Sussex County Community College’s LACE Program holds semi-annual Pumpkin Float event
NEWTON, NJ (Sussex County) – Sussex County Community College’s LACE Program (Learning At College Experience) is in its 16th year, and recently celebrated its 7th Not-So-Annual Pumpkin Float at Hortons Pond.
The LACE Program, which currently has 53 students, provides Social Skills, Life Skills, and Academics for adults with special needs. The students are from Sussex, Morris, and Warren counties, and attend in-person or virtually.
The students dropped off their already-carved pumpkins at the pond prior to class. The floats had been constructed about eight years ago by donated plywood from Home Depot with the Kittatinny Regional High School’s Wood Shop class building them and Hampton Cub Scout Pack 96, Den 5, painting them.
The Hopatcong Defiance Engine Company #3 runs the float – the college’s Facilities Department provides a truck to transport them to the floats on the far side of the pond. The firefighters, along with LACE staff, put the floats on the pumpkins with a tealight in it and place them in the water, rowing the tealight-lit pumpkin “train” all over the pond.
They have made this happen every year, with Kevin Schneider, Scott Nelson, and Jacob Masher returning to run this portion of the festivities.
The students were able to come dressed in costumes if they wanted. Team Activities took place once again after being on hiatus because of COVID. They included Hula Hoop Race, Donut Fishing Contest, Candy Corn Race, and making a Toilet Paper Mummy.
Quiet Activities included Halloween worksheets and mazes, making 3D Pumpkins out of paper, and making a Q-Tip Skeleton. Hot dogs were also available again with the assistance of the Colesville Fire Department’s Larry Bono.
“Mother Nature could not have been kinder to us! We are usually freezing on the day of this activity, dressed for winter. Instead, it was a perfect fall day,” officials said.
