Pluck a free pink pumpkin from Baton Rouge General’s pop-up patch today
Fall is here, and so is Baton Rouge General’s one-day pink pumpkin patch. Today, find pastel gourds covering the hospital’s Bluebonnet campus, promoting its annual Protect Your Pumpkins campaign.
Baton Rougeans are welcome to attend the pop-up patches and pluck a complimentary pink pumpkin. Additional pumpkins are available for $10 each. The porcelain doll pumpkins serve as both a display for breast cancer awareness and a physical reminder for women to schedule their mammograms.
“This is our ninth year, but [the pink pumpkin patch event] has just grown. There’s so much community interest. We really feel like we’ve kind of got it down to a science. But in the same vein, we always look for opportunities to make it better and involve our patients and the community even more,” BRG’s director of communications Katie Johnston says. “After each October, we do get more requests for mammograms, and then we can follow those people to see that they actually then come in and get the mammograms. We can see that it works and that has that impact.”
BRG staff start planning the beloved annual event months in advance, working with a grower in Texas to secure the blush pumpkins (The special shade of pumpkin was cultivated for breast cancer awareness). Five thousand pumpkins arrive at BRG’s patch and hundreds of volunteers set them out in the wee hours of the morning, giving the public a surprise pop-up patch.
“Breast cancer awareness definitely has the benefit of getting a lot of public publicity each year, but that doesn’t mean that there’s still not an opportunity to have those important conversations this month,” Johnston says. “And something visible like a pink pumpkin patch that pops up overnight is a great way to do that.”
The event is more than just a pumpkin patch, with various activities running throughout the day. Attendees can expect photo ops like a 15-foot inflatable pink pumpkin and a vintage truck, along with pink lemonade, caricature drawings and balloons courtesy of the patch and campaign’s sponsor, Ambetter. There will also be other treats like Italian ice and Posh Pop popcorn. Protect Your Pumpkins T-shirts and light-up bracelets will be available for purchase, too.
This year’s patch is only at the Bluebonnet campus due to renovations starting at the Mid City location. It also included a new event called the Survivor Sunrise, where breast cancer survivors were invited to the patch to mingle and hang out before the sun came up for the day. Johnston says the Survivor Sunrise will continue for future patches.
A well attended and visible display, the pink pumpkin patch kicks off BRG’s Protect Your Pumpkins campaign, which runs through Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The hospital continues to raise awareness by having ambassadors share their stories and encouraging scans for early detection. This year’s ambassadors are Nanette Burbank, LaTonya Rodney and Kodi Wilson.
BRG will also host its Mammos & More event on Oct. 24. This signature event provides opportunities for screening with both mammograms and clinical breast exams. There’s also live music, mimosas and bra fittings with Bra Genie.
As the second most commonly diagnosed cancer among American women, breast cancer can be detected early through mammograms. Women, especially those over 40, should ask their doctors about screenings. Mammograms can be scheduled at BRG’s campuses through the Protect Your Pumpkins campaign website or by calling (225) 769-1847.
