Page 4 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, OCTObEr 18, 2024 What makes the “Orange Glow” go? Carl Spencer, who participated in all 22 Halloween seasons, cites a dedicated corps of volunteers who work with First Congregational Church to keep a town tradition going By Mark E. Vogler T he guy they call the point man of this year’s “Pumpkin Patch” in Saugus Center has spent countless hours over the past 22 years, volunteering his efforts to help make the sale of pumpkins and other good trucked in from Navajo Reservation in Farmington, N.M., a Saugus Center tradition. But Carl Spencer is modest when he talks about his ongoing role. “I’ve only been involved the last five or six years as the coordinator,” Spencer said in an interview this week as he helped his brother Brenton close down “the Patch” for the night on the lawn of First Congregational Church. “Other years, I helped – all 22 of them – just not running it. A lot of people who volunteered over the years have helped make this what it is,” he said. If there is one person who deserves special credit, he said, it’s his sister, Audrie Spencer, who now lives in Haverhill. “She’s the one who started it. She tried to do it as a fund-raiser [for First Congregational Church],” Spencer said, recalling how she learned about a program called Pumpkin Patch USA, which coordinates the destination of the pumpkins from the Navajo Reservation to communities all over the country. “She happened to see the information. She thought it was a good idea. And it was. Twenty-two years later, it’s become a tradition.” A second shipment of 1,600 large pumpkins arrived last weekend (Oct. 12). In addition, seven boxes containing 300 to 350 pumpkins apiece. “We had students from the High School and some of the Charter School kids helping us out,” Spencer said. “If you count those little ones, that’s 3,000 pumpkins total we received. Now we’ve got to try to sell them all,” he said. The church and the Navajo Reservation both benefit from the sale of pumpkins. But the agreement the church has with Pumpkin Patch USA won’t allow the sale of any pumpkins after Halloween, according to Spencer. “If there are any leftover on Nov. 1st, we will put a sign out that says ‘free pumpkins,’” he said. “There will be people who come by who have animals. They will either feed the animals or use the pumpkins for something else,” he said. “The smaller ones are good for cooking – you make pies and pumpkin bread or whatever. But you wouldn’t want to eat the big ones. The animals like them. The squirrels love them,” he said. What makes the “Pumpkin Patch” so special? “We got a lot of people coming back year after year who tell us that they wait specifically for these pumpkins to arrive,” Spencer said. “We had a guy a week ago from North Andover who used to live in Saugus come down with his kids to buy a pumpkin. A lot of Saugus people and people from neighboring towns keep coming back,” he said. “We got a lot of people just passing through. We got some people from Germany a couple of years ago who stopped and asked what we were doing. And we get people from Japan and South East Asia who’ve never even seen a pumpkin.” The vast number of visGerry D’Ambrosio Attorney-at-Law Is Your Estate in Order? Do you have an update Will, Health Care Proxy or Power of Attorney? If Not, Please Call for a Free Consultation. 14 Proctor Avenue, Revere (781) 284-5657 itors who stop to admire the pumpkins wind up taking some home, which contributes to the church and various noble causes. What began as a fund-raiser for the church’s Youth Group has continued to flourish as somewhat of a communitywide autumn attraction. Pumpkin sales have also helped fund the annual Danny Panico Memorial Scholarship Award. Panico, a longtime church member and Pumpkin Patch worker, died in 2017, and the scholarship is meant to honor his contributions. Local residents say if you hang around the “Pumpkin Patch” long enough, the spirit will move you. For some folks who travel great distances to get here, it’s a spur of the moment experience that they want to be a part of. “A few years ago, we had a truck driver from out-ofstate – the same truck driver who delivered the pumpkins – gave $100 to the church,” Spencer recalled. As long as First Congregational Church is around, Spencer figures, the great pumpkin tradition of Saugus will live on. The Annual Pumpkin Patch will run through Halloween, Oct. 31. Pumpkins of all sizes are displayed on the church lawn and will be available for purchase every day from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Volunteers are also needed to help staff the various shifts for the selling of pumpkins. If interested, please contact Carl Spencer at 781-233-9196 or just stop by and sign up. Brothers Brenton and Carl Spencer get ready to close down the “Pumpkin Patch” as the sun sets over Saugus Center. (Saugus Advocate photo by Mark E. Vogler) Hundreds of pumpkins wait to be taken home. (Saugus Advocate photo by Mark E. Vogler) The smaller pumpkins are good for making pumpkin pie and pumpkin bread. (Saugus Advocate photo by Mark E. Vogler)
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