Gallery • 18 Photos

Wyman Jones

Druid Hill Park held their first annual Park N’ Pumpkin Festival on Saturday to kick off the fall season.

Six Morgan State University organizations participated, volunteering their time to help the community.

Rodney Coates, event coordinator and community service director, said “They sent us a flyer and asked me how many people I could get and we have a total of 109 Morgan State
University students.”

S.M.O.O.T.H (Strong Men Overcoming Obstacles Through Hard Work), NCNW (National Council of Negro Women), Black Girls Vote, F.U.T.U.R.E (Females United To Uplift, Reshape and Educate), My Sister’s Keeper, and the Student Government Association came out to represent Morgan.

Senior, S.M.O.O.T.H member, Jovanne Santouse, said “This is not what I expected, I was expecting something a little smaller. Mayor Pugh came out so we got a picture with her, and this event was a lot bigger than I expected.”

The festival featured fall themed activities such as face painting, pumpkin painting, hay rides, scarecrow making, yoga in the park, pony rides, live music, local food trucks, and of course, local vendors.

Terra Scott, co-owner of Scotty Cakes, a local family owned baked goods business for vegan and gluten free treats said, “I’m looking forward to seeing a lot of the community come out and to introduce ourselves to the community.”

Morgan State alumna and sports broadcaster for Fox 45, Mykell Ramos said “It’s nice to see my fellow morganites getting out into the community but this is a great free event.”

Miss Morgan State University’s, Brittany Dorsey, who works alongside with the student government association helped give out hot cider, popcorn, and hot chocolate. She also said “I’m so happy I came out, it’s great to see all the kids and everyone coming out to be apart of the community” and she hopes next year the event “should stay what it is but continue to grow and expand to more kids and more families.”