EASTON, Pa. — Pumpkins of white and orange are nestled between colorful mums of purples, pinks, rusts, maroons and yellows on the vacant lot by Centennial Park at 12th and Ferry streets.
It’s a festive sight, and also a welcome one for those who normally might not be able to afford such decorations of their own.
- Pumpkins are selling for $1, $3 and $5, depending on size, and mums for $8 in the West Ward
- The organization West Ward Wise, created and run by Lance Wheeler, aims to bring Halloween and fall decorations to people who can’t afford to pay a lot for fall festivities.
- Sales will be held every weekend in October, along with mazes, hot dogs, hot chocolate and treats for children.
Lance Wheeler, organizer and creator of West Ward Wise, an unfunded volunteer group, is selling mums and pumpkins at a discounted price to residents of Easton’s West Ward.
Wheeler said he knows what it’s like to miss out on holiday decorations and fun because of affordability.
“I knew that in the West Ward we didn’t have things, and I’m tired of kids not being able to have what the things that people outside of the West Ward have,” Wheeler said.
“And we always get looked at like, ‘Oh there’s another shooting, aren’t you afraid to live there?’ Well, we have a park right here, there’s no shootings and we have kids after school that love it.
"My thing is to make their dream come true to have a better connection with the community and to know that they make the community. I’m just a part of it. They make it.”
“I knew that in the West Ward we didn’t have things and I’m tired of kids not being able to have what the things that people outside of the West Ward have.”Lance Wheeler, organizer and creator of West Ward Wise
Pumpkins are on sale for $1, $3 and $5, depending on the size. Mums are on sale for $8. Wheeler pointed out that downtown, the same pumpkins and mums could cost up to $15 or more.
“I don’t care about costs,” Wheeler said. “I probably have over 30 bins of stackable pumpkins. Big pumpkins, mini pumpkins, mums. Pumpkins, pumpkins, pumpkins!”
Wheeler said he gets the pumpkins and mums he sells from auctions. He said it helps keep the prices low, but really he’s focused on making sure that every kid gets a pumpkin.
Community support
The lot is neatly arranged with haystacks and patches full of pumpkins, and even home fall decorations that makes the lot feel warm and perhaps a bit of a treasure hunt to find the best pumpkin.
Wheeler said he's even been selling veggies and fruits.
Wheeler said he’s no landscaper, but a volunteer saw him unloading pumpkins Thursday night before the lot's Oct. 14 soft opening and offered to help him decorate it.
“This kid came in, in the dark with a headlight, [and] he put everything together by color,” Wheeler said. “Before, nothing looked like this.”
Children in the neighborhood also help out selling pumpkins and rotating pumpkins on the lot. Wheeler said he will pay the kids throughout the month for helping out on the lot.
If they stop by and want to help out, Wheeler said he doesn’t mind.
The surrounding community also is lending support by offering garages and space to help out with grilling and food. Neighbors are lending their floodlights to help keep the area lit at night.
Plans for the month
Wheeler said he has big plans for the lot.
Easton Mayor Sal Panto gave him use of the lot for all of October.
Through Sunday, Wheeler is holding a soft launch. Children, parents and neighbors also can get hot dogs, hot chocolate, Oreo cookies and Rice Krispy treats.
Children will be able to grab free pumpkins, but there’s a small catch.
“The kid’s got to carry it, the parent can’t carry it,” Wheeler said. “If you can carry it up to the apartment, they can have it. But the parent can’t carry it. It’s rules, responsibility.”
Next week, for $5, children will get a caramel apple they get to dip, hot dogs, hot chocolate, a pumpkin and a choice of popcorn or a Snickers candy bar.
Wheeler also plans to have a maze that children can run around and explore.
“That’s my heart,” Wheeler said. “I didn't come up rich. My mother and my grandparents raised me to work hard and things pay off.
"So at 55 right now, I'm hoping things pay off and to just be blessed that God gives me every day to make a smile and make myself and the community happy. Your kids are a part of our community.”
