A child’s eyes twinkled as she watched the pumpkin trebuchet launch high into the air and land hard on the ground below. Adults and children handled furry tarantulas, explored historic toys, performed a cow eye dissection, and visited with our farm animals, all on a perfect crisp fall weekend at Tollgate Farm and Education Center in Novi, Michigan. Sounds of Whoa, Nelly!, GroTown, and Gemini echoed across the farm as children ran through the straw maze and bowled with pumpkins.
Pumpkinfest 2019 drew thousands from the tri-county area and beyond for a festive fall event to celebrate the harvest and raise funds to support educational programming at the farm. An event which began in 2014 with 300 attendees has grown to become a favorite fall destination for metro-Detroiters, connecting the community with the beautiful preserved open space at Tollgate Farm and the educational mission of the site. Tollgate’s 6th annual Pumpkinfest encompassed educational exhibits and collaboration with community members far and wide. This year’s Pumpkinfest was the perfect place to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the City of Novi.
Vibe Credit Union joined the event as lead sponsor in 2015, and their involvement each year since has grown. The support of Vibe and fellow sponsor Barton Malow Foundation has been invaluable and has allowed Tollgate to reach children with financial assistance who otherwise could not come to the farm for our programs. Schools, individuals, and families in need are able to participate in camps and field trips and apprenticeships to make important connections between the farm, the natural world, and their daily lives.
The MSU Bug House and The Ann Arbor Hands-on Museum provided experiential learning stations, as well as many MSU Extension educators. Face painting, bounce house, target practice, archery, and pumpkin decorating kept young ones smiling. The Farmington Hills Library and children’s authors provided several Harvest Story Time sessions. Our pumpkin patch was the pinnacle destination with a wagon ride, the pumpkin trebuchet with Randy White and the Native American and early French camp where costumed interpreters reenacted French colonists and Native Americans cooking harvest foods.
Support of in-kind donations from the community helped us feed our over 200 volunteers who helped with every aspect of the big weekend. Pumpkinfest’s scope and outreach grows annually as the event provide fun and learning for the community and increased awareness of Tollgate and agriculture’s role in our daily lives.
Thank you to all who helped make this event possible and we look forward to our next Pumpkinfest in 2020!
