Two-year-old Luella Pierce and her four-year-old sister, Leiona, picked the perfect pumpkins Monday afternoon.
Leiona said she came to the pumpkin patch and found just the right pumpkin for her.
"The other one was too heavy," she explained.
The two sisters chose a pumpkin each, "petted" the moving, black inflatable cat, posed for pictures on hay bales and ran among the colorful mums at the pumpkin patch near the Missouri/Arkansas state line.
Leiona says Halloween is her favorite holiday. She plans to paint her pumpkin, go trick-or-treating and have a party at her grandma's house.
She also plans to dress up as Wonder Woman, and her sister will dress as Batgirl. As they prepare for Halloween, the trip to the pumpkin patch caps a fun experience for the two sisters.
Their mom, Christy, said she and her husband, Mark, have been coming to the pumpkin patch before the girls were born. For five or six years now, the Pierce family comes to have fun and enjoy the cooler temperatures.
"The kids love the inflatables. They set out the hay for family pictures. And they always have a ton of pumpkins," Christy said.
Mark said a trip to the pumpkin patch is a fun time for the family. "They've got it all. The kids love it."
Employee Jay Howell, in his 18th year of selling pumpkins at the state-line spot, said the good economy has spurred a good selling season.
The pumpkin patch continues to be a popular place this year because people enjoy buying fall decorations.
"It makes people happy," Howell said.
As the two little sisters climb up on a hay bale to pose for their mom's pictures, Howell looks at the two girls and smiles.
"They'll remember coming to the pumpkin patch," Howell said. "That's the joy."
General News on 10/25/2018