FOUNTAIN INN — Amanda Peden and Sam Lee rose before the sun one day last October to begin their first pumpkin giveaway.
The duo, with some help from friends and family, set out hundreds of pumpkins on Lee’s front yard at his Main Street house in Fountain Inn to create a faux patch for the public to pick for free.
“The community is so good to us throughout the year,” Peden said. “Our friends and family and neighbors buy from our businesses.”
“It doesn’t matter what we’re doing, they always come out to make purchases from us,” she added. “It’s just one of the few things that we can do throughout the year to be able to give a little back.”
Peden and Lee are back this year with another upcoming pumpkin giveaway set for the morning of Oct. 15. The event, as they’ve dubbed it, is “The Great Pumpkin Giveaway” of Fountain Inn.
Peden grew up in Fountain Inn, and Lee, who is originally from Charleston, moved to the region in 1993. Each operates a small business in the Golden Strip.
Peden has run Lilies on Main, a full-service florist, for over a decade in a corner shop on Main Street. For three years, Lee has owned Crazy Brent’s Fireworks with stands in Fountain Inn, Simpsonville and Greenville.
Amanda Peden (left) and Sam Lee, both Fountain Inn business owners, are hosting their second pumpkin giveaway on Oct. 15, 2022. Stephanie Mirah/Staff
“Fountain Inn has always just been a city that you take care of your neighbors, they take care of you,” Lee said.
For years, Peden would order pumpkins for her flower shop to spruce up the space for the fall season. Closer to Halloween, she would post on Facebook that her pumpkin display was up for grabs as she prepared to transition to Christmas decor. She usually got a good response of people coming in. Lee pushed the two to take the step further and run a larger giveaway.
The giveaway is a one-day event on Oct. 15 from 9 a.m. to noon, or until the supply is gone. People are encouraged to park at Georgia Street Park, about half a block from Lee’s house at 512 N. Main St. A police officer hired by Peden and Lee will direct traffic and aid people in crossing the street.
The pumpkins are from a farmers market in Columbia delivered to the Upstate. The rule is one pumpkin per person present at the giveaway. Peden and Lee have received some pushback about the edict, but they stand by it so they can reach the maximum number of people.
The pair recommends arriving earlier rather than later, especially because more people have been responsive to the event this year. In 2021, the two advertised the event on their individual business pages, but this year they have a Facebook page for the event.
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