Local farms provide more than their usual produce when the harvest season comes along. Hayrides, U-pick pumpkin patches and corn mazes are seasonal attractions that draw families and those of all ages.
Pam Henderson, owner of Thistledown Farm at 91455 River Road in Junction City, noted that Halloween is a celebration everyone can be involved in.
“Families look for things they can do together that will hold all the family’s interest,” Lorie Jensen of Lone Pine Farms said. “A farm can do that.”
Jensen designed the pumpkin patch and horse-drawn hayrides at Lone Pine for all ages, but said they appeal especially to youngsters.

“It’s the magic of the pumpkin patch,” she said. “There isn’t anything else like it.”
The rows of orange pumpkins, weighing between two and 250 pounds, are Halloween’s version of a Christmas tree farm.
“The kids like the sheer sport of it,” said Mary Evenuk of Me and Moore Farm. “They get to walk around in the dirt and pick out their own pumpkin.”
At the checkout stands, many of the pumpkins appeared to outweigh their beaming owners.
For the older kids looking for adventure, Lone Pine Farms — located at 91909 River Road in Junction City — also has a “haunted” corn maze.
“It’s the premier attraction,” Jensen said. “Every kid in town knows about the Haunted Maze.”
The corn maze covers an area of ten acres and has over two and half miles of trails, according to the farm’s flyer.

During the day the maze provides a test of directional skill, and at night the thrills of a haunted house are added.
The Haunted Maze appeals most to teenagers and college students.
“Some nights it seems like a bazillion people are in there,” Jensen said. “It’s cool and everyone knows it.”

— Cory Eldridge