Daycare visits Gogert ‘pumpkin patch’

The preschoolers, tots and infants of Stepping Stones Academy recently had an adventure. Polly and Larry Gogert invited them to their ‘pumpkin patch’ on Franklin Avenue in Lovelock.

The outing has become an annual tradition. This fall Larry Gogert harvested 65 lumina pumpkins at the family’s cabin near Spaulding Pond. According to Polly, sugar pumpkins make better pies. Luminas make great pumpkin patches though.

That’s why the Gogerts hauled the fruit home to arrange on their front lawn. The Gogert’s daughter, Darla Diaz and Carol Mattingly helped with the decorating. Kelli Brown added to the patch’s authenticity with odds and ends. Scarecrows and hay bales sprang up everywhere.

Stepping Stones director, Jennifer Montes, and her staff walked the few blocks from the daycare with 16 children eager to select a pumpkin. 

“Afterward, they each got a bag of candy,” says Polly Gogert, already planning for next year. Larry Gogert and Darla Diaz delivered the crop to the daycare for the children to take home.

“Hopefully we will have a wet winter so Larry will have water,” she said. “He waters the garden from the runoff.”

What will the Gogerts do with the remaining pumpkins?

“I have messaged a few of my friends to have them bring their kids to get one,” said Polly. “I gave some to my grandkids already.” Anybody want a pumpkin? Ask Polly.

Fast facts about pumpkins

• Pumpkins grow everywhere but Antarctica

• Contrary to popular belief, pumpkin pie was not on the menu at the original Thanksgiving feast of 1621. There was no flour or butter back then. Instead, people probably hollowed out a pumpkin and filled it with milk, spices and honey.

• People in Scotland and Ireland used to carve faces into root vegetables like turnips and beets. Immigrants brought the tradition to the United States. Over time, pumpkins became the first choice for these carvings.