The Pumpkin Patch 2010

Another beautiful weekend at the White Fall Farm Pumpkin Patch of A.J. and Lisa Nuckols. You couldn't have asked for a better day. Obviously people realized that and they came out to enjoy the day in the Hay Bale Maze and Castle, Corn Maze, Pumpkin Hunt, Hay Ride, and more.

Tommy Castle and his son Grady were enjoying feeding the chickens.

Folks were having fun with the antigue corn kernel remover, picking from a variety of pumpkins and gourds, and taking Hay Rides.

The day was cool enough and warm enough, just what you would have asked for. The sky was clear and the leaves were changing to a full range of colors.
 

They have pumpkins and gourds like I have never seen. I had no idea that some of these varieties even existed.
 

The corn maze is a lot of fun. Joanne and I went through with Tommy and Carrie Castle and their children. Even in places where it isn't too tall, you still get turned around and have to retrack. Grady loved running ahead and running back to tell us that that wasn't the way to go.

 
Over the top of the sorgum you could see the Hay Bale Castle on the top of the hill..

I guess you've figured out that the corn maze is actually made from sorgum, but it doesn't change how much fun it is for the smaller kids or the adults.

 Joanne and I enjoying our afternoon at the Pumpkin Patch.

The Castle family; Tommy, Carrie, Grady, and Max enjoying the Hay Bale Maze and Castle.

 This is a portion the Hay Bale maze which surrounds the castle, that you have to work your way through so you can then work your way to the top of the castle.

 The sun setting behind the Hay Bale castle.

When the sun starts setting, the fire gets lit. Its a nice time to sit back, enjoy the warmth of the fire as the evening cools down. Its a nice time for friends to sit a talk.

 Joanne and I enjoying the last Hay Ride of the day.

 Another wonder filled day at the Pumpkin Patch. I really can't get too many of these.

The White Fall Farm Pumpkin Patch in Mount Airy

It's time for the White Fall Farm Pumpkin Hunt of A.J. and Lisa Nuckols in Mount Airy, Virginia. The Pumpkin Patch is 10 miles east of Gretna on route 40 and then 1/4 mile south on route 640. If you want to plug it into your GPS use this: 6001 Riceville Road, Gretna, Virginia, 24557.

The hay bale castle is a whole new design this year with a hay bale maze around the outside, that you have to find your way through before you can get up into the second and third levels of the castle. But the view from the top is worth the effort. It took me several tries to find the correct way through the maze, but I do tend to be a bit directionally challenged.

The view to the front of the castle is great, looking back at the picnic area on the left and the corn maze on the right, and the view from the back of the castle is acres of bright orange pumpkins. They also have white pumpkins and gourds of varieties that I have never seen before.

They have farm animals for the kids to see, petting not recommended. Their is the mobile chicken coup, with a rooster who never heard that crowing was supposed to be done only when the sun comes up. There is Stu the pig, Tessie the goat, and two Angus calves #53 and #14.

They have tractor pulled hay rides, that take folks all over the area. Its also used to take people out in the field to pick a pumpkin. Which is a really good idea since some of those pumpkins are huge.

Joanne, Jean Shelton, and I manned the St. Andrews United Methodist Church Hot Dog Stand. The proceeds from the sales go to the church's "Community Help Fund". Last year the church assited several families in the area with groceries, elctric bills, and other personal needs. All the people that were helped were not members of the church. We are really excited about this opportunity to reach out beyond the walls of our church and to be the hands of Christ to others.

You'll notice in the above picture that when it was slow between lunch and suppertime, Joanne got on the computer and checked her Facebook. Okay, I checked mine too.

There were organized Tug-o-Wars throughout the day. There is also a small hay bale maze for the little kids. The corn maze for the adventurous. Don't plan on coming and spending a few minutes, think about staying for the afternoon and evening.

There was also pumpkin painting for the kids. Some of the kids were minimalists and some were way over the top, with barely any space not painted. They had volunteered Joanne to judge the art works, but in the end did the wise and safe thing, rewarding all the kids for their efforts.

It was an abolutely georgous day in the country. The forecast was for chilly temperatures, but it warmed up nicely with barely a cloud in the sky.

This is A.J. Nuckols, the owner and designer of the Pumpkin Patch, carrying the American flag out to plant at the top of the castle. I have to admit, that as I watched him placing it on the upper hay bale, I had chills.

In the evening we had a Blue Grass music played. Some very talented musicians got together to entertain folks at the Pumpkin Patch. There is music scheduled every Saturday through the month of October.

As the sun goes down, the sun peaks through the tree and the fire is lit. We had hoped to roasting marshmallows, but that will have to wait for another week, when we remember to bring them

When the sun went down, the outline of the castle was on the horizon.

It was a really nice, nice weather and good firends. I tell folks that this is my Walt Disney World in Pittsylvania County. I look forward to this every year andtry to visit as often as I can while its going, because then I have to wait another year to do it again. If you get a chance come on out and experience it for yourself.

All the Way From Colorado to the Mount Airy Pumpkin Patch

At the Homecoming service at Saint Andrews UMC, A.J. Nuckols invited all those attending to visit the Pumpkin Patch at no charge. If you haven't figured it out yet, I love going to the Pumpkin Patch and climbing up the hay castle. When we were surprised by a visit from our god-daughter, Hannah Gaitten, and her daughter, Noah, we knew where we would be spending our afternoon.

Noah loved the huge rodeo bulls and didn't seem at all bothered by their size.

Noah liked the chickens, too. She fed them some loose corn that was on the ground.

We were happy godparents, getting to see Hannah after many years and Noah for the first time.

I joined Hannah and Noah for a pumpkin hunt. I have watched the hunts several times, but this was my first time going out with the kids. At first, Noah wasn't too sure about riding on a bale of hay, but she decidied it was an acceptable way to go after pumpkins.

First, the hunt is not a leisurely stroll through the field picking up pumpkins. Those who win are those who run. those of us who are more into walking are there for the joy of the hunt. (I know, that sounds like a loser's excuse) Noah did pick up some pumpkins, but once she tripped and fell, she lost interest in the manual part of the job. So, Hannah and I picked them up for her and then she put them in the bag.

When we got back and counted our collection, we found that Noah had collected a total of 21 pumpkins. Unfortunately, there were some of those running competitors in her age group. But, she did walk away with 3 small pumpkins to take home to Colorado.

After the pumpkin hunt, we decided to climb the hay castle. Once again I watched a child love the castle. We went all the way to the top and enjoyed the autumn scenery.

Later in the afternoon they started the fire and brought out marshmallows. Joanne loves roasting marshmallows. I prefer mine in hot chocolate. Noah, with help from mom, charred her marshmallows and ate them with a zeal.

It was a great afternoon. We got to spend some really fun time with Hannah and Noah. Thanks A.J. and Lisa for opening the Pumpkin Patch for those who were at the Saint Andrews UMC Homecoming.

Saturday at the White Fall Farm Pumpkin Patch

Saturday, Joanne and I went to the Pumpkin Patch that Jay and Lisa Nuckols, from White Fall farm, http://whitefallfarm.com/ own in Mount Airy near Gretna. It was our Saturday to work the concession stand for Saint Andrews UMC.

Joanne and I were joined by Jean Shelton fixing hotdogs. We also sold sodas, bottled water, chips, cookies and brownies. We had a really good day for sales, one of the busiest ever. I think the increase in the amount of visitors to the Pumpkin Patch was due to the publicity it received on the television. See the earlier blog. I will be the first to admit that I am not the best selection for a cook, but I didn't burn as many this year as I did last year. Jean put the fixings on the hotdogs, while Joanne took orders and kept up with the payments.

We also took our dog, Millie, with us to the Pumpkin Patch. This was her first outing in the country and she was having a great time with all the new smells. There were a couple of big dogs roaming around that she showed no fear of, even though she would have made only a small snack to them. We did go out together to select a pumpkin, she seemed to like the one we chose to decorate.

She did get a little cold and when she started to shiver we put her up in the chair and covered her with a blanket. We eventually had to take her back to the parsonage when the sun started going down. When we went back that night, she came out to meet us without getting out from under the blanket. It looked a blanket floating acroos the floor, her nose wasn't even showing.

There were two rodeo bulls at the Pumpkin Patch from Dan and Herb Lanier. These lovelies were huge. Ferdinand preferred to lay around and people watch. While Wasabi, the bruiser with those large horns, would paw at the ground and rush the fence whenever someone got closer to the caution tape than he thought was appropriate. The kids loved them. Millie was indifferent.

The weekends are full of pumpkin hunts. A.J. and Lisa scatter hundreds of small pumpkins out in the field of tall grass. The kids and parents board the hay trailers for a ride out into the fields. Each child has a grocery sack to collect their pumpkins. After a given amount of time everyone reboards and heads back to the starting point.

The kids spread out their pumpkins and with the help of their parents count how many they have brought back. The kids are divided into age groups and the one in each age group who has bagged the most pumpkins wins a big pumpkin to take home. Each child gets to keep 3 of the small pumpkins that they found. No one leaves empty handed.

I love watching the smaller children picking pumpkins. They like to roll on them, sit on them, and usually pick one that they can barely lift. But, they never put it back and get a smaller one.

This is the pumpkin we decorated for our stand. I call it the pumpkin for the "Carving Impaired" or for those whose spouse won't let them use a sharp implement. I tried to tell Joanne, "I can't carve a pumpkin face with a spoon!". Jean named the pumpkin "Rufus the Pirate", after her husband and he doesn't even have a moustache.

The night ends with folks sitting around the fire. The more adventurous are still going through the corn maze and the hay castle with flashlights.

It was a busy day. Joanne and I had thought we'd get some slow times during the day for a walk in the maze, but it didn't happen. Just being here was fun in itself. I like the atmosphere, the sounds or lack of, the families together, the smiling kids, the colors, and weather of autumn. I hope you get a chance to come on down. The Pumpkin Patch is in Mount Airy, 10 miles east of Gretna on route 40 and then 1/4 mile south on route 640. If you want to plug it into your GPS use this: 6001 Riceville Road, Gretna, Virginia, 24557. You won't be disappointed and it beats picking a pumpkin at the grocery store by a long shot.