The Holland Community Center is ushering in the fall season by welcoming back two popular events the weekend of Oct. 20: the Annual Glass Pumpkin Patch Fundraiser and the Desert Foothills Book Festival. 

With over 1,000 glass pumpkins handmade by acclaimed artist Gregory Tomb available for purchase, the Glass Pumpkin Patch will be held 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday through Sunday, Oct. 20–22, according to a press release. Presented in partnership with Desert Foothills Library, the Book Festival will showcase approximately 70 award-winning local authors and will take place 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 21. 

Admission is free for both events, which will be held at the Holland Community Center, 34250 N. 60th Street, Scottsdale. 

For the fourth consecutive year, the Glass Pumpkin Patch will celebrate the spirit of Halloween while raising proceeds for the Holland Community Center, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization committed to enhancing arts, education and community in the Desert Foothills region. 

Beloved for its whimsical beauty and intricate designs, the glass pumpkins showcase Gregory Tomb’s artistry, the release stated. With a lifelong passion for glass art, Tomb has been awarded “best in glass” and served as the featured artist at the Nassau County Museum of Art, the Hampton Fine Art Festival, the Stuart Art Festival and the Scottsdale Artfest. His colorful creations have also been featured in numerous museums and magazines. In his work, Tomb incorporates classic techniques of furnace, fused, flame-worked and cold-worked glass, while also exploring new processes and ways to use glass and light.

Now in its second year, the Desert Foothills Book Festival was inspired by a group of local authors seeking to personally connect with book lovers and promote an appreciation of reading and the literary arts. Featuring authors from the greater Phoenix, Scottsdale, Cave Creek and Carefree areas who represent a diverse array of genres — including fiction, non-fiction, children’s, romance, young adult, historical, memoirs and more — the festival invites both kids and adults to engage with the authors, learn about their creative process and purchase signed books, the release stated. 

There will also be a fun raffle for free door prizes and a paid raffle for baskets of prizes worth at least $100. Proceeds from the event will support the Holland Community Center’s program “Creative Kids: Tell Me a Story,” which engages children in the literary arts by teaching them how to write and draw a picture book from start to finished product. 

Serving North Scottsdale, Cave Creek and Carefree, the Holland Community Center is a partnership dedicated to enriching the Desert Foothills community by celebrating arts and culture, treasuring the desert environment, assisting those in need and encouraging lifelong learning. 

To learn more about the center and its upcoming events, visit https://hollandcenter.org/.