Pumpkin Patch Raises Funds To Scare Away Childhood Cancer

FRANKLIN, TN — With Halloween approaching, pumpkin patches have sprung up all over, offering a wide variety of the orange gourds ready to be carved into jack-o'lanterns.

But one pumpkin patch in the Cool Springs area offers Halloween revelers an opportunity to support families in the fight against cancer. Staffed by volunteers, it's raising money for the Cooper Trooper Foundation, which supports families battling childhood cancer and pediatric cancer research.

The foundation's patch is at the corner of Cool Springs Boulevard and Mallory Lane, in front of Walgreens. Through Oct. 31, it's open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and on Sundays, and from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturdays.

The pumpkin patch also offers a free Kid's Corner on weekends, with games, inflatables and face painting. It runs from 1 to 5 p.m. on Saturdays and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sundays.

The Cooper Trooper Foundation is named for Cooper Cook, a youngster who was diagnosed with a form of pediatric cancer at eight weeks old. He was treated at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital, WKRN-TV News 2 reported.

Cooper's illness went into remission, and today, he's thriving and in the second grade, according to News 2.

In 2015, the pumpkin patch raised more than $50,000 for the Cooper Trooper Foundation. For more information on the foundation, click here.