October marks the beginning of the fall season: stores start selling apple cider, people start displaying pumpkins and wreaths on their porches, and autumn leaves blanket the grass.

Although true fall is hard to come by in Austin, the Bethany Lutheran Church celebrates the season by hosting an annual pumpkin patch as a fundraiser for the church’s youth program.

“At Bethany, we try to make our pumpkin patch more than just trying to pick out the best pumpkin,” third year volunteer, junior Jessica Leonard said. “We’ve set up several cut out photo booths and fall themed backgrounds so people can take really cute pictures around the pumpkin patch. We also have several picnic tables set up with coloring pages, stickers so kids can color while their parents pick out pumpkins, toy tractors for kids to ride around the pumpkin patch, and we also sell cookbooks and carving kits and other little things to go along with the pumpkins that can make their pumpkin experience more enhanced.”

Nine years ago, youth pastor Landon Becker had the idea to start a pumpkin patch with the purpose of raising a little extra money to help finance the youth group. Now, the pumpkin patch usually sells over $20,000 worth of pumpkins.

“People thought I was crazy for setting up the pumpkin patch across from Bowie,” Becker said. “But it has given us a chance to have some special conversations with kids as they pass through our patch… I now realize that the money is the secondary reason we do this. Now, we have become part of families traditions during the fall and part of the south Austin community.”

As Becker describes, the fundraiser is not only utilized as a way to raise money, but also as an outlet for public outreach. Volunteers offer information about the church for anyone who is interested in becoming involved.

“It’s not everyday that you have 100 people walk through your campus and you can just talk to them, so it’s a really good way to get involved… in the community,” Leonard said. “A couple weeks ago I accidentally gave a lady back more money than I should’ve and then she came back like 20 minutes later; she drove all the way back to Bethany to give me the money that I accidentally gave her, which was just really really kind.”

Being right next to the school, the pumpkin patch attracts several students looking to participate in fall festivities. For some people, such as senior Lauryn Lomas, visiting the pumpkin patch has become a new family tradition.

“For the past three years, my family and I have gone to the pumpkin patch and picked out the pumpkins with boils on them so that we [can] try to carve them into creatures,” Lomas said. “Every year before we go, my dad always makes the same joke that I’m going to get a pumpkin stuck on my head like Dwight from the office.”

For all those looking to visit, the pumpkin patch is open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. every Monday through Saturday, and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays.

“We try to make their experience as fun as possible,” Leonard said. “I think [the pumpkin patch] is a really good way for Bethany to be able to reach out… and be a light.”