The morning of Sept. 23 felt cheerful as the leaves finally started embracing the new colors of fall. To take in the second day of autumn, I decided along with a few friends – seniors Annie Wehinger, Stewart Woodside, and Arlene Gutierrez – there was no better way to celebrate other than a pumpkin patch. Oakes Farm caught my eye with its array of fun activities to do – from a junior speedway to a 9-acre corn maze.

Tickets are normally $11.95 for ages 11 and up; however, I snagged a half-price ticket being there on opening day. Upon entering the pumpkin patch, I was immediately met with a bright, bustling field and the scent of the fresh fall air mixed with the food of Pappy’s Fry Shack. We decided to start with the corn maze. Right off the bat, we were lost in the hub of towering corn and could not follow along with our calendar of check points. Within 30 minutes of boundless wandering, we made our way back to the front.

Next we went to the pedal karts to race. The pedal karts station was made up of a circular dirt road and an abundance of tractor-like cars that visitors operate with their own manpower. It was a bike pedal fashion and after a few laps we came to a halt to undertake a new adventure. We tried the Mine Shaft Giant Slide which involved riding down a large tunneled slide.

“If you have a need for speed, use the burlap sack,” Wehinger advises.

After a few rides down the slide, we made our way to the Jumping Pillow. This was by far the most fun activity.

“The second we got on the jumping pillow we couldn’t stop laughing we were having so much fun,” Wehinger said. “We weren’t laughing at a specific thing; we were just having so much fun we couldn’t stop.”

Added Woodside: “It made you feel like a kid again. Every time I jumped, there was a really good view of the maze and my friends falling.”

Exhausted from the day’s activities, we decided to take a break for dinner as the late evening approached. There were two locations to buy food. One of them was named Pappy’s Fry Shack. The menu items here included chicken nuggets, fried mac & cheese, mozzarella cheese sticks, corn dogs, and cheddar potato munchers. Prices ranged from $3 to $4 on each item.

The chicken nuggets, served with ranch, were flavorful and crispy and the fried mac and cheese was an interesting concoction that I didn’t know existed until I ordered them. It was my first time trying them and I thought they were delicious. They had a crispy outer layer with melty, oozing mac & cheese on the inside. For dessert, options included funnel fries, apple pie bites, and fried Twinkies. I had the funnel fries which were golden brown funnel fries covered in powdered sugar.

After dinner, we took the hayride to the pumpkin patch. This involved a bumpy five-minute ride through the scenic patch. Once we arrived to the patch, there were hundreds of pumpkins to choose from. After taking my time, I chose the perfect pumpkin and we took the hayride back to the main Oakes Farm center. It was nearing 9 p.m. – closing time of Oakes Farm so we said our goodbyes and left to go home. I would recommend Oakes Farm to a friend because it has many fun activities to choose from and will definitely be enjoyable during the cool months of October.