MARANA, Ariz. (KGUN) — Fall is here, which means it’s time for the return of the Marana Pumpkin Patch and Farm Festival, which reopens this weekend for its 15th year.
The pumpkin patch is open to the public for less than 20 days total, but Owner Jon Post says it takes an entire year of preparation to get everything ready for October visitors.
"I'm thrilled to be able to be involved in it and put it on – it's a lot of fun, a lot of work, but it's just really neat to see the families that come out and enjoy spending time here," Post said.
The festival attracts tens of thousands of visitors each year, with Post explaining that family togetherness is at its core.
"One of the goals that I had was to make sure that families could come here and spend a considerable amount of time together here at the farm," Post said.
Attractions range from carnival rides to a corn maze, and, of course, plenty of pumpkins. Post says this year's pumpkin crop actually benefited from the dry monsoon conditions.
"Honestly, the lack of rain has helped our pumpkins; they're a crop that doesn't like high humidity, and so it's really helped our pumpkin crop – we have a good pumpkin crop," he said.
This year marks the return of field trips to the pumpkin patch, with about 10,000 students scheduled to visit throughout October.
The Marana Pumpkin Patch and Farm Festival, located at 14950 N Trico Rd, runs through Sunday, October 26.
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Madison Thomas joined KGUN 9 in July of 2023 as a multimedia journalist. She graduated from Arizona State University in May of 2023 with a degree in journalism and mass communication. She has lived in Arizona her entire life and grew up in Douglas. Madison is thrilled to share the stories from the community she grew up in. Share your story ideas and important issues with Madison by emailing madison.thomas@kgun9.com or by connecting on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook.
