The next road stop for The Great Pumpkin Patch (TGPP) and The Homestead Bakery (THB) is only one week later . . . the weekend of Sept 18^th, 19^th and 20^th. This time we’ll be at the Country Living Fair, where “the pages of Country Living magazine come to life!” This will be TGPP’s fourth year of displaying another spectacular TGPP “pumpkin peak” at this event that offers its visitors the opportunity to fully experience the “Country Living” lifestyle. This is also THB’s second year of bringing along plenty of our fresh, made-from-scratch Amish cinnamon rolls, cookies, breads and angel food cakes. This show promises lots of great shopping, cooking, crafting and live music. Last year’s rave reviews of the event ensure many return visitors, and many new faces too. So look us up at the Country Living Fair in Ohio Village – Columbus OH, a charming 19^th century village conveniently located just off I-71 at exit 111. Plan for a truly awesome weekend!

The Great Pumpkin Patch and The Homestead Bakery are mid-way through our On-The-Road trekking. We are packing up and heading north for the weekend of Sept 12^th and 13^th. For the second year now we will be joining all the fall harvest market vendors in historic downtown Geneva IL at their 28^th annual “Festival of the Vine (FOV)”. This marks FOV’s second annual Gorgeous Gourds – A Fall Harvest of Natural Art celebration of bounty galore! The lovely gourd mound photographed here is made up entirely of freshly grown and harvested produce and flowers from the TGPP farm, assembled by Mac Condill and his talented crew. This colorful collection sets just the right tone for this outstanding festival of food and wine tasting, a flower market, crafts and fine arts, family games, as well as music and live entertainment. Come join us, and get your fresh made-from-scratch Homestead Bakery cinnamon rolls, cookies, breads and angel food cakes. Have yourself a fabulous weekend!

Central Illinois is the home of two spectacular summertime festivals that pull in a vast multitude of visitors from near and far. And this summer, The Great Pumpkin Patch and The Homestead Bakery are packing up their goodies and setting up their tents to join in on these two epic family-fun events.

One is the Mattoon Bagelfest, with its parade, carnival rides, musical guests, beauty and dog contests, countless merchandise vendors, and an enormous variety of tantalizing foods from all around. This fiesta happens July 16^th [5pm-11pm], 17^th [noon-midnight] and 18^th [8am-midnight] at the beautiful Peterson Park near the intersection of Broadway Ave and South 5^th Street in Mattoon IL. While you’re here, take in some of America’s greatest pastime of sportsmanship, character and fun at the Mattoon Pride Softball tournament at the Mattoon Roundhouse Complex at Richmond Ave and 6^th Street.

The other runaway hit is the Decatur Celebration which has rightfully earned its noted reputation as “the most exciting family street festival in the Midwest!!!” This nugget of golden family entertainment has garnered an award nomination by the State of Illinois Office of Tourism, was selected as one of the “Top 100 Events in North America,” and hosts a grand, full-scope parade that merits annual television coverage with its marching troops, floats and bands. This celebration features up to 80 unique food items, 100 arts and crafts vendors, 40 commercial vendors, dozens of street attractions, 11 headliner-show stages, and the Super Carnival of over 20 expo rides for all ages. Catch all of this excitement and entertainment on  Aug 7^th [5pm-11pm], 8^th [11am-11pm] and 9^th [11:am-9:30pm], all centered in 22 city blocks of downtown Decatur IL.

Mark your calendars to join The Great Pumpkin Patch and The Homestead Bakery in breaking new ground in their summertime circuit of festival appearances. Let us cater to your sweet tooth with our fresh, made-from-scratch baked goods while you rejuvenate that spirit of merriment and amusement this July and this August at both of these can’t-miss blockbuster events!

Squash enthusiasts and novices alike – gather to enjoy a lively and edifying appearance by Mac Condill as he presents to you a closer look at The Great Pumpkin Patch and how it chooses to showcase the wonderful family of cucurbits. He will touch on all topics . . . heirlooms, seed saving, the multitude of uses. These multifaceted fruits get the zoomed-in focus they’ve deserved for so long! And Mac’s just the guy to bring it all to light! Now you’ll be able to confidently grow your own. Plus, you’ll be able to creatively fill that vacancy in your family meals with that little something out of the norm that is so easy to use and so memorable to eat! So join us at the DKP Master Gardener Conference on Saturday Nov 7, 2009, at the IPL Communications Building, just north of Petersburg IN on Hwy 57.

As the planting for a rich fall harvest sneaks up on us this spring, we keep in mind that TGPP will be making a very special introduction this fall of 2009. Our 21^st season marks the grand onsite launching of The Homestead Seeds (THS) store. The store will be tucked right into all of the fun of visiting the Patch, giving all you home gardeners the chance to personally shop the rustic aisles that display nearly one hundred common, rare and heirloom seeds of the cucurbit family of pumpkins, squash and gourds. Some of these seeds are the very product of TGPP-grown produce. All the seeds sold at the THS store (and online) are painstakingly nurtured and handled to encourage a yield any grower would be proud to flaunt . . . and any cook would be thrilled to use in their menus. Look for the invaluable free literature on planting, nurturing, storing and preparing your seed purchases and their delectable by-products. Fall of 2009 is the perfect time to be thinking about and gearing up for that cucurbit garden you’re planning for the spring of 2010. Buy here, and avoid the online and phone-in shipping/handling fee!