Visitors at Schaake’s Pumpkin Patch walk through the crowd carrying various sizes of pumpkins.
Kenzie Mcalister has gone out to Schaake’s patch every year since she was 3 in search of the perfect pumpkin.
On Sunday, the 17-year-old from Lawrence was back again in search of a small pumpkin that looks like a tiny watermelon.
“I feel like it gets a lot of people out of the house and socializes people,” she said of why she likes the pumpkin patch.
Mcalister was among the crowd this past weekend celebrating the 50th anniversary of Schaake’s pumpkin patch.
Employee Abby Fager of Eudora said the experience is one of the top things to do in the area each year.
The close-knit community is the heart of Schaake’s, bringing together people from all over who come to be part of this special experience, she said.
“You see a lot of people from Lawrence, Eudora, we’ve seen people from Santa Fe Trail. It’s definitely a big community thing,” Fager said.
The community experience wouldn’t be possible without the hard work done by the Schaake family, who are some of the kindest people, Fager said.
The family is always accommodating and ready to help anyone if they have an issue at the patch or with their pumpkin, she said.
After 50 years, Sheila Schaake said grandparents who came to the patch themselves as children now bring their own grandchildren.
Jaden Noll of Lawrence has come to the patch for the past four years. She is usually on the hunt for a small orange pumpkin with a long stem.
Noll said the patch is a great place to either come out with a group of friends or meet new people. It’s just a place to have fun, she said.
Heather Olson of Lawrence returned to Schaake’s after five years for the 50th anniversary and brought along her exchange student from Sweden.
“We wanted to share the experience with her,” Olson said.
Olson said they wanted to see all of the unique colors and shapes of pumpkins, as well as be part of the community environment.
“It’s just great that it brings so many people out to kind of get together and be in nature and tradition,” she said.
Carleen Swadener brought her family from Ottawa and had never been to Schaake’s, but found entertainment for her daughter in the pumpkin patch and the playground.
“She’s been asking to go to the pumpkin patches, so we came here and she loves the swings and the slides,” Swadener said. “Just from this being our first time here, it seems like a great opportunity for all the little kids down here in Lawrence, around the area, to come spend time with their family.”
The free-admission pumpkin patch is open until Oct. 30. The hours are noon to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday through Sunday.
For more information on Schaake’s Pumpkin Patch, visit its website.
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