Pumpkin patch fundraiser to benefit Humane Society

The community is invited to “paws” in a pumpkin patch on the prairie during a Kootenai Humane Society Fundraiser from 1 to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 12, at Prairie Home Farm in Coeur d’Alene.

The fundraiser will feature educational seminars for pet owners, pet photography, adoptable pets and vendors, as well as coffee and refreshments. All vendors will donate a percentage of their proceeds to the Humane Society.

Admission to the farm is free during the fundraiser, and there’s no charge for the seminars.

“You can bring your pets,” said Linda Swenson, the owner of Prairie Home Farm. She organized the event. “It’s going to be a big get-together.”

Swenson bought Prairie Home Farm in 2001.“Whatever wasn’t here,” she said, “I planted.”

The farm’s pumpkin patch opened in 2004. Since then, interest in the “little patch of heaven” on the edge of the Rathdrum prairie has continued to grow.

In addition to benefiting the Humane Society, Swenson said she wanted the fundraiser to benefit the community. That’s why three seminars for pet owners are scheduled from 2 to 3 p.m., covering dog safety and obedience, how to raise backyard flocks and how to keep rabbits as pets.

She said she hoped the seminars would lead to the Humane Society taking in fewer animals.

“People get rabbits and don’t know how to take care of them, or they get roosters and don’t know the regulations,” she said. “They need to know this.”

Prairie Home Farm is at 7780 N. Atlas Road in Coeur d’Alene.