Fall festival to feature teal pumpkins

OAK RIDGE — This year at Jefferson Township’s annual Fall Festival, Milton United Methodist Church will host a Teal Pumpkin Party celebrating and raising awareness of FARE’s (Food Allergy Research & Awareness) Teal Pumpkin Project.
The event will take place on Saturday, October 20 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Camp Jefferson, 81 Weldon Road, Lake Hopatcong, N.J.
While the campaign aims at driving inclusion for kids with food allergies during Halloween celebrations and with the need for specialty diets on the rise due to juvenile diabetes, celiac disease, etc., Teal Pumpkin is an important movement gaining traction across the country. Today, one in 13 kids is diagnosed with a life-threatening food allergy. For parents of these kids, food-centric holidays, especially the candy-focused Halloween celebrations, can be daunting – particularly for parents of children too young to truly advocate for themselves.
Come to the Teal Pumpkin Party in the pumpkin painting area at the annual Fall Festival and learn some simple ways to make trick-or-treating safe for everyone. Each child is invited to stay and paint his or her pumpkin teal and then put it out on Halloween night. This display signals to children and families trick-or-treating in your neighborhood that you are offering allergy-safe food treats (such as Dum-dum lollipops, Blow Pops, Enjoy Life cookies) or non-food options. Every child deserves a HAPPY Halloween.
Children will be able to choose to paint a pumpkin either teal or decorate a traditional orange pumpkin.
Milton UMC will be offering the Teal Pumpkin materials, including coloring pages, signs, and non-food item suggestion lists (while supplies last); and the Jefferson Township Recreation Department will be offering paint supplies for regular pumpkin painting.
For more information about the Teal Pumpkin Project® visit www.tealpumpkinproject.org and www.foodallergy.org