Linus was convinced that if he hung out in the pumpkin patch all night long, the Great Pumpkin would arise and bestow him special Halloween gifts. Of course there is no Great Pumpkin.

Now in its 26th year, the Pumpkin Patch fundraiser features pumpkins sustainably grown on a Navajo Indian Reservation near Farmington, N.M., and trucked across the country for sale in Alexandria.

Linus waited in vain for the Great Pumpkin to appear in the pumpkin patch — and Republicans may find they don't have much better luck waiting for a speaker to emerge from their caucus.

Earlier this month, when St. Michael's Church and others set up pumpkin patches, they were perpetuating an American tradition that took root after World War II when the popularity of ...