Pumpkins aplenty at Cox’s Ponds

Pumpkins and gourds were definitely not in short supply at Cox’s Ponds for their annual fall fun weekend last Saturday and Sunday, west of Champion.
Arlys Cupp, who with her mother Jeannine Cox and other family members host the pumpkin patch activities each year, said they’ve had no shortage of pumpkins in this year’s harvest. That’s not the same for many other area crops whose yields are being affected by the drought. Their two and a half acres of pumpkins are under a pivot, she said.
“Our harvest this year was great,” she said.
And they couldn’t have hand-picked any better weather for their weekend of events, Cupp said, with temperatures in the 60s and 70s.
“It just felt like fall,” she said.
Hundreds of pumpkins lined the grounds at Cox’s Ponds as people walked along paths making their choices. People are still coming by to buy pumpkins and she’s delivering some to customers, too. Next week, the Parent Teacher Organization at Chase County Schools will purchase pumpkins from them at $1 each for all K-4 students. The will spend time painting them in art classes, she said, to take home and enjoy.
Not only could adults and youths roam the spacious grounds, finding their perfect pumpkins or interestingly-shaped gourds, but they had a wide choice of other activities including a corn maze, a corn tank, petting zoo, face painting, candy jar guessing game and scarecrow contest winners to view. Food items were also for sale.
Six entries came in for the scarecrow contest. In the youth division, first place went to Jackson, Sawyer, Sadie and Josie Sauder, while Dominic Harris placed second. In the adult category, Dona June Ekart’s entry won first, followed by Jack Ekart 2nd, Kayla Holmes 3rd and Dustin Holmes 4th. All six received monetary prizes, Cupp said.
Visitors to Cox’s Ponds could also take in the candy guessing game contest by guessing the number of pieces in a jar. Rosalie Jenkins came closest to the correct 321 pieces, winning the candy and the jar.