MommaSachs: Pumpkin Patch

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Pumpkin Patch

On Saturday we went to the Clark's Elioak Farm for a family pumpkin patch adventure. The week before Connor and I went to a birthday party there and I discovered they had rescued pieces of the old Enchanted Forest.

According to wikipedia,"The Enchanted Forest officially opened on August 15, 1955, following a preview party the afternoon before — one month after Disneyland Park's opening. Appealing mostly to families with small children, the park had a nursery rhyme theme. The park featured fairy tale buildings and characters, but no mechanical rides originally. Track rides were added later, including the Alice in Wonderland ride with teacup-shaped cars, a Cinderella's castle ride with mice for the cars, the "Little Toot" boat that took children to Mount Vesuvius for giant slides, and the Jungleland Safari which was driven by open Land Rover-type vehicles. Children's birthday parties were often held in the picnic areas among the attractions; many local teenagers worked as ticket-takers at the park. Unlike many other attractions of the time, the Enchanted Forest was integrated from the day it opened." The park closed in the 1990's and there have been efforts to reopen the park but Clark's Farm has been given the opportunity to rescue and restore the items from the park.

Needless to say I was excited when I got to the party and found out some of my childhood memories had been rescued and Connor could enjoy them. BUT being at the party without Kevin and a semi-cranky Connor left me missing out on enjoying the rescued pieces. Sooooo.... Kevin, Connor and I went this weekend.

Our adventure started by wandering the main part of the farm and seeing the Three Little Bears home, the Dish That Ran Away with the Spoon, and a few other structures including the Old Woman Who Live In a Shoe. Afterward, we ventured over to the petting farm. We saw goats, sheep, pigs, a cow, a donkey, a emu, a Pony named Captain Jack (same name as our dog) and some ducks and chickens. Next we ventured to the tree maze. This tree maze was made up of huge pines and you followed paths around to different old Enchanted Forest items. Very cool! Lastly we ventured to the pumpkin patch where Connor picked out two pumpkins.

Overall, the day turned out fabulous. I was able to share a childhood memory with two of my favorite people that I never thought would be able to enjoy. If you're in the Maryland area I highly suggest stopping by to take a look back at some great history.

Enjoy the pics!