This weekend should be a big celebration for the folks at Lynchburg Grows: the kickoff for their first Autumn pumpkin sale. They've managed to get everything ready on time, but it wasn't easy, thanks to an unexpected and unwelcome intruder.

For Lynchburg Grows, their first pumpkin patch was great. At least someone thought so.

Dereck Cunningham, Lynchburg Grows - "That's like his little pathway he goes in."

He or she is a groundhog. But, this time of year Dereck Cunningham is the one checking for shadows.

Cunningham - "Every little hole, we have to cover up because they can fit in there. Something this big can fit in there easily."

And, once inside, it's all over.

Cunningham - "You're seeing more and more of your pumpkins destroyed by just a bite or two."

That's all it takes to transform the Great Pumpkin to a shriveling mess.

Cunningham - "That's ruined."

There's not much that can be done. They caught one already, then Animal Control told them about a city code -- don't try to remove them.

Cunningham - "You have to release them on your own property, and you can't shoot any animals within city limits."

Cunningham - "What's the point of catching them?"

Really, it seems, there isn't one. And guess who knows it?

Cunningham - "He's not scared of me anymore. He's just playing games with me right now."

Advantage -- Groundhog.

Cunningham - "I like to say they are some of the healthiest groundhogs around here, because we have organic stuff."

Lynchburg Grows is a non-profit. They got those extra pumpkins from a patch in Huddleston to help fill the void.