Bishop's Pumpkin Farm

Last Friday, I hired a substitute for my class so that I could MAKE A MEMORY with Tiegan on her first Kindergarten field trip. We (Kennedy, Braden, and Gramma Lynda too) tagged along with Tieg's "GECKO" class for a fun day at Bishop's Pumpkin Farm. Her teacher is SO AWESOME! She is well-organized, CREATIVE, and not afraid to brave an out of the classroom learning experience with 20+ little people. (The ratio was almost 3:1. That is... three mommies/grammas to every ONE child. A teacher's dream.) The kids were excited to say the least. For most of them, it was also their first time riding on a school bus; which, I might add, IS A BIG DEAL. (We/I followed behind Tiegan's bus. I'm not THAT crazy.) Check out the class made, eclectic designs of the kids' G-E-C-K-O t-shirts. Here are some picture memories and a little history about the pumpkin patch. A little "Bishop's" history.

The farm which is now Bishop's was a Wild Rose Dairy in the first half of the 20th century and many of the barns from this busy dairy remain today. By 1972, the farm had fallen into disrepair. Bill and Sandy Bishop were attracted to the old barns and the large poplar trees lining the road. They were able to purchase 40 acres and the farmstead. In 1973, Sandy planted about an acre of pumpkins in a small field in front of the house and invited the local schools to come out on field trips. Sandy had been a teacher and she knew how much kids could learn from visiting a real farm. The pumpkins would just be an excuse to get the kids out.

The field trips proved popular and Bill and Sandy soon learned that many of the kids wanted to bring their families back on the weekends. More and bigger pumpkins were planted the following year and customers did indeed start showing up on the weekends. Word was also getting around about the pumpkin pies that Sandy was baking in her kitchen. An old farm wagon was put into service for hayrides and the kids' ponies were saddled and tied to a tree for self-service pony rides.

Many things have changed over the years. Food service started with popcorn and later hot dogs in the late 1970's. The Bakery was added in 1985 and the train in 1991. More recent additions such as Coyote Mountain and Corn Maze have been added since Bill and Sandy's son Wayne and his wife, Ann returned to the farm in 1995. (You can also enjoy a "Weeland" farm animal petting zoo, pig races, three levels of fun in the Tree House, and Farmer Bill's barn slides.)

Today the Bishop's plant about 50 acres of pumpkins for the enjoyment of over 100,000 visitors each fall. Although, none of the Bishop's ever envisioned the Pumpkin Farm growing to its present size, they are still thrilled to be able to make a living in a way that is so uplifting to other families, as well as, their own.

I think the Bishop's don't feel that they have had a good harvest unless every family leaves with smiles on their faces, pleasant farm memories in their heads, AND A LITTLE DIRT IN THEIR SHOES! We definitely did!