Don't you just love the end of fair season? Makes you want to run out and buy... pumpkins. (Sorry, Meg Ryan — we're borrowing your line from You’ve Got Mail and planting it in a patch of our own.)
First, a proper round of applause: to every volunteer who spent hot, dusty days at the Kids' Corner booth with First 5 Nevada County — handing out free books, signing up over-excited little ones for Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, and somehow still smiling by the end of your shift. You turned a fairground into a launchpad for a few hundred future readers, and that is no small thing. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Now that the funnel cake grease has cooled and the last stuffed animal has been won, it's time to trade one project for the next. Pumpkins Palooza is calling, and we're answering with our sleeves already rolled up. The patch needs tending, the fundraiser needs fueling, the Restaurant Raffle needs more certificates, and this club has never met a "full steam ahead" it didn't like.
So, consider this our version of "don't you just love Fall" — because we do, and it's not just the pumpkin spice talking. It's the volunteers who'll be out there planting, watering, and eventually harvesting. It's the troop of artists who help us do the pumpkin painting. It’s the fundraiser that keeps our community programs running all year. It's the chance to do it all again, just with more orange and less sunscreen.
If you helped at the fair this year, thank you — truly. If you're looking for your next way to pitch in, Pumpkins Palooza is where we need you next. Stay tuned for patch days, prep details, and how to get involved before October rolls around.
SAVE THE DATE ~ OCTOBER 15, 2026 2nd ANNUAL PUMPKINS PALOOZA
Restaurant Raffle New this year, we are bringing back our popularRestaurant Raffle Bonanza! Odds are 1 in a 100 to win the grand prize packagewinner-take-all raffle for 12 local $100 restaurant certificates ~ a $1,200 value and more! The Palooza team has identified over 20 restaurants to solicit for $100 certificates. Restaurant solicitations are continuing and we need your help. Contact Tom Ryan to signup for for specific restaurants if you can help solicit. The Rotarian who comes up with the most $100 certificates wins a free raffle ticket!
Farm Parties
Cathy spreading ladybugs to control the aphids feeding on our pumpkins. Over the past week we have released 9,000 ladybugs and they are being very well fed. All hands on deck for Pumpkins Palooza! Work party alert ~ Saturdays morning at 7:30am at Bakbraken Acres! Let Tom Ryan or Cathy know if you are coming to join the fun and enjoy special harvest treats from the farm! Ladybugs are being released to protect our pumpkins.
Lots of farming opportunities throughout the summer.
Board Meetings are held on the second Monday of the month. Our next Board meeting is September 14 at 5:30pm via Zoom with President Andrea leading us.
Not a Board member but want to join us? Contact Robin or reply to this Rotario for instructions. All club members are encouraged to attend a meeting. Location/schedule is subject to change, please ask.
Cathy spreading ladybugs to control the aphids feeding on our pumpkins. Over the past week we have released 9,000 ladybugs and they are being very well fed. All hands on deck for Pumpkins Palooza! Work party alert ~ Saturdays morning at 7:30am at Bakbraken Acres! Let Tom Ryan or Cathy know if you are coming to join the fun and enjoy special harvest treats from the farm! Ladybugs are being released to protect our pumpkins.