Sussex County Community College’s LACE Program (Learning At College Experience) is in its 17th year, and celebrated its 8th Annual Pumpkin Float at Horton Pond on October 30th. The LACE Program, which currently has 54 students, provides Social Skills, Life Skills, and Continuing Education 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 nine 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 event. The college’s Facilities Department and a staff member provide trucks to transport them to the floats on the far side of the pond. The firefighters, along with LACE staff and Faciltities, put the pumpkins on individual floats with a tealight in them and placed them in the water, rowing the tealight-lit pumpkin “train” all over the pond. They have made this happen every year!
The students were able to come dressed in costumes if they wanted. Team Activities that took place included Cracker Stack Race, Donut Fishing Contest, Candy Corn Race, and making a Toilet Paper Mummy. Individual Activities included Halloween worksheets and mazes, making paper 3D Pumpkins, Origami, Witch’s Hat Ring Toss, and making a Q-Tip Skeleton. Hot dogs and snacks were also provided. Mother Nature was very kind to us once again as the temperature was in the high 70s.
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