As they have in years past, dozens of people lined up at Renshaw Farms Annual Pumpkin Festival on Sunday to slingshot a pumpkin across an Armstrong County pond. The slingshot’s target, however, was new: a giant wooden sign reading “Covid Sucks.”
It’s pumpkin season in Pittsburgh and this has been a busy one. Dry and warm weekend weather has drawn families into area pumpkin patches, searching for fresh air and a comforting ritual.
When Renshaw Farms in Freeport opened for the season in late September, Jamie Renshaw wasn’t sure what to expect. “We didn’t know if people were scared,” she said.
So far, that hasn’t been the case. On a sunny, 75-degree Saturday, cars packed into as many crevices of the farm as could hold them. Even on an overcast Sunday during a Steelers game, people waited in long lines just to enter a capacity-limited cafeteria. Jason Renshaw, whose family has owned the farm since 1834, thought he was prepared to handle the crowds going into the weekend, but still found himself making an emergency Restaurant Depot run Sunday morning.
Mr. Renshaw decided to run the farm’s Pumpkin Festival this year pretty much as usual, albeit with much more hand sanitizer and additional staff dedicated to cleaning, and without the “corn beach” that has been popular in previous years. “It’s tough to clean thousands of corn kernels,” he said.
Signs around the farm urged people to “keep one cow apart” to maintain social distancing and to “please wear a face mask,” although most patrons weren’t wearing them outdoors. The farm also limited capacity on hayrides, grouping families together to allow for space in between.
“The line is longer this year but that’s what we have to do,” said Mr. Renshaw. “Everyone I’ve talked to has thanked us, just because people want to get out. You can’t get more distanced than a 300-acre farm.”
Across the region, the approach has varied from farm to farm.
Some, such as Triple B Farms in Monongahela, are selling timed tickets in advance to control crowds. Soergel Orchards in Franklin Park, typically one of the most crowded Pittsburgh pumpkin patches, made the decision to largely eliminate the fall festival activities and just open its pumpkin patch and apple orchard for picking.
To reduce crowds, Soergel’s decided not to allow professional photographers this year, and to open the patch every day — rather than just weekends. There are no hayrides or pony rides and masks are required at all times, inside and out.
“We’re trying to provide some sort of fall experience and connection to fall for people without really hosting some sort of large event,” said Amy Soergel, whose family has owned the farm since 1850.
At Harvest Valley Farms in Valencia, the owners “definitely talked it out and agonized over whether we should do it at all,” said Bekah Williams of Harvest Valley. “We went back and forth. Should we still do the hayrides? Should we still do the face painting?”
The farm decided, for the most part, to offer the same activities they have in the past. “Certainly masks are encouraged and social distancing,” she said. “We’re putting it out there and people can make decisions based on what they want to participate in based on their comfort level.”
Back at Renshaw Farms, Tracy Freshwater, of Fawn, stood in line waiting to get into the cafeteria with her family. She said she wasn’t particularly concerned about COVID risk at the farm, given that she works in health care.
Instead, she was thankful that there was an opportunity for a family activity. Other than going to the Lernerville Speedway, there hasn’t been much to do.
Donna Wentley, of Butler, felt similarly. She came to the Renshaw Farms on Sunday with her daughter, Logan, and her 2- and 4-year-old granddaughters. While Logan said she was a little nervous about coming to the patch during the COVID-19 pandemic, her mother felt comfortable given that nearly everything was outdoors.
“I’m ready to get back to normal,” she said.
Anya Sostek: asostek@post-gazette.com.
First Published: October 15, 2020, 10:38 a.m.