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OCTOBER 20, 2018 | <strong>DISCOVER</strong>!<br />
10 | Harvest<br />
MARK YOUR<br />
CALENDARS!<br />
At a Glance:<br />
WHAT: Hoefling’s Pumpkin Patch &<br />
Corn Maze<br />
WHERE: 5303 D Ave., Marcus, IA<br />
WHEN: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday<br />
3-7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday<br />
12-6 p.m.<br />
COST: No gate fee. Corn maze entry<br />
$4-6<br />
CONTACT: 712-490-3329<br />
ONLINE: Find them on Facebook<br />
RYLAN HOWE | STAFF WRITER<br />
Generations of family fun<br />
Hoeflings have run pumpkin patch for two decades<br />
Family fun has been had for generations<br />
at the Hoefling Pumpkin<br />
Patch & Corn Maze.<br />
Alan and Geralyn Hoefling have<br />
owned and operated the facility near<br />
Marcus, IA for 22 years.<br />
It all began when they wanted a<br />
place to take their own family for a<br />
day of fun, entertainment and education.<br />
It has since grown to include more<br />
than 100 varieties<br />
of pumpkins<br />
and gourds,<br />
three corn mazes,<br />
fall décor,<br />
toys, honey,<br />
baked goods,<br />
hay rack rides<br />
and much more.<br />
“I wanted<br />
a place where<br />
families could<br />
come enjoy<br />
the weekend,<br />
bring the kids<br />
and learn how<br />
I wanted a place where<br />
families could come enjoy<br />
the weekend, bring<br />
the kids and learn how<br />
pumpkins grow.<br />
Geralyn Hoefling<br />
pumpkins grow,” Geralyn said. “We<br />
started with just orange and white<br />
pumpkins and couple hay bales out<br />
front. We try to add something new<br />
each year and now we have 15 varieties<br />
of mini pumpkins alone. For big<br />
pumpkins we have orange, white,<br />
green, bluish, yellow — all in different<br />
sizes and shapes.”<br />
They’ve started growing squash as<br />
well. Geralyn sees a lot of customers<br />
buying them simply for decoration<br />
and kindly reminds them that when<br />
the decorations come down they can<br />
eat them too.<br />
The first corn maze was added to<br />
the offerings in 2005 and they’ve since<br />
grown there as well.<br />
“We started with just the daytime<br />
maze. Then we added the haunted<br />
maze and a lighted corn maze. There<br />
are no spooks on that one so it’s not<br />
too scary for kids,” Geralyn said.<br />
There is no gate fee to enter<br />
Hoefling’s Pumpkins Patch. A journey<br />
through the corn mazes costs $4 for<br />
the daytime version, $5 for the lighted<br />
maze and $6 for the haunted version.<br />
During the daytime families can<br />
also enjoy hay rides, bean bag toss<br />
and other games and even learn a bit<br />
about the history of farming. Geralyn,<br />
a former preschool teacher, is especially<br />
fond of the latter.<br />
“In keeping with a bit of education<br />
we have a could old hand corn shellers<br />
and an antique corn sorter,” Geralyn<br />
“They can turn the crank on that<br />
and it spits corn out. Kids love stuff<br />
like that.”<br />
After all their years in operation, the<br />
Hoeflings are now welcoming a new<br />
generation of kids at the pumpkin<br />
patch.<br />
Customers who visited as children<br />
every year are now coming back with<br />
their own children in tow.<br />
“For me the biggest thing is just seeing<br />
people happy to be here, enjoying<br />
the day and enjoying their family<br />
time,” Geralyn said.<br />
Her own children have grown up<br />
with the pumpkin patch as well. They<br />
continue to come back and help on<br />
the weekends and still pick out their<br />
pumpkins from the family farm.<br />
It’s a nonstop job from the moment<br />
the seeds go into the ground until<br />
they close the doors on Oct. 31.<br />
Until then, the Hoeflings invite<br />
families from near and far to come enjoy<br />
a fun-filled day at their pumpkin<br />
patch. F<br />
Marcus | Iowa
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