Thankfully, one of our charming local traditions, the Pumpkin Patch operated by the Wilshire Rotary Club, will open this weekend, and will not become another casualty of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Thanks to the efforts of Rotarian Wendy Clifford, the patch, which has been approved by the city to operate during the pandemic with appropriate safety protocols, will open on Saturday at its usual location, 568 N. Larchmont Blvd. Clifford told the Buzz the process took longer than it usually does, but she also secured a permit to operate the Christmas Tree lot as well, which is also welcome news for the neighborhood.
We stopped by yesterday as the pumpkins were being offloaded from the truck. Earlier in the day, Clifford and fellow Rotarian Elsa Gillham selected all the pumpkins from the grower in Santa Paula, the same grower they’ve used to supply the patch for the past 14 years. The task of setting up the patch will take a few days, even though there won’t be a bounce house, hay maze and other usual activities for kids. But there will be pumpkins of all kinds and lots of cool gourds.
All the staff and volunteers at the patch will be following safety protocols set by the city. Everyone will be required to wear masks and maintain appropriate social distancing. Clifford said she has lots of hand sanitizer and cute Halloween masks for kids who might have left theirs at home. The patch will be open until Halloween, on weekdays from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. and on weekends from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The pumpkin patch and the Christmas tree lot are local traditions organized by the Wilshire Rotary. All the profits are donated to charity.
Wilshire Rotary Pumpkin Patch
568 N. Larchmont Blvd
Opens Saturday October 10
Hours: Weekends 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Weekdays 2 p.m. – 6 p.m.Â
Hooray!! I was worried they wouldn’t return.