WILMINGTON, N.C. – The pumpkin patch at Wesley Memorial United Methodist Church has been open every fall for more than 20 years. But when Elizabeth Lemaster found herself in charge this year, she was worried tradition might have to stop because of the pandemic.

“I think the pumpkin patch has been in the back of my mind since I started, especially with the pandemic, how was it going to work, what could we do,” says Lemaster.

She only started this role in July and since then, she's been thinking of the best way to make the pumpkin patch happen. She says it's obvious that when families come to a pumpkin patch there are going to be kids running around, touching pumpkins, and having fun. That wouldn't have been a problem any other year, but she and those planning the patch started to worry about keeping people safe.

“We've tried to do everything we can to take precautions, put signs out, we are asking people to wear masks when they come out,” says Lemaster. “Just doing everything we can to have it while taking precautions.”

They do have signs posted throughout the patch, reminding people to respect social distancing and keep a mask on at all times. They've also made hand sanitizer available in the patch and volunteers are regularly wiping down carts. She is encouraging contactless payment, if at all possible, and prefers not to handle cash.

Lemaster's top priority is making sure that everyone is safe and enjoying the pumpkin patch, but she says picking out pumpkins is just like shopping for produce at a store.

“Even if you go in the grocery store, you're going to touch a piece of fruit to see if it's soft,” says Lemaster. “Well if it's not the ripeness you want, you're gonna put it back. So there is risk to anything, really.”

After considering their options, they decided not to sanitize the pumpkins regularly because a bleach solution isn't recommended by pumpkin farmers. The logistics of wiping down every pumpkin after it was touched would be challenging.

Lemaster says the pumpkin patch is bringing happiness to all of her volunteers who love it as much as the community does and she hopes visitors to the patch can find some joy in a bit of normalcy.

“We're just grateful to be part of the community and give back to the community in this wonderful way,” says Lemaster.