As a small family of two college students and an opinionated toddler, it’s important to find family activities that are inexpensive yet fun. On Oct. 18 my husband, daughter and I made a trip to Skelly’s Farm Market in Janesville where we had hoped to get a pumpkin and run some of my daughter Maya’s energy out.
The front of Skelly’s Farm Market has crates full of pumpkins, squash and gourds that are being picked over by the diverse crowd of customers. A child pulls out a miniature pumpkin and proudly displays his pint-sized find to the adults around him. Others leak out of the main building holding boxes of apple cider doughnuts, a necessary product for the season.
“It’s just a lot of fun here,” owner Scott Skelly said. “In the summer we do fruits, vegetables and sweet corn here. While it’s really tasty, everybody eats it at home and nobody gets to enjoy it here.”
There is plenty to enjoy on site at Skelly’s Farm Market during the fall season. Besides the immense selection of pumpkins and gourds, there are multiple structures built for children to climb and explore. There is also an obstacle course with gigantic tires and some little log steps designed to get the kids to test their endurance.
Also included are a series of fall-themed games like a sandbox full of dried corn seeds, a pumpkin ring toss activity and, Maya’s favorite, the “Ducky Derby” where kids use push on pitcher pumps to draw out jets of water that send little plastic duckies shooting through PVC tubes into a horse trough.
“It sounds silly but I always like watching the kids crying because they don’t want to go home at the end of the day. That they’re just having so much fun they can’t imagine leaving,” Skelly said.
After some play time we sat down for a lunch of brats and a hotdog. We ate with gusto only a good brat can inspire. Maya was much less interested in her hotdog because it took time away from exploring the gigantic barn-shaped jungle gym. We were able to get two bites out of her before she sped off into the horizon.
Skelly’s Farm Market also hosts two corn mazes. One designed for families is less complex with cutouts of cartoon characters to help keep the excitement going for the children. The other maze is designed to be as confusing as possible to test the ambitious adults.
There is enough enjoyment spread around the premises. The customers are enjoying the produce and tractor rides while the employees are busy at work and watching their labors pay off in smiles. It’s clear that with more than 30 years of pumpkin patches, Skelly’s Farm Market is not routine as much as a fun tradition for people of all ages.
Skelly’s Farm Market pumpkin patch and corn mazes will be open daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. until Oct. 31. So grab your friends and take your chance at the night maze after getting those cider doughnuts, or else it simply wont be considered a complete fall. Also, in case you were wondering, Mr. Skelly, Maya did indeed cry as we made our way to the car.
