While most pumpkin patches are filled with decorative gourds and hay bales, the 17th annual Great Glass Pumpkin Patch offered a different kind of harvest this autumn. A sea of vibrant handblown glass pumpkins in a wide variety of colors lined the courtyard at the Monroe County Courthouse on Saturday, offering families, friends and neighbors an opportunity to embrace local artistry.
Behind the colorful glass pumpkins is a deep-rooted tradition for the Bloomington Creative Glass Center. Abby Gitlitz, executive director of the center, brought the event to Bloomington 2010 after learning about glass blowing while working at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2000.
“Originally, it was our major fundraiser, just in order to be able to open a glass blowing studio, because it is not cheap to open,” Gitlitz said. “But now, we offer so many different types of things, and this helps to support some of our missions. So, this helps us provide cost for classes. It also allows us to do programming in elementary schools and offer free classes for folks.”
Bloomington Creative Glass Center, located at 229 West Grimes Lane, is a non-profit organization that offers affordable education in glass blowing for local residents. Anyone aged 13-79 can come together and take a class to learn how to make custom glass pieces, such as stained glass or glass blowing.
“All the pumpkins are made by people who are part of the glass bowling apprenticeship program,” Gitlitz said. “So, instead of taking classes and paying for classes with us, they are assisting us to make the pumpkins, and in exchange, getting to learn how to blow glass for free.”
The pumpkins come in all shapes and sizes, and on Saturday, hay bales were used to showcase ones ranging in a variety of colors. Some bales highlighted larger pumpkins with different designs, with Others steering away from the traditional look with polka dots, rainbows, and spikey textures.
Since the Bloomington Creative Glass Center welcomes everyone regardless of experience, every pumpkin has a unique look. Gitlitz said that they embrace the differences in each pumpkin by giving misfits an area of their own at the event.
“There's a sign that is the ‘Island of Misfit Pumpkins,’” because not all pumpkins are quite as fabulous looking as they might want to be,” Gitlitz said. “So, we have a space set aside, specifically for those. A lot of people make a beeline right to the ‘Island of Misfit Pumpkins.’ It's really fun.”
Situated on Kirkwood Avenue outside the courthouse, the patch provided a gathering place where community members could easily stop by and explore the display. As crowds gathered throughout the day, the Great Glass Pumpkin Patch served as more than an art sale, bringing community members together to support local artists while celebrating the fall season.
For Bloomington local Tracy Luther, the Great Glass Pumpkin Patch offered more than artwork to admire. He said the event allowed them to connect with their community and grow a collection of glass pumpkins.
“We’ve been coming to this for about four years now, and a couple of our friends help together the festival, and I also help make the pumpkins too,” Luther said. “So, it's always fun to support them and see the work that they’re doing. Now, we’ve got a collection of glass pumpkins.”
Another Bloomington resident, Julianne Graper, said the Great Glass Pumpkin Patch stood out not only for its artistry but also for the sense of connection it created among community members.
“I’ve been a couple times before, and I've taken a couple classes at the glass center,” Graper said. “I think it's just a really cool interpretation of a typical fall festival. So rather than a regular pumpkin patch, they have one that's more permanent.”
Luther shared a similar sentiment to Graper’s, mentioning how the one-of-a-kind event really adds to the sense of community in Bloomington and referring to it as a “staple to the city.” Luther added that Bloomington hosts multiple activities and programs that help bring the community together, and the Annual Great Glass Pumpkin Patch is a unique example of that.
The Glass Pumpkin Patch isn't just having an impact on locals; it's been praised nationally. Gitlitz said she had witnessed the event's impact firsthand and understood why attendees continued to return year after year.
“Last year, we had people from 67 counties and 13 states, who came in just for this event,” Gitlitz said. “So, it's not the sort of thing you go to once and think, ‘Oh, that's really pretty.’ Once you've done it, it kind of gets in your blood. You want to keep doing it.”
The Bloomington Creative Glass Center will start working on the next round of pumpkins Oct. 24 and will continue until June 2027.
