From now until Wednesday, October 31, the Miami Lakes United Methodist Church (MLUMC) will be holding it’s annual pumpkin patch at 14800 Ludlam Road.
Admission to the patch is $3 Monday through Thursday, with admission being $5 Friday through Sunday. Children 12 years old and under have free admission with a paying adult. The admission price includes $3 Pumpkin Bucks that may be applied towards any pumpkin or gourd purchase. (It is not valid for any other purchase.)
Scavenger hunts, sing-alongs and magic tricks performed by the church’s pastor will be sure to entertain attendees most weekends, with the exception of the Flanigan’s Dinner and Show of Illusion happening October 27. Event-goers can find their perfect pumpkin to carve for the holiday, and even visit the newest edition to the patch, the Pumpkin Princess and her carriage.
Tickets for Flanigan’s Dinner and Show of Illusion will be $12 for adults and $6 for children ages 12 and under. Should event-goers forgo dinner and just see the show, entry at the door will be $5 per person. Dinner will be available 5:30-8:30 p.m. from the Flanigan’s food truck, and may be picked up before or after the show, however no food will be allowed in the show. The show will begin at 6:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased in advance by visiting the church office or calling (305)821-7274.
School field trips will be held every weekday morning from now until Friday, October 26. There is a fee of $8 per child, and recreation includes interactive activities, songs, refreshments, a little pumpkin for each child, a goodie bag and a group photo with the whole classroom.
For more information, updates on the event or to volunteer, call (305)821-7274 or visit www.hopemlumc.com.
For the second year, Hialea -Miami Lakes Senior High School’s (HML) DECA (Distributive Education Clubs of America) club partnered with the Miami Lakes United Methodist Church to manage and staff the annual pumpkin patch.
According to HML club sponsor Ted Dinicola, the church approached DECA, a business club, with the idea last year. DECA members play a role in the patch as entrance cashiers, pumpkin cashiers, food and beverage cashiers, patrolling the patch, rearranging pumpkins, removing the rotted pumpkins and emptying the garbage.
Trojans are on hand seven days a week, working Monday through Friday, from 3 until 9 p.m. and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends, earning volunteer hours while assisting the community. Prior to the opening, DECA members also prepared 3,500 goodie bags for the elementary school field trip students who visit the pumpkin patch.
“This has been a great experience for our DECA chapter. The responsibility to staff, train and run an operation like this gives our members real-life experiences. They learn what it means to show up on time, learn something new, business skills, people skills, handling cash and credit cards. They make new connections with adults from the church who can provide mentorship,” Dinicola explains. “We love the challenges and work hard to make sure everything runs smoothly.”