It Takes More Than a Little Snow to Make a Polar Patch

Up until this past weekend the answer to the question was easy. Papa needs snow to host a polar patch. We got about 5″ of snow this past weekend (Dec. 8) and now the answer isn’t as easy.

What is Papa’s Polar Patch you ask? In the years when we’ve had enough snow, Papa transforms his pumpkin patch into a bit of a winter wonderland — complete with snow caves (a winter version of the bale mazes), old-fashioned sled rides (see the photo to the left), horse-drawn sleigh rides, an ice pond for slipping and sliding, and sometimes a giant snow hill for short sled rides, climbing and tunneling.

Papa’s big red barn becomes a warming house complete with hot chocolate and warm chocolate chip cookies. There’s even all of the fixin’s for s’mores and a bonfire to prepare them.

Back to the question at hand: will there be a Papa’s Polar Patch this winter? We don’t know yet, and here’s why: if nothing changes, we have enough snow for one day of a polar patch. With all of the foot and sled traffic we’d generate, by the end of the day most of the pumpkin patch-turned-polar patch would be mud — including the parking lot.

The weather forecast is mixed and so here’s the bottom line (which isn’t helpful for our friends who love to have everything planned in advance): please keep an eye on Papa’s website and Facebook page. If we get a major snow fall and it looks promising, we’ll let you know as soon as we decide about opening Papa’s Polar Patch in 2012.

Thanks for your interest, and best wishes for a wonderful holiday season. Merry Christmas!

Papa’s 2012 Season in Photos

Papa’s Pumpkin Patch is truly blessed with talented people who share their gifts with us. One of those people is talented Bismarck photographer Amy Taborsky. Amy has captured the spirit of Papa’s for the past several years, and she also volunteers her time during the week to assist with the many field trips we have scheduled.

We’ll share some of our favorites from Amy’s 2012 collection over the next several weeks on Papa’s Facebook page. There are some priceless expressions from visitors that truly deserve the perfect caption and we’ll let you offer your ideas. For example, check out the little princess in the background.  What do you suppose she’s thinking right about now?

Another bonus of having Amy photograph Papa’s Pumpkin Patch is her husband, Larry, who happens to be a pilot! The two of them were overhead circling Papa’s on two occasions this fall and captured some wonderful shots of Papa’s “footprint” along the Missouri River. This image is from the north and gives you a bird’s eye view of the marketplace, the many bale mazes and the nature trails. On the left you can see the start of the corn maze, and at the bottom you’ll see the horse-drawn hayride headed back to the patch.

If you’re undecided about how you feel with the first snow on the ground, perhaps a look through a few of these wonderful fall scenes will warm you up for a few minutes!

Here’s one from the pumpkin patch itself. I don’t know about you, but the idea of focusing on a single pumpkin with a handle that’s lying down wouldn’t cross my mind. Still, look what character this pumpkin has amidst all of his “normal” handled friends!

We’ll continue to share Amy’s work on Papa’s website. You can also visit Papa’s photo gallery on Flickr if you need a mental break and want to wander north of Bismarck and stop by Papa’s Pumpkin Patch during the off season!

Friday, Oct. 19 — WAHOO! Papa’s Is Open!

WAHOO is right. After two days of wind and rain, Papa has some clean up but he’s ready to welcome guests. Papa’s Pumpkin Patch is open today, Friday, Oct. 19 from 12-7 pm. We will be ready for scheduled school field trips beginning at 9 a.m. this morning.

Extra activities: We will do our best. We hope to have concessions, train rides and zip lines on Friday however our first task is clean up so the pumpkin patch is safe for guests. These are in addition to all of the free activities available at Papa’s every day.

Today is the second-to-the-last day of the 2012 season. Our final day is Saturday, Oct. 20 and it looks to be gorgeous. Remember: Papa’s second annual Costume Day is Saturday. If you wear your costume to Papa’s tomorrow, you will get a free pumpkin cookie!

Thursday, Oct. 18 — Papa’s Is Closed

Holy Buckets! Wild doesn’t begin to describe the wind and rain outside. Papa just took the dogs for a walk and even they were in a hurry to get back indoors. Papa’s Pumpkin Patch is closed today, Thursday, Oct. 18.

Please check back as we will post our plans for our final two days of the season by noon on Friday, Oct. 19.

UPDATE: Wednesday, Oct. 17 — Papa’s Is Closed

Between the wild winds and the rain, Papa’s Pumpkin Patch will be closed Wednesday, Oct. 17. All field trips have cancelled, and Papa is keeping an eye that nothing blows away.

Stay warm and safe; we’ll let you know our intentions for Thursday, Oct. 18 by noon on Thursday.