

Going to the pumpkin patch has become a tradition for many Oxford families, including the Johnsons. The family takes photos in the pumpkin patch every October.

One-year-old, Aiden Crane, had his first visit to the pumpkin patch this year. His family moved to Oxford 6 months ago.

Patrons of the pumpkin patch purchase their pumpkins in an orange tent located on church grounds.

Lydia and Floyd Harris moved to Oxford from Jackson 10 years ago when Floyd retired from his job. They have been members of St. Peter’s since coming to Oxford and spend their falls volunteering at the pumpkin patch.

Floyd helps customers measure pumpkins and carries pumpkins to their cars. Pumpkin prices are determined by pumpkin size which is measured with an orange tape measurer.

The pumpkin patch is an annual fundraiser for youth programs at St. Peter’s. All money from pumpkin sales goes towards those programs.

People of all ages and walks come to visit St. Peter’s during the fall. “It is one of my favorite things our church does. It really does bring the community together,” Lydia Harris said.

Floyd and Lydia Harris help customers buy pumpkins Monday morning.

Emma Johnson ran through the pumpkin patch Friday morning with her big brothers to pick out pumpkins. The Johnsons pick out pumpkins to carve together every year.

The pumpkin patch stays in operation until all of the pumpkins are bought. It usually stays open until the third week of October.