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It’s fall, y’all.
That means it is time to head to the pumpkin patch.
The Grove is open and the pumpkins are ready. Plus, there’s tons of fun just waiting to be had.
For years, there had been a dream close to Taryn Kurpgeweit’s heart. To own a pumpkin patch complete with fun and games — a place where families could come and spend the whole day having fun in the fall. Two years ago, her dream came true, and The Grove and the Kurpgeweits are back in action again this fall.
The Grove, which is just west of Milford on 220th St., is open on the weekends from 10 a.m.- 6 p.m. from Sept. 17-Oct. 30. Admission is $10 for ages 12 and older, $8 for those between ages 2-11, while children under age two are free.
Pumpkin prices range from 59-69 cents per pound for pumpkins to gourds for $2-$4.
And the pumpkin crop is ready and ripe.
“Pumpkin crop is looking great this year. We have battled the wildlife this year for sure with deer, rabbits, ground squirrels, birds and bugs,” said Taryn. “We planted 23 varieties of pumpkins and two varieties of gourds which are mixed varieties within each of those [so that makes] lots and lots of gourd varieties.”
One particular variety of pumpkins she is excited about is called a Jarrahdale, which is a bluish variety.
The Grove offers a lot more than just pumpkins, however.
They have a corn maze, a corn pit, a trike track, a tire playground, fire pits, a s’mores station, a burlap sack slide, a petting zoo, train rides, lawn games, concession stands and food trucks, a mining station where kids can search for gems, crystals, rocks, arrowheads and more, a human hamster wheel and an electric roping station.
Every year they seek to offer something new or re-imagine an old activity.
“We have a new Imagination building (my middle daughter Meghan named it) which is a hands-on building with fake apple and cherry trees for the kids to pick, chicken coop for them to gather eggs, giant marble run for kids to build, and magnetic gear to move around and work with,” Taryn said.
“We have The Clark families’ crafts for sale in the Imagination building also. We also moved the hamster wheels to a different area. The slide was revamped. The first year it was too slow, last year it was too fast, this year it is just right. Who knew how hard it would be to get a slides angle perfected! We also built a gravity wagon into a basketball shooting game.”
Seeing her family’s dream come to life and continue to grow means a lot to Taryn.
“I always love to see the growth of the patch and watching the families come out and have an awesome fall family day,” Taryn said. “We haven’t taken a profit from The Grove yet we just turn around each year with the profit and put it right back into the patch to grow for the community. That’s really what it’s all about.”
Where: 2071 220th St, Milford, IA
When: 10 a.m.- 6 p.m. from Sept. 17-Oct. 30
Cost: Admission is $10 for ages 12 and older, $8 for those between ages 2-11, while children under age two are free.
Contact: Message them on Facebook
Online: www.facebook.com/TheGroveOkoboji
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