When the pumpkins went back out on the lawn at 85 Union Avenue last fall, some of the people picking through them had done it before as children. "Last year, we welcomed people who told us they had visited our pumpkin patch as children," organizers wrote in answers to questions from Northern Valley Press. "In 2025, they were returning with children of their own."
This October is the patch's second season since it returned, and it's open daily through Halloween. The patch disappeared for five autumns and came back only because the community asked for it. It runs on a supply arrangement that lets a single congregation stock more than 1,000 pumpkins with no money up front. And the money it raises goes back into programs that run all year at the same address.
The Five Autumns Without It
Pumpkin Patch Fundraisers supplies the church, and according to its sales records, Cresskill Congregational Church, UCC took part every year from 2006 through 2019, Northern Valley Press reported in its October 2026 issue. The church dropped out in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic and brought the patch back in 2025 in response to community interest.
The article notes that organizers also remember church members who worked on earlier patches and have since died. Those members left behind a tradition of welcoming visitors that today's volunteers carry on.
The 2026 patch opened Oct. 4 with more than 1,000 pumpkins and gourds. It's open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day through Oct. 31. On its pumpkin patch page, the church calls it "the famous Cresskill Pumpkin Patch" and advertises "1,000+ of the freshest pumpkins in Bergen County" in a range of sizes, shapes and colors.
What Arrives on the Tractor-Trailer
The pumpkins on Union Avenue are grown in New Mexico. The church credits them to the Navajo Nation. The supplier, Pumpkin Patch Fundraisers, says it started in 1974 with three acres in North Carolina and a handshake agreement with a church. After Hurricane Hugo, it moved its farming to the Navajo Nation near Farmington, New Mexico. The company says it employs more than 700 Native Americans during the September and October harvest.
The farm's location is easy to misread. The company operates on land at Navajo Agricultural Products Industry, but NAPI published a clarification in September 2024. It says Pumpkin Patch Fundraisers is a separate contractor and that NAPI does not grow, sell or provide pumpkins for the company.
The supply arrangement is what makes the Cresskill patch possible. The company's fundraiser terms say the pumpkins come on consignment with no upfront cost. The organization pays only for what it sells, and the company takes the losses from spoilage, breakage and theft. A congregation doesn't have to gamble its budget on a field of perishable produce. Instead it needs people.
Those people are a small crew. Fundraising Committee Chair Cindy Micucci and church Treasurer Jack Rickly lead the project, with about 20 volunteers who set up the display and staff the sales table all month. Before any sales start, friends, relatives and students from area high schools unload the pumpkins from a tractor-trailer. Volunteers price the larger pumpkins by size using a measuring tape. Smaller pumpkins and gourds are priced from an inventory list.
Church Moderator Carole Lotito described the patch to Northern Valley Press this way:
"A treasured event that brings our community together in a fun, beautiful display celebrating autumn and our connection to Cresskill and the entire Northern Valley."
Where the Money Goes Once the Lawn Is Cleared
The patch is the church's second-largest fundraiser. Only its monthly White Elephant thrift shop brings in more, according to the same Northern Valley Press article. Proceeds help pay for church operations and, through them, its outreach. So a pumpkin bought in October helps pay for programs that run all year at 85 Union Avenue:
- Cresskill Cares Food Pantry gives out free groceries at the church on Saturdays from 10:30 a.m. to noon. It takes donation drop-offs on Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the church's rear parking lot, and it is open to everyone regardless of faith or residence.
- The Sandwich Line meets weekly to make and deliver lunches of sandwiches, water, chips, fruit and cookies to day workers who gather at several spots in Dumont and Bergenfield.
- Rainbow Cafe NNJ started in 2009 as a partnership between the church and Bergen County PFLAG. It runs a nonreligious youth group for LGBTQ teens, with dances and activities held at the church.
The article also lists a Helpsy clothing donation bin, Fitz by Horan teen clothing events and Parent's Night Out among the church's other efforts. The pumpkins on the lawn are the most visible part of a year-round operation.
Halloween Week, Day by Day
The patch is the busiest stop on a crowded Cresskill calendar between now and Oct. 31. Most of the other dates come from the borough's Oct. 8 Mayor's Weekly Community Update. The Fall Festival at the Benedict Romeo Community Center and the rescheduled Cresskill 5K are already over, so what's left looks like this.
| Date | What | Where | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily through Sat., Oct. 31 | Pumpkin patch, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. | Cresskill Congregational Church, 85 Union Ave. | Cash, cards and Venmo accepted |
| Thu., Oct. 22 | Halloween Needle Felt Craft for adults, 6 to 7 p.m. | Cresskill Public Library | Registration required |
| Sat., Oct. 24 | Cresskill Cares grocery distribution, 10:30 a.m. to noon | 85 Union Ave. | Open to everyone |
| Sat., Oct. 24 | Prescription Drug Take Back Day | Cresskill Police Department | Drive-up drop-off |
| Sat., Oct. 24 | Free Trunk or Treat, 3 to 4:30 p.m. | 85 Union Ave. | Rain or shine, open to all children |
| Mon., Oct. 26 | Arty Time, 5 to 6 p.m. | Cresskill Public Library | Registration required |
| Thu., Oct. 29 | Read to a Dog, 4 p.m.; Creating with Clay, 6 to 7 p.m. | Cresskill Public Library | Registration required |
| Fri., Oct. 30 | Cabbage Night | Borough-wide | 9 p.m. curfew for minors |
| Sat., Oct. 31 | Kids Halloween Party, 1 to 2 p.m. | Library Program Room | Last day of the patch; 9 p.m. curfew for minors |
Saturday, Oct. 24 is the busiest day at the church. The food pantry opens in the morning, the patch opens at 11, and the Trunk or Treat runs mid-afternoon, with crafts, games and candy, Northern Valley Press reported. Halloween falls on a Saturday this year. The borough's update keeps what it calls a "longstanding Borough custom": a 9 p.m. curfew for everyone under 18 on Cabbage Night and on Halloween. It also asks families to be mindful of residents if trick-or-treating starts early. Library programs that need registration can be booked at cresskilllibrary.org.
Before You Head to Union Avenue
- There's no admission fee. Visiting groups have no scheduled activities or admission fees and pay only for the pumpkins they buy.
- Groups should book ahead. Schools, daycare centers and residential facilities can set up mini field trips. Registration is through the church's pumpkin patch page.
- Bring the camera. The church describes the setting as non-scary and good for family photos with small children.
- Don't plan on a November visit. The patch closes Oct. 31.
For more on the town beyond Halloween week, our Cresskill neighborhood guide and our roundup of family-friendly activities in and around Cresskill cover the rest of the calendar.
At The Kolsky Team, we follow Bergen County's local traditions as closely as we follow its sales. If you'd like a Cresskill perspective from people who track those details all year, we're glad to talk.
