A joint venture between the Wright/Schoharie Valley Lions Club and the Schoharie County ARC begun last spring when Lion Fred Risse planted two acres of pumpkins on the Schoharie property of Larry Stanley and Greg Hurd paid off Monday.
And then some.
In a banner year for the world's favorite squash, volunteers from both groups turned out to harvest the pumpkins with plans to split the proceeds.
Mr. Stanley, Lions president, said the 3,600 pumpkin plants did surprisingly well-even though, "At first, we were out there all the time, chasing the deer away and counting our losses."
The pumpkins will be sold at a variety of places, including at a stand across Route 443 from Mr. Stanley's and Mr. Hurd's Schoharie home and at the ARC.
They'll also be available at the Apple Barrel, several commercial growers have purchased some, and Sterling Insurance will be buying some for their employees.
"We're very excited about this venture," said Tammy Ruise, ARC's public relations and fundraising coordinator. "It's a collaboration of both groups working together on an inclusive project and it really coincides with the goals of the ARC."