Fall fun for the whole family at local pumpkin patch

The leaves are starting to turn, days are getting shorter and the first frost is right around the corner, but that doesn’t mean the fun has to end.

In fact, at Sweet Pickin’s Pumpkin Patch near Columbia Falls Stage Road, the fun is just beginning.

Open from the third weekend in September through the end of October, Sweet Pickin’s has a short season but it is packed with family fun and a staggering variety of pumpkins and squash.

“I’d have to count up all the seeds I’ve bought, but we offer anywhere between 50 and 75 different varieties of pumpkins and squash,” owner Terry DrVries said. “We’ve got some plots up by the house and some up the road, and we’re looking to add even more soon.”

The pumpkin patch opened in 2002. DeVries said it was a way for his family to continue its small-scale farming hobby and provide a “fun, family friendly place for the community.”

“We moved here in 1995 from Nebraska, after I got a job at Semitool,” he said. “When we were in Nebraska, we had a U-Pick strawberry farm and grew pumpkins on the side. It was a great way for our kids to learn some responsibility.”

DeVries said his family wanted to continue farming, so Sweet Pickin’s was born.

“We hadn’t really intended to start quite like we did, but when they sold, it seemed like a good time to go for it,” he said. “At first it was my family doing most of the work, but once I didn’t have that job, I could really get into it, too.”

Starting out with some pumpkins, a petting zoo and hayride, DeVries said he tries to add something new each year to keep the patch attracting families. Today, Sweet Pickin’s offers the hayrides and petting zoo along with sandboxes with “excavators” for children, swings, corn cribs and mazes, party barns for birthdays, duck races, a jumping pillow and more.

“The duck races are with toy ducks, and we call it ‘Duckie Dynasty,’” DeVries said. “So far it’s a lot of fun and the jumping pillow is great. It’s like a trampoline, but it’s 50 feet by 100 feet, so you can run on it, and it’s in the ground, so you don’t have to worry about falling off. It’s really popular.”

Although many of the activities are geared towards children, DeVries said the experience involves whole families.

“There are a lot of activities,” he said. “It’s a great place for the family to come out and easily spend two hours, wear out the kids and have fun. We gear it for grandparents all the way down to babies, and everyone enjoys it.”

One of the adult-friendly activities is shopping at the mercantile, which offers a variety of seasonal treats such as caramel apples, cider, pumpkin cookies and frozen custard.

Even though Sweet Pickin’s has such a short season, DeVries said business continues throughout the year thanks to kettle corn.

“We sell it at the local farmers markets and art festivals and fairs and it’s been really popular,” DeVries said. “It’s something to do when we’re not growing pumpkins or expanding the activities.”

DeVries said his family always looks forward to this time of year.

“We get a lot of repeat visitors,” he said. “For some people, this has become a family tradition, and we love to see that. We get people from as far away as Eureka and Browning fairly regularly, and we’d love to attract more people from Missoula. Last weekend we even had a family from Chicago. They were visiting relatives in the area, and this was a good activity for everyone.”

With so many visitors in such a short time, Sweet Pickin’s is a busy place in the fall.

“I enjoy it, but it’s a tremendous amount of work,” DeVries said. “We enjoy seeing families together and having fun. There’s not too many activities any more that you can say are family oriented, which is why we think it’s so important to have this one.”

Sweet Pickin’s Pumpkin Patch is located at 512 Kingfisher Lane — off of Columbia Falls Stage Road north of Montana 35 — and is open every day from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Oct. 31. Call 752-2359 for more information. The website is www.sweetpickinspumpkinpatch.com.

Reporter Melissa Walther may be reached at 758-4474 or by email at mwalther@dailyinterlake.com.