CHESTERMERE – Saturday Oct. 15 was a perfect fall day, and it set the scene nicely for the annual Chestermere Lions Club Pumpkin Patch fundraiser.
The event, which is held every year at Mountain View Cemetery, kicked off at 10 a.m.
Families from Chestermere and the surrounding area took to the patch to scour for the best pumpkins, getting to choose from a selection of over 300.
Lions member and organizer Dawn Seguin said that this year’s event, which was the fifth annual, saw the best turnout so far.
“We didn’t actually run out of pumpkins this year, we had around 30 left over,” she said, adding that they did run out of everything else that they were providing such as hotdogs, juice-boxes, coffee and hot chocolate.
“We had more pumpkins available than last year so we didn’t mind having a few left over,” Seguin said. “We had a fantastic turnout and a lot of people bought two or three pumpkins which was great to see.
“Luckily the weather was nice again this year, so we had lots of people come by.”
Seguin said that like last year, her favorite moment of the day was when all of the cars started arriving around 10 a.m., and when she got to see all of the little kids run into the pumpkin-filled field to find the best ones.
“We’re very lucky to get the site at Mountain View,” she said. “It’s a great place to be able to host it, and the kids have a ball every year.”
The Chestermere Lions Club raised around $2,000 from this year’s event, which Seguin said is a definite increase from previous years.
The funds raised will go straight back into the Chestermere community, as they go towards supporting local sports teams and other groups.
“This event is just good for the community,” Seguin said. “We’re all about having fun, raising money and helping out, and the pumpkin patch lets us do that every year.”
The 30 remaining pumpkins will go the Little Acorns daycare, where parents will be able to make a small donation and then take home a pumpkin if they’re interested, with all funds returning to the Lions.
“We’d just like to thank the residents of Chestermere and the area for all of their support,” Seguin said. “I’d stop and talk to some people and they would say “oh yea we come every year” which is great to hear because it’s becoming a bit of a tradition for local families.
“We’re already looking forward to seeing everyone next year or at other events around town in the future.”
About the Chestermere Lions Club:
The local club was founded in 2003, and is very active in the community with both special events as well as many on-going projects.
It’s a volunteer-oriented club, where members donate their time to help those in need, all the while gaining a sense of pride and accomplishment.
The Lions Club works hard to support the Library, the Whitecappers, local minor hockey, the cadets, local baseball diamonds, and many others.
The Chestermere Lions are always looking for new members. They meet every second and fourth Wednesday of each month at the Mountain View Funeral Home. Anyone interested is invited to sit in on a meeting, or to simply stop by to find out what it’s all about.
For more information about the local club, contact Marilyn King at 403-272-1623 or go to lionsclubs.org.
