Fall fun on the farm

Families visit Lohr’s farm, spending an afternoon picking their own pumpkins

By Jessica Lewis, contributing writer
Posted on October 15, 2007

A pick-your-own-pumpkin patch is reminiscent of the hours spent as a kid seeking the perfect jack-o-lantern. At Lohr’s Farm, JMU students can celebrate a classic Halloween.

The farm offers a twisting corn maze and 50 varieties of pumpkins for customers to cut right from the vine.  The pumpkin patch stretches across seven acres. The farm expanded over the past five years 20 more varieties of pumpkins.

“Every year we learn and try to make it better,” said Matt Lohr, owner of the farm.

Hitting its five-year anniversary, the patch has a family oriented environment, with children running through the maze, throwing sandbag games and playing on the seesaw.  Little red wagons line the path to the pumpkin patch and parents hold their children’s hands as they view the small petting zoo.  For some JMU students, the patch can offer a childhood flashback, for others an unusual perspective of a working farm. 

The patch itself opens each year on the second weekend of September and closes the weekend following Halloween. However, the Lohr family begins working long before that.

“We started planting the first of June, and it takes 100 days for the pumpkins to mature,” Lohr said.

The family’s dedication to this holiday tradition establishes their strong presence in the community.

The most important part of Lohr’s farm is not necessarily  their pumpkins. As an independent farm, Lohr’s is a dying breed in an economy dependent on large corporate businesses.  Anyone can travel to Wal-Mart and purchase a pumpkin in those massive cardboard boxes, but Lohr’s farm offers a communal experience.

The farm provides field trips for local schools, hosting 3,000 kindergarteners and preschoolers every year. Eighty-five percent of the customers are families, but other groups have recognized the value of this independent farm.  With only seven employees, the patch also caters to church youth groups and JMU students.

“I was surprised by the variety of pumpkins and activities,” JMU senior Will Fawley said.  “It was fun.”

Each weekend, the farm hosts extended hours and provides hay ride the six-acre play land.  For customers older than age 11, the cost is $6.

 As for the pumpkins, the cost is based on the pumpkin’s weight.  The patch itself is pick-your-own, but pre-cut pumpkins are also available outside the gate.

For hours and directions, visit the patch Web site at lohrsfarm.com.