Fayetteville, N.C. – The Cool Spring Downtown District is hosting “The Great Pumpkin Patch Pop-Up” at 222 Hay Street, Fayetteville, N.C., from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 25, and Saturday, Sept. 26. In keeping with one of its directives, to foster and maintain a strong relationship with Fayetteville’s large military community, the Cool Spring Downtown District has partnered with The Veteran’s Farm of NC, Inc. (VFNC), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, to organize and stage this urban pumpkin patch.
Over the course of this two-day pop-up, downtown’s visitors will find a variety of pumpkins (300+), potted mums (80+), hay bales, corn stalks, gourds and fall decor staged in the alley and sidewalk adjacent to the Cool Spring Downtown District’s office. Visitors will be able to use the patch as a photo-op for taking family pictures, as well as make purchases.
With the exception of the mums, VFNC is sourcing these items from Parnell Acres, and the owner of that farm–Hope Mills, N.C., native and U.S. Army retiree Ray Parnell–will be working hand-in-hand with VFNC’s volunteers and the Cool Spring Downtown District’s staff to manage the pumpkin patch in a safe manner for the public.
All sales proceeds will benefit both Veteran-owned Parnell Acres and VFNC, helping this organization sustain its new Veterans Agriculture Training and Education Program through Fayetteville Technical Community College.
“One of the goals under the Cool Spring Downtown District is to engage the military community,” said Bianca Shoneman, President & CEO of CSDD. This agritourism pop-up is an opportunity to partner with The Veteran’s Farm of NC and a downtown business, Broad River Hemp Company. We believe these activities encourage visitors to patronize downtown businesses and provide us the opportunity to give back to our Veteran community.”
VFNC’s Executive Director, Robert Elliott, also is the owner of Broad River Hemp Company, a downtown shop that specializes in hemp and CBD products and a variety of seasonal produce grown by North Carolina farmers, many of whom are local Farmer-Veterans. Through Elliott’s work with NC State, as founder of the Soldier to Agriculture Program on Ft. Bragg, he has become a well renowned advocate for Farmer-Veterans across the state, and he brings that same passion for helping North Carolina’s farming and military community to downtown.
“Since opening a business here, I’ve wanted to introduce downtown to the Farmer-Veterans in the region. These amazing women and men are the cornerstone of America and now serve us further as our local farmers.” Elliott shared. “This pumpkin patch is a perfect merging of those two worlds, and in a time when we’re all craving a sense of normalcy, I’m proud to be partnering with Cool Spring Downtown District and Parnell Acres to bring a little bit of the country to the city for folks to enjoy.”
CSDD is also planning on debuting its “Art Alley,” a new outdoor art space in the alley adjacent to CSDD’s office where rotating exhibits will be displayed. The first artist to exhibit there will be acclaimed visual artist Richard Wilson. Born and raised in North Carolina, Wilson is the first African-American artist to have his work displayed in a North Carolina courthouse.
Family and history are recurring themes in Wilson’s work–with his series often featuring subjects like his uncle, a sharecropper, at an old family home and his daughter in front of a tobacco barn. Several well known public figures and celebrities, such as Henry Hank Aaron and Gladys Knight, have purchased Wilson’s works.
Lauren Falls, CSDD’s Marketing & Events Director, spoke on the excitement of installing Richard Wilson’s art in CSDD’s Art Alley. “We are honored to have the opportunity to showcase North Carolina native Richard Wilson’s artwork in our outdoor Art Alley. As we continue to build the Arts & Entertainment District in downtown Fayetteville, we are excited for visitors to experience the visual impact of Richard Wilson’s work.”
Five vinyl prints of Wilson’s more famous works will be mounted on the walls of Art Alley, and this exhibit will remain open to the public during normal business hours (Monday - Friday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.) through the end of October.
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