Parkridge Church pumpkin patch in Coral Springs

By: Jen Russon

Coral Ridge Drive is a little more orange this time of year, with the return of the Parkridge Church annual pumpkin patch.

Residents of west Broward can not only count on hundreds of pumpkins to choose from, but may also want to stop by for an autumnal photo-op, play fall inspired games, or enjoy Charlie Brown’s Great Pumpkin special on movie night.

“Movie night is this Friday [Oct 12] in the patch. Our fall family festival is on October 21, and then there’s our trunk or treat event on Halloween. We are raising funds for mission trips for our student ministries,” said Katriena Rounds, a volunteer at the church.

The fall festival will hold a chili cook-off and pumpkin pie contest. Trunk or Treat will be held on the football field at the west side of the property from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Halloween night.

Rounds said the pumpkin patch will stay open through October 31 from 3 p.m. to dusk on weekdays and from 10 a.m. to dusk on Saturdays and Sundays.

All proceeds from the annual pumpkin patch will fund the church’s 2019 trips to Charleston, South Carolina and Annapolis, Michigan next summer. Amplify Student Ministries of Parkridge Church perform many good works on their mission trips, such as volunteer at homeless shelters and refugee camps, paint houses and do beach cleanup. Approximately 60 youth missionaries are part of these missions. Last year, they went to Nashville. Past missionary work has taken them as far as France and Guatemala and every pumpkin sold helps their cause.

Parkridge Church is located at 5600 Coral Ridge Drive.