Country Pumpkins in Orland started out as a small 3 acre corn maze and pumpkin patch 13 years ago. Since then, it has grown to more than 10 acres and changed locations to accommodate the rising number of visitors each year. The pumpkin patch not only benefits local 4-H programs, but also teaches people about local agriculture.
Owner Becky Gruenwald says, "We do try to do a lot of education to be an ambassador for our agriculture. As you go through the maze you'll find stations and they have a lot of facts about California agriculture and agriculture in our nation so that you can learn as you go."
Everything is grown on site so you can pick a pumpkin right out of the field. Throughout the day kids can enjoy lots of entertainment and walk through the maze, and then, there's the haunted corn maze. There's more than 30 performers in the maze at any given time waiting to scare visitors so you never know what's lurking around the next corner. Staff members recommend that visitors bring a flashlight for the haunted maze and wear closed toed shoes. If you get lost, haunters will point you in the right direction along the way. Whether you're going for the thrills or the pumpkins, there's something for everyone.
"Every year we have people coming up to us that haven't been with us before or they get to come in from the community and they say ' Thanks for doing this over here for us. It's something that we don't have and really appreciate it.' So it's always rewarding," says Gruenwald.
Country Pumpkins is open daily from 10am-6pm. The haunted corn maze opens October 12th and will run 7-10pm every Friday and Saturday night. For more information go to Newslinks.
