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The Pumpkin Pad Opens This Weekend Now that the dog days of summer have given way to crisp fall mornings, mums and pumpkins are popping up on porches around town and pumpkin spice has infiltrated the grocery shelves. Along with fall decorations and savory treats, The Pumpkin Pad, located at 4111 South Buckner Tarsney Road, offers a variety of fall fun for all ages. Grain Valley residents Vincent and Melissa Moehle, along with their 10-year old daughter Jayden, own and operate the pumpkin patch. Originally from the Boonville area, Vincent has farmed since he was a small child. After growing and selling pumpkins wholesale for several years, he and his wife decided to expand to a full pumpkin patch three years ago. They began selling pumpkins and gourds for those seeking fall decorations but heard from many customers who wanted to wander out into the patch to pick their own pumpkins. In addition to the “U-Pick” pumpkin patch, activities include corn bins and slide, pumpkin
bounce house, hay wagon ride, themed cornhole games, and an autumn back drop selfie booth. This year, the Moehles have also added spider swings, a giant pumpkin jumping pillow, and a hay maze. The Pumpkin Pad is open weekends beginning Saturday, September 29th through Sunday, October 28th. Hours are Noon – 6:00pm on Fridays, and 10:00am – 6:00pm on Saturdays and Sundays. Parking is free and there are handicapped accessible parking spaces are available near the entrance. Admission is $10 per person and includes unlimited rides, activities, and attractions. Children age 1 and under are free. Pumpkins and decorative gourds are available for purchase at the front entrance display, or you can wander through the patch and pick your own. Cash, credit, and debit cards are accepted. Concessions are available as well, including pumpkin spice cupcakes made from pumpkins grown at the patch, pumpkin decorated sugar cookies, hot dogs, chips, candy, popcorn, soda, and
SCHOOLS from page 1 covered. Community members from Stony Point and Sni-A-Bar are still being recruited,” Welle said. Those interested in serving on the committee may contact their building principals or Dr. Welle at Central Office. The first meeting of the steering committee is scheduled for October 3rd at 6:00pm. A community engagement session will be scheduled for midOctober, allowing the community at large to learn more about plans and to share feedback. The Steering Committee is expected to wrap up work by November 1st. Redistricting could allow the district 5-10 years of time before the district would need to consider adding a 5th elementary school. Welle said a demographer was hired a year ago to look at the district’s past growth and projected growth over the next 10-15 years. “He (the demographer) pointed out that at the elementary level, we are 180 students from needing a 5th elementary school. If we continue the average growth of new students per year, it will take us 10 years to get to a 5th elementary. But with current housing growth, particularly on the north side of town, there is
reason to believe it will happen sooner than that,” Welle said. The district has 88 acres adjacent to North Middle School available for an elementary school and second high school campus if continued growth necessitates those additions. Welle said the district is mindful of demographic changes in the community so they do not overbuild. “One of the important points the demographer pointed out was that established neighborhoods like the Sni-A-Bar community neighborhood is not regreening. In other words, families have empty nested and the parents are staying in those homes. The growth we are seeing is on the north side of town, and those new students are replacing graduating students. They are not necessarily creating a large spike in student enrollment at this time,” Welle said. In other business, the Board adopted the tax rate levy set at $5.4163 per $100,000 of assessed valuation for the 2018-19 school year. This rate is down from a rate of $5.4255 last year and the sixth consecutive year the Board has lowered the tax rate levy.
The Pumpkin Pad, located at 4111 S Buckner Tarsney Road, will open for the season on Saturday, September 29th. Hours are Noon – 6:00pm on Fridays, and 10:00am – 6:00pm on Saturdays and Sundays. water. Strollers are allowed and most areas are accessible for wheelchairs and scooters. Dogs are not allowed, with the exception of service animals. Those wishing to simply pick up pumpkins to decorate their front porch are welcome to do so at the
front entrance daily through October 28th. The Pumpkin Pad is open rain or shine. For more information on The Pumpkin Pad, visit their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ pumpkinpad/.
