Quest for pumpkins lures families

TROY — Despite forecasts calling for rain, the last weekend of Spring Valley Family Tree Farm’s annual pumpkin hunt kicked off Saturday to sunny skies.

While there was still a chill in the air, the family-owned farm was soon filled with attendees and their families, navigating a hay bale maze, enjoying hayrides, hot cocoa, apple cider and other treats and, of course, hunting for pumpkins hidden among aspiring Christmas trees.

Moscow resident Nathan Wells, in attendance with his wife Christiana and their three children, said the event is a welcome opportunity to get out of the house as the days become shorter.

“It’s close to town, a lot of fun activities for the kids, nice, good-quality pumpkins, good food, the kids like it (and) the hay ride is really fun,” Wells said. “The hay ride is probably the highlight — and then finding pumpkins.”

Annette Brusven, who runs the farm with her husband Paul, said the event helps generate revenue at a time when Christmas trees aren’t exactly flying off the shelves.

“We’re always looking for ways to bring income in the rest of the year — Christmastime is one month,” she said. “We added blueberries for summer and then we thought we needed something for fall, and pumpkins seemed to be the ticket.”

From 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., revelers filtered through the farm’s barn and small gift shop cum country store, playing games, having their faces painted or purchasing items made by local artisans. By midday, there was a line stretching away from the barn and the parking area was packed with dozens of cars.

Tina McClure, who was volunteering her time to help run the concessions stand, said she’s known the Brusvens for more than 20 years. She agreed with others in attendance, saying the event is a chance to get a little fresh air with the family in tow.

“(It’s) a place to go and it’s outside, so you don’t have to wear a mask — it’s just a good time, because there’s not a lot of places that you can go, and there’s something for everybody to do,” McClure said, mentioning her 14-year-old son Justin was also helping out by shepherding cars to appropriate parking spots. “We usually have a great time and it’s fun to see the kids smiling.”

Brusven said it’s hard for her to pick a favorite part of the season, but she particularly enjoys the time just before the pumpkin hunt opens to the public, when local schools are invited to come by. This year, she said, more than 500 children from schools all over the region came by and were sent home with their own pumpkin.

“Both my husband and I love sharing our farm. That’s why we wanted to get into this, is to create a place for people (and) families to come and enjoy themselves and just spend quality time together,” she said. “We love it — it’s a lot of work, but it’s worth it.”

The final day of the Spring Valley Tree Farm’s pumpkin hunt takes place today from noon to 4 p.m. Brusven said the farm will kick off the Christmas tree season the week before Thanksgiving and host a wreath-making event Nov. 20 with more hot chocolate and cider, as well as cookies and live music.

“We try to make it a whole festive season,” she said.

Jackson can be reached at sjackson@dnews.com and on Twitter @ReporterScott.