Pumpkins for Polio Auction & Harvest Market
What a night! We raised $1,035.00 for the night plus $375.00 from the pumpkin cup over for the past couple of months, then more on World Polio Day and Nancy’s bid gave us a new total of $1,525.00 to date for our Pumpkins for Polio effort. And we keep adding! We are now well over $3,000. Way to go!
Our pumpkins are now harvested and auctioned!
A Big thanks to Cathy Wilcox-Barnes and John Drew owner of BakBraken Acres for creating a special partnership so our Club can grow Pumpkins for Polio.
Cathy grew the young pumpkin starts at home this spring. In May, a team of Rotarians and friends (including dogs) joined Cathy digging in the dirt to plant pumpkins at Bak Braken Acres and continued going weekly through the summer and fall to weed and care for our plants.
Cathy Wilcox-Barnes and Tom Ryan - Harvest to Auction!
In addition to caring for our pumpkins we harvested garlic, snap peas, tomatoes, peppers, along with the berries. Thanks to John’s generosity we took our harvest home for personal consumption! We harvested the pumpkins in October (about a 90-day growing period) and hosted our Pumpkins for Polio Auction and Harvest Market at our October 19 Social. Our pumpkin harvest was a perfect advance to World Polio Day on October 24!
Continue reading for the full story of our planting, farming struggles, celebrations along the way, and auction and harvest market:
Nancy was winning bid on our last pumpkin!
Nancy and her special Happy Birthday pumpkin!
Pumpkins for Polio Auction and Harvest Market ... Fun and kind of scary!
Wahoo! Look at what Judy Soldavini and her painting team created with our pumpkins for our Pumpkins for Polio Auction! It was a fun and frolicking auction at our Thursday evening social!
Our planting and harvest woes and celebrations
As noted above, Cathy grew the young pumpkin starts at home this spring. In May, John, Chris Newsom, Walt and Sandy Stickel, Cathy's grandson Aidan and even little Tuco joined Cathy in Chicago Park digging in the dirt to plant pumpkins at BakBraken Acres. Cathy, Tom Ryan, Rotary friend Gloria, and Robin went out through the summer and fall to weed and care for our plants.
Unfortunately, the 2-striped cucumber beetle is prolific this year due to the heavy, wet winter and they ate numerous pumpkin plants. We spent the early summer weeding plants and dusting with diatomaceous earth when needed to protect our plants. 
In addition to caring for our pumpkins we harvested garlic, snap peas, tomatoes, peppers, along with the berries. Thanks to John’s generosity we took our harvest home for personal consumption! We were able to auction as many pumpkins on our inaugural event as we hoped but we have loved the berries, tomatoes, garlic, and other good things to eat along the way! 
But on June 26 we spotted our first pumpkin forming! We continued to see more each week. Summer was about managing our irrigation lines, fighting off the aggressive cucumber beetle, and gleaning delicious raspberries and boysenberries for ourselves.
In addition to caring for our pumpkins we harvested garlic, snap peas, tomatoes, peppers, along with the berries. Thanks to John’s generosity we took our harvest home for personal consumption! We were able to auction as many pumpkins on our inaugural event as we hoped but we have loved the berries, tomatoes, garlic, and other good things to eat along the way!We harvested the pumpkins in October (about a 90-day growing period) and auctioned them at our October 19 Social. Our pumpkin harvest was a perfect advance to World Polio Day on October 24!
BakBraken Acres Farm has been certified organic since the late 1970's. John Drew is one of the original organizers of the Nevada County Certified Growers Market which was at the Fairgrounds, the North Star House and now in Pine Creek Shopping Center. At one time he provided organic produce to a number of stores and restaurants in Nevada and Placer County but he is slowing down and this year he isn't planning on planting very much. We were given access to an area of the farm to grow our pumpkins and helped harvest other veggies.
Pumpkins for Polio Pond Party
Click to visit our Pumpkins for Polio photo album and slideshow.
Learn more about Rotary’s End Polio Now.
Cathy and Farmer John with our final harvest!
Congratulations and well done to all who participated with us through the Spring, Summer and into Fall! It has been a fun project filled with lots of laughs along the way!
While Nevada City Celebrated with Pumpkins, Carolyn Feuille and Bob celebrated in New Zealand with Queenstown Rotary club. They participated with President Neil Boniface and the Club’s End Polio Fundraiser. One of the many special connections we share through Rotary International!
A big thank you to our World Polio Day crew — Tom Ryan, Judy, Dennis, Sandy, Walt and Cathy for setting up in Nevada City to share the story of polio.
Click for a printable flyer Pumpkins for Polio Auction.
Photo credits: Pixabay.com/WOKANDAPIX, and GardenGG Nevada City Rotarians, Rotary.org