As local as it gets: Pumpkins sold at South Elgin Pumpkin Patch & Fall Festival are grown in the village

The feel of autumn was in the air at the South Elgin Pumpkin Patch and Fall Festival in SEBA Park on Saturday.

Popular and seasonal Halloween-themed music played while families searched for locally-grown pumpkins in the patch next to the Fox River, south of the State Street bridge.

The pumpkins were grown by Kane County Board member Mike Kenyon, who has a farm next to the South Elgin High School. School athletic teams help harvest the 700 pumpkins that are sold for $1 to $5 depending on the size. Some families brought their own wagons to better carry their pumpkins home.

Others took pictures and climbed on a pyramid of hay, and many lined the sidewalk to watch a costumed pet parade with winners in several categories. Several children painted pumpkins at a table generously covered in paper. There was also a Scholastic Book Fair to support families and programs at the South Elgin Park District.