Watch: Low-flying plane showers Summerhouse Farms crowd with candy at Lynden Legacy Pumpkin Patch
HEBER CITY, Utah — A small plane buzzed low over the crowd at Summerhouse Farms on Friday, Sept. 25, dropping candy for hundreds of kids below as the highlight of the Lynden Legacy Pumpkin Patch, a fall fundraiser for families caring for loved ones with Alzheimer’s.
The candy drop capped an evening of live music, food, a giant tire swing, a pumpkin smash and raffles at the farm at 2001 W 1200 S in Heber City. Every ticket sold goes to the Lynden Legacy Foundation, a Utah nonprofit that provides respite grants, caregiver conferences and resources to people caring for someone with Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia.
Volunteers told TownLift the foundation expects to support more than 100 families a year.
The foundation was started by Dr. Marsden Blanch, a Utah head and neck surgeon and founder of MegaDyne Medical Products, after his wife, Lynette, was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s. According to the foundation’s website, Blanch promised to preserve her comfort and dignity through the disease. He started Lynden Legacy to give other families thrown into the caregiver role the counsel and support he found lacking.
The foundation’s site describes its goal as becoming a central clearinghouse for caregivers, with a network where families can find trained help for respite, advocacy and companionship. Several members of its team, including its director and event coordinator, came to the work after caring for their own family members through Alzheimer’s.
More information on the foundation is at lyndenlegacy.com
