For members of the Community Solar Greenhouse (COMSOG), the start of October means a bare greenhouse and empty gardens. It also means a party.

Sunday afternoon, the group invited community members to its annual fall festival which featured baked goods, pony rides, clowns, free soup and, of course, produce. “It’s grown,” said Marshall Bush, who managed the group for 10 years. “What it used to be initially was the produce that we had accumulated,” he said.

Today, the festival still features the produce COMSOG’s members grow in its greenhouse and on its grounds. Visitors could purchase apples, tomatoes and pumpkins along with hot dog relish and a wide variety of pickled goods.

Volunteer Carol Seale admitted that not all of the group’s produce, specifically some peppers, made it out to the table. But this wasn’t because the members were hoarding it for themselves. “We didn’t pick those because we didn’t know what kind they were,” she said, laughing, admitting they weren’t sure if they were hot peppers or not.

Visitors who wanted vegetation that would last longer could pick up violets, geraniums, chives and other plants that greenhouse members had donated from their own gardens. “This is the time of year when people split up things in their gardens anyways,” said Thalia Scanlan, who co-chaired the event along with Barbara Shriber.

Not all of the festival’s items were greenhouse-grown. Near the back of the lot, the trifles and treasures booth offered visitors canning jars, whisks, ladles and potato mashers, all handy objects for turning produce into dinner. Like the plants, these items were donated by members of the greenhouse group. “Everybody brings their things. Not old things, but things they don’t have a need for anymore,” said Barbara Shriber, one of the event’s co-chairs. Her trifle was a fax machine that sold for $25.

People who didn’t feel like shopping could hum along with a six-piece brass band or ride on Jamie, a pony donated for the afternoon by Nip ’n’ Tuck Farm. “They’re very gentle, and I just like to sit on him,” eight-year-old Allannah Ledford said, watching Jamie roll in the dirt. Luckily, no one was riding him at the time.

Another highlight of the festival for Allannah was the face painting booth where she’d had a slightly distorted outdoor scene painted on her cheek. Why pink grass? “I just like the color pink. It’s my favorite,” she said.

But enjoying one of the highlights of the afternoon required an early arrival. The longest line of the afternoon was for the free soup donated by Linda Jean’s Restaurant in Oak Bluffs. There must have been something magic in this year’s broth, since it was all gone by 1:30 p.m.

Virginia Blakesley of West Tisbury counted herself lucky to have received the last cup. And this wasn’t the only last treat she walked away with. “I got two zucchini breads and my brother, who’s visiting from Connecticut, bought the beach plum jelly – the last two,” she said. Ms. Blakesley plans to bring these treats with her to a wedding in South Dakota.

While plenty of families came to the festival — as was clear by the group of children enjoying the polka dotted juggling clown — the bulk of the visitors were members of the greenhouse group. The organization’s membership now tallies at more than 250 people. For a yearly fee, throughout the year members can buy the greenhouse’s produce at reduced prices.

But even with their high numbers, the COMSOG always welcomes new faces. A volunteer, Bud Shriber noted that the group hopes the festival will attract volunteers and members. “We always pick up a few of them. We’re picking up more all the time,” he said.

And, as Bud himself demonstrates, helping with the greenhouse doesn’t require a love for plants. “About five years ago I came over here and I found out I was a member [of COMSOG],” he explained. “[My wife] loves plants and all that, and I don’t. I cut grass.” But Mr. Shriber got involved anyway, helping out with maintenance and his specialty, cutting the grass.

Mr. Bush noted that the greenhouse wouldn’t work without its volunteers. “The better and the more volunteers we have, the better and the more we can accomplish. Right now, our herb garden is in disarray because we haven’t had the time to spend on that,” he said.

Based on the smiles on the members’ faces as they circulated the parking lot, being part of this operation can be a real treat. “I’ve been involved for about 10 years,” said volunteer Kathy Allen, taking a break from working at the group’s baked goods table. “I wanted something to do besides go to the beach.”

But although the mint jelly, cranberry raisin pineapple bread and chocolate fudge that Ms. Allen was selling were tantalizing, the social atmosphere was her favorite part of the day. “It’s just a good time had by all,” she said.

The fall festival serves as one of the group’s main fundraisers. Others include a Mother’s Day seedling sale, a David Crohan concert and a Tivoli Day booth. Funds raised from the events help support the group’s daily operations and also fund special needs. “We have to put a new roof on our greenhouse that’s not going to get through the winter,” Ms. Shriber said.

After the festival, the greenhouse will be empty for several months. But the group will begin planting again in January, treating members to an early spring. “In the wintertime when it’s miserable and nasty outside and you go in the greenhouse and everything’s growing,” Mr. Bush said.

After all, it’s always summer in the greenhouse. “It’s hot today,” Ms. Seale said, enjoying the building’s heat. “You’re right in July.”