Jim Ross

Need to scare away evil spirits? Can't find a turnip? The American Legion now has a pumpkin patch with the goal of funding repairs and projects for the Hughes-Pittinger Post 26 in Powell.

Jack-o'-lanterns originated from Celtic traditions that were later adapted in America. The Irish folklore of "Stingy Jack," who was doomed to roam the earth with a burning coal inside a hollowed-out turnip, inspired the Irish to carve faces into turnips to scare away evil spirits and demons. When Irish immigrants came to America, they began using more readily available pumpkins, leading to the modern jack-o'-lantern, according to the Carnegie Museum of Natural History.

Despite the whole turnip-turned-pumpkin history, the current orange-faced Halloween holiday icon provides families with the tons o'fun decorating their pumpkins and adding accents of the colorful season's harvest to their facades. But unless you have a large garden full of squash and gourds, you might need to head to the pumpkin patch.

Color-coded for pricing, the self-serve patch will go a long way in helping the Sons of the American Legion serve their post, said Post 26 Commander of the Sons of the American Legion Jim Ross.

"We use the proceeds of our fundraisers to help the community and veterans. And we've done several upgrades to the building," he said.

One example of recent projects include upgrades to the Post to make it more handicap accessible. The group put in a new concrete pad in the back to make it more accessible and they changed the doors for the bathrooms to make them more accessible.

The Sons of the American Legion (SAL) was created in 1932 as an organization within the American Legion. The SAL is made up of boys and men of all ages whose parents or grandparents served in the United States military and became eligible for membership in the American Legion. Together, members of the American Legion, the American Legion Auxiliary and the Sons of the American Legion make up what is known as the Legion Family. All three organizations place high importance on preserving American traditions and values, improving the quality of life for the nation's children, caring for veterans and their families, and perhaps most importantly, teaching the fundamentals of good citizenship.

There is a secure box and price sheet posted near the entrance to the facility for the pumpkin patch, as well as video surveillance to catch any demons looking to cheat the system. In 2021, the Post 26 Scouting troop was robbed of about $1,000 worth of Christmas trees they were selling to help fund their projects.

However, members of the public started coming in to "buy" one of the stolen trees.

“You know, we were angry at first, but then the community really stepped up,” Scoutmaster Donny Peterson said at the time. “People started coming and buying invisible trees.”

And now, for the first time, the local legion groups will assist all who need help scaring away evil spirits, as well as joining in the fun for the popular holiday.