Wellington of Fare's Theme Song
“The Duke Went Home with Riley” — written for Riley
Press + to see the words to “The Duke Went Home with Riley”! Press − to hide the words
Shout the orange parts back!
Down on 206th, right before the steep hill climb,
A lime-green duke showed up, four weeks shy of party time;
Fuzzy as a peach, sittin' pretty on a cedar board —
Born to the punk Fare clan... and the punks don't love a lord!
Who's the duke, who's the duke? (WELLINGTON!)
Who's he home with, home with? (RILEY!)
Ooh, he's off the vine, and he's off the board —
He's home with Riley now, and that's what he grew for!
Gold came risin' from the bottom, then the orange took the crown,
That fuzzy little lime turned the sunniest duke around;
Of all the Pipsqueak Pumpkin Patch, from the island to the hill,
Riley chose the duke — (THAT ONE!) — and the duke said, "Yes, I will!"
Who's the duke, who's the duke? (WELLINGTON!)
Who's he home with, home with? (RILEY!)
Ooh, he's off the vine, and he's off the board —
He's home with Riley now, and that's what he grew for!
Then the scale came out at harvest, and the duke stepped up to weigh:
Seven pounds and nearly two ounces — Pumpkins for Hay, hooray!
He was a quarter-pound of fuzz when his cedar board was new —
One month on the island, and look what the little duke grew!
Riley, Riley — here's the part that's all about you:
When you took the duke home, the horses' winter hay came through;
Out at the Ward Family Rescue there'll be hay when the cold winds blow —
You helped feed the horses, Riley, and now the whole valley knows!
Who's the duke, who's the duke? (WELLINGTON!)
Who fed the horses hay? (RILEY!)
Ooh, he's off the vine, and he's off the board —
He's home with Riley now, and that's what he grew for!
The Duke of Shallow Taproot Island
Wellington of Fare arrived late in the season. He was logged on September 5, under two and a half inches across and about a quarter of a pound, bright lime-green and fuzzy, sitting on a cedar board on Shallow Taproot Island. He is a Fare, one of the Patch's punk clan, and the noble-born duke among them, named for Beef Wellington. In one month on the island he grew to 7 lb 1.8 oz, and on Harvest Party day Riley picked him out to take home. He stands 6.5 inches tall and finished ripe orange.
Things I Want Riley to Know
From Wellington, in his own words.
- When they first wrote me down I was only about a quarter of a pound. Just a bit of fuzz sat on a cedar board, I was.
- One month on the island and I'd grown to seven pounds and nearly two ounces. Not bad for a little 'un, eh?
- I'm a Fare, and the Fares are proper punks. They call me the Duke, and they don't half tease me for it. Don't tell 'em I like it.
From the registry and the Harvest Day log • Final reading October 4, 2026
6.5 in tall
The Fare Clan
The Fares are the punks of the Patch. Most of them came up on Shallow Taproot Island, the weedy, fence-lined corner beside 206th Street, and many have no parent vine anyone can name. Their name started with a sticker that asked, “Bred or Fare?” Out by the thoroughfare a pumpkin can watch the traffic roll by, or keep company with Louie, the Rescue’s beloved horse and our very own ThoroughFare.
That is why they are scrappy, a little surly and proudly un-fancy: small green defenders of the Ward Family Rescue, bred for fare, not fear. Punks do not care much for royalty, so even the clan’s duke, Wellington, is named for Beef Wellington. Smashin’ calls himself the leader. The rest of the clan has opinions about that.
The whole clanWellington’s Patch Family
Wellington went home with Riley. Here are three more from the Patch he grew up in.
