By JOSHUA THOMAS

C-S-E Editor

FORT PLAIN — For the fourth year, the Fort Plain United Methodist Church held  Harvest Fun Day on Saturday morning, inviting kids to come in and pick a special pumpkin to give personality.

In the short two-hours the event lasts, it annually draws up to 50 kids, their highest attendance being 55, and this year’s event was no exception, as attendance was steady throughout.

The event is annually planned and sponsored by the Afternoon Circle, a group of women from the church’s congregation. They purchase the pumpkins (50 for Saturday’s event), searching for reasonably priced ones two weeks ahead of time. They also provide face kits, each with a different personality, for the kids to customize their pumpkin with. They also purchase refreshments to serve.

This year’s event also featured a new addition — a coloring contest, for which prizes were awarded to the top colorists. While Afternoon Circle President Marilyn Haggerty noted “everybody gets a treat bag,” including three small toys and candy, the winners of the coloring contest received “special” treat bags.

Haggerty said the Harvest Fun Day is not a way for the Afternoon Circle to gain publicity — it’s simply a way to invite the community into the church. “We try to stay involved in the community,” said Haggerty, noting that the annual event, along with their free hot dog luncheon in the summer and Christmas event featuring Santa each winter are part of their outreach program.

“I think it’s good to be doing as many things as we can. It keeps us in the community eye, and people know us for these kinds of things,” Haggerty continued, stating that even when “monies get short, we come up with it.”

The church’s congregation has been meeting in the downstairs space, where Saturday’s event was held, instead of the upstairs sanctuary as the church’s attendance has dwindled over recent years.

Haggerty sees the positive in holding church in the smaller space though, explaining that aside from cutting heating costs in half by closing the massive sanctuary, “I think there’s a lot of nice fellowship by meeting downstairs.” She said that while holding church in the sanctuary was quieter, and perhaps a bit more spiritual in that sense, she said she enjoys the idea of everybody talking, sharing stories, sitting closer to one another.

Haggerty, a member of the church for 40 years, noted that while “she’s been through it all,” and was a bit saddened to see the church format change, the positive that has come from it — including the opportunity to fellowship not only with each other, but with members of the community — has been immeasurable.