Chronicle 16-17 Issue 04

Community chronicle.durhamcollege.ca November 1 - 7, 2016 The Chronicle 9
and the turnout was tremendous.
Steeles Avenue was backed up with
cars waiting to turn in and parallel
parking happening along side
streets.
Police had to escort drivers in and
out of the parking lot, according to
Lilian Igel, the manager at Whittamore’s
farm.
The turnout was incredible in
early October, but despite the cold
weather, Igel says families are still
making their way into the farm.
Igel has been working for the
farm for 24 years and says it’s a fun
place to work. “It’s a great family
farm. The Whittamores are great
people to work for, the staff is great,
I’m very lucky with my staff. The
nice thing about working here are
the families. The families come in
with smiles on their faces and that’s
all the gratification you need,” says
Igel.
Photograph by Jenn Amaro
Izabella, Antonia and Liliana Torcivia holding their pumpkins
in the pumpkin patch.
People pack
pumpkin patch
for family fun
Whittamore’s
has been a
farm fixture
in the GTA
since 1804
Jenn Amaro
The Chronicle
Despite lower temperatures, Whittamore’s
Farm in Markham was
still filled with children jumping
on bouncing castles, swinging on
the swings, and of course, picking
their pumpkin.
Parents were bundled in coats,
scarves and mittens on Oct. 23 to
hide from piercing winds, but the
laughter and the fun their children
were having in all the activities
during the Pumpkinkand festivities
made the cold weather tolerable for
them.
The Whittamore’s Farm, just
north of Rouge Park, has been in
the Whittamore family since 1804,
and has become a traditional attraction
for many families every year.
With a 50-foot turbo slide, bouncing
castles and jumping pillows,
a corn maze, farm animals and
wagon rides, families have been returning
every year to join in all the
fun activities before they proudly
pick their yearly pumpkin.
The mother of the Torcivia
family has been coming since she
was a kid and has always brought
her own kids to the Pumpkinland
festival. “I loved taking photos of
them in the pumpkin patch when
they were really little,” she said.
Antonio Torcivia, one of the four
children in the family, says his favourite
part is the animals.
The four children, amongst the
dozens of children and families,
searched the pumpkin patch on
the way out of Pumpkinland, for
their perfectly round and orange
traditional Halloween decoration.
It’s a great
family
farm.
Elsewhere on the property, Lisa
and Sandy Behrend watched their
daughter, Lexi, play in the Sand
Toylot.
The family hasn’t been to the
farm in quite a few years but were
glad to return.
“It would be nice if it wasn’t’ so
cold though,” Lisa laughed with her
hand tightly bundled in her pockets.
But the weather was not going to
stop the family from enjoying all
the fun the Whittamore’s farm has
to offer.
The weather the previous weekend
was completely opposite,
with above seasonal temperatures