Mount Pleasant Magazine Sept/Oct 2016

aura Bowers is no stranger

to the thrill of the hunt. As creative

director of the Boone Hall Pumpkin

Patch for five years running, as well

as CEO of the plantation, she never

quits the search for the odds and

ends – from foam swimming pool

“noodles” to television satellite dishes – that could later

transform into one whimsical part

of a child’s imagination. Searching

the secondhand circuit high and low, including Goodwill

stores, Habitat for Humanity and just any gathering of

so-called junk, Bowers makes a mountain of treasure out

of the molehill of discard. The result is a fall festival that

continues to bring thousands of starry-eyed children to

Boone Hall Plantation year after year.

Though Bowers described herself as visual, she hasn’t

always been an artist. In fact, she worked with a restaurant

group for 21 years, where she learned to be versatile and

quick on her feet. Then, seven years ago, she took a job at

Boone Hall Plantation. At that time, the Pumpkin Patch

was orchestrated by a third party – until Bowers took over

the project and made it shine. Nowadays, the Pumpkin

Patch is a celebration of creativity and hard work, some-

thing its director takes seriously.

“One thing I do well is bringing people together,” Bow-

ers said, winding her SUV through the dirt paths of the

plantation en route to the “tent,” where magic happens to

all the miscellaneous items accumulated from thrifting.

“I try to do things 100 percent or not at all,” she con-

tinued. “We all work together. The staff is strong here, and

everyone loves what they do, especially the Pumpkin Patch!”

At the tent, I was awestruck at, well, the mess. Yet

Bowers and her trusty assistant, Henry Way, were quick

to tell me the destinies of each odd and end. There was a

fortune teller lady housed inside of an old sunglasses case,

a sparkling crown made from a wall knickknack, wander-

ing eyes made from ordinary beach balls, horses made out

Behindthe Boone hall PumPkin Patch

A Harvest of

Ideas

By Denise K. James

Laura Bowers never quits the search for odds and ends that could later

transform to one part of a child’s imagination.

Photo courtesy of Boone Hall Pumpkin Patch.