Papa’s Pumpkins Are Peekin’ Through!

It’s true. We’ve felt more like the Pacific Northwest than North Dakota this spring. Even so, the pumpkins at Papa’s Pumpkin Patch are peeking through. The fellas in the photo are called Lil Orange Mons; think Pump-Ke-Mons except the speckles on the Lil Orange Mons will be yellow rather than white.

In addition to Lil Orange Mons, the corn for Papa’s Corn Maze is up and anxious to see the sunshine. It’s four to six inches tall, and we’re sure as soon as we have a week of summer sun, it will triple in height!

Last year, Broom Corn was a big hit for guests at Papa’s Pumpkin Patch, and Papa’s broom corn is coming on strong in 2013. Folks loved picking up one or two bunches of broom corn stalks to add to fall displays and harvest arrangements in their homes. Papa’s got one bunch of multi-colored broom corn arranged in a heavy pottery vase that looks as beautiful in June as it did last October.

In case you don’t have our 2013 dates on your calendar, Papa’s Pumpkin Patch will open Saturday, Sept. 14 at noon. We’ll be open through Saturday, Oct. 19 from 12-7 pm daily. If we get on the other side of our rainy season soon, we may be able to open earlier, and if that happens, we’ll be sure to let our friends know!

Take Good Care.

We Are Grateful for You!

Happy Thanksgiving! We are entering a season of gratitude, and today Papa is mindful of the hundreds (really, it’s over 500) volunteers who made this season’s pumpkin patch a reality. It’s hard to imagine and yet amazingly true. In 2012, we welcomed well over 50,000 guests, and our volunteers from every walk of life made your visit to Papa’s a memorable one.

Papa and the family extend a heartfelt thank you to the teachers, students, doctors, nurses, musicians, dancers, insurance agents, bankers, attorneys, financial advisors, pharmacists, accountants, business owners, firefighters, youth pastors, special olympians, retirees, programmers, mechanics, farmers, electrical linemen, administrative and HR professionals… The list is long and we are grateful for each of your contributions.

Many of these volunteers represent the 49 organizations who have or will soon receive support from Papa’s in 2012. Our goal was to contribute $30,000 this year, and with your help, we were able to far exceed that.

The ad you see here will be in the Sunday, Nov. 25 edition of the Bismarck Tribune. It lists the 49 groups Papa supports in 2012, features some children doing what they do best at Papa’s — remind us all how to enjoy life, and most importantly, says THANK YOU!

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!

Happy Halloween from Papa’s!

The official end to fall — Halloween — is here, and Papa is prepared. This happy jack-o-lantern was carved for Papa in a past season and we still like it best.

In the days since we closed, much of the pumpkin patch activity has revolved around clean up and putting away before the snow flies.

Last Saturday, Papa hosted his annual Volunteer Appreciation Dinner. We are so grateful to the (literally) hundreds of volunteers that make Papa’s a reality. Keep your eyes open around Thanksgiving: we intend to publish a list of all the 2012 volunteers and the charities that benefited from this season!

Remember Papa will announce the winner of the cookie contest at 8 pm on Halloween. If you’d still like to take a guess at how many pumpkin cookies Papa shared during the 2012 season, post your guess on Papa’s Facebook page. The winner gets a FREE dozen pumpkin cookies!

Enjoy Halloween and stay safe!

Sunday, Oct. 21: Papa’s Is Closed for the Season

It’s been a beautiful fall and an amazing season for Papa’s Pumpkin Patch! Michelle San Miguel from KFYR TV captured the joy and the gratitude of our final day — Saturday, Oct. 20 — in this report.

Amazing. There wasn’t a pumpkin to be found by 2 pm Saturday, and by the close of the day there were fewer than 100 squash remaining.

Amazing. Families from across the region stayed at Papa’s all afternoon and into the early evening hours to enjoy the wonderful fall day, spend time playing outdoors and celebrating the season.

Amazing! There’s no question the 30th year for Papa was a banner year. We look forward to the support we will be able to offer nearly 40 charities. THANK YOU for your support of Papa’s Pumpkin Patch!