SMOKEY POINT — Marysville Rotary “Pumpkin Czar” Kelly Richards reported that business was booming during this year’s first weekend of the Marysville Rotary’s annual “Pumpkins for Literacy” program, Oct. 9-11, at the Smokey Point Plant Farm.

“We brought in about 35,000 pounds of pumpkins just to start with,” Richards said Oct. 12. “Of course, we don’t sell pumpkins by the pound, but we’ve sold about a third of those already, just this weekend. In fact, I’m about to order more pumpkins right now,” he laughed.

Richards touted the weekend’s warm, sunny weather as one factor that benefitted attendance, and complimented the Smokey Point Plant Farm for the fact that “the field is in as good a shape as it’s ever been” for the Rotary’s pumpkin patch. In addition to the pumpkins themselves, he touted the event’s free hay rides, train rides, bouncy houses and animal farm, the latter of which is being provided by the Future Farmers of America.

“With the shorter school days coming up for Marysville students, I hope to see some of them coming out here during the days,” Richards said.

Pumpkins for Literacy raises funds for the Marysville, Lakewood and Arlington school districts to promote school literacy. It also raises enough money to purchase hard-bound dictionaries for every third-grade student throughout the school districts. This year, Pumpkins for Literacy donated $4,000 to the Marysville Custodial Department Committee to fund the printing of nearly 200 copies of “The Happy Custodian,” a children’s book about custodians written, illustrated and edited by Marysville School District custodians.

Large groups can book tours through the Rotary pumpkin patch by calling North County Bank at 360-659-7100.

The pumpkin patch is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., daily, through Oct. 31.