Vala’s Pumpkin Patch is known to be busy when it opens each year. What visiting guests do not see is how busy the farm is as the crew readies the grounds to welcome them before the season begins. The large, skilled crew and all manner of contractors work tirelessly to plant tens of thousands of flowers, shrubs, and trees. Buildings are upgraded, others are built from scratch, walking paths are paved, rides are installed, crops are planted, and a thousand other tasks are taken care of. Our work is also added to the abundant collection of signs we’ve created for Vala’s over the past years. As fast as the signs, photo ops and features are plopped into place, the workers replace the fencing we’ve moved, replant the planters the machines had to traverse. The new signs are quickly surrounded by rock planters, filled with soil and then, as if by magic, full-grown flowers appear. New gravel is carefully placed and tamped into place. With this being my seventh visit to the farm, I get friendly waves as I zoom around in the golf cart they provide for me to traverse the large grounds. This year’s crop of signs and features is now in place and we are busy planning next year’s exciting adventures. Stay tuned…
Cap'n Elias approved
One of the lovely traditions at Vala’s Pumpkin Patch is that many of the dining places and attractions are named in honour of family members. An upcoming attraction, the pirate area, is to be named after one of the younger family members, Elias. Cap’n Elias’ Pirate Ship is arriving in 2026, along with some other similarly themed attractions, which are yet to be announced. As luck would have it, yesterday was dress like a pirate day at his preschool, and he was dressed in great style, complete with a fantastic cutlass. This afternoon, Elias was thrilled to see his sign and pose for a photo in his fancy costume. It is now officially Cap’n Elias approved!
A good challenge!
You would think that a 400-plus-acre farm would allow for an easy installation and tons of room to maneuver, but handling and placing the large pieces at Vala’s is a wonderful challenge I look forward to each year. They have a talented and eager crew and the best equipment to do the work. We know with a little head scratching and careful teamwork, there isn’t a challenge we won’t be able to solve.
The tricky challenge at Vala’s Pumpkin Patch comes in accessing the locations. The farm has been built up over forty years and is designed for pedestrians. All of the things that make the farm so beautiful also provide us with a chance to be creative as we move and install the features. The colourful shade trees which they planted decades ago have grown tall, and purposely overhang the winding and undulating pedestrian paths which we must navigate with the heavy and bulky features weighing in at thousands of pounds, suspended from the end of a powerful zoom boom. Many of the features we build are replacing outdated features in the middle of existing attractions, which are extra challenging to access.
We first walk each route with a tape measure in hand, trimming the odd wayward branch or instructing the crew to temporarily move trash cans or portions of fencing. Planning is easier and faster than repairing. Then the crew rigs the pieces on the pre-engineered lifting points we built into the features. The pieces are moved at a walking pace with lookouts on all sides in critical areas. Today’s surprise was a heavy downpour last night, which made the ground soft and slippery in places. At one point, the zoom boom lost traction, but a large four-wheel drive field tractor piloted by one of Vala’s skilled crew saved the day with a little tug. The old woman’s shoe slide feature was gingerly wiggled into position in Storybook Land with inches to spare. Tomorrow, the fun challenge begins anew as more of this year’s features are moved into place. Stay tuned….
