Seeliger hosts eighth annual pumpkin patch

Making more references to the Headless Horseman than one could possibly count, students from Seeliger Elementary unloaded more than 530 pumpkins Friday to set up for today's pumpkin patch.

"The kids have a ball at this," said John Reichert, a member of the school's pumpkin patch committee. "This is the fun part."

The committee started calling in spring to get donations for the raffle and organizing the event.

In addition to pumpkins for sale, there will also be games and activities for children and their parents, including a bungee run, bouncy horse races and a jumping castle.

"Everybody's been so generous," said committee member Lyn McComb. "It's just unbelievable."

They also hold a cake-decorating contest every year.

"We get some pretty interesting cakes," John Reichert said. "The graveyard ones are great. They don't look like something you really want to eat."

The cakes are then given as the prizes for a cake walk.

The pumpkin patch event was started eight years ago by John and Cyndi Reichert and Drew and Kellie Chiazza.

Cyndi Reichert said they had always taken their kids to California to pick pumpkins from the patch. However, that year they couldn't make it because of the snow. So they made their own patch.

"Everybody loved it so much," she said. "It's just ballooned since then. It gets bigger every year."

Students spent about 45 minutes unloading the pumpkins and setting them in straight lines, to simulate a real pumpkin patch.

Scott Dunning, 10, said he wanted to do his part to help make money for the school.

"I've carried the biggest ones so far," he said.

The pumpkin patch raises about $10,000 every year, leaving about $6,000 to be divided among the different classes at Seeliger Elementary.

But to most of the students, they were more than just pumpkins.

For Shantell Depui, 10, they were future jack-o'-lanterns.

"You get to be creative when you make the jack-o'-lanterns," Shantell said. "I made one, one time, that looked like a vampire."

Elizabeth Peebles, 10, saw a more practical use.

"I like to roast the pumpkin seeds," she said. "They're yummy."

After the pumpkins were laid out in rows, the students went back to class, but the day was still long from over for the committee members.

Straw still needed to be spread out, the giant pumpkin set up, 100 more pumpkins donated by Albertson's were set to arrive and all the booths still needed to be set up.

"Sometimes at midnight we're still here," John Reichert said.

Drew Chiazza, known as the "keeper of the pumpkins," spent Friday night on the field standing watch over the patch.

If you go:

What: Pumpkin patch

When: Today from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Where: Seeliger Elementary School at 2800 S. Saliman St.