Fowler Pumpkin Patch, a family-owned seasonal pumpkin patch located at 5060 N. Greene County Line Rd., opened last week for its fall season. The pumpkin patch was founded eight years ago.
Fowler Pumpkin Patch offers free admission to all with the option to participate in activities for a small fee.
The pumpkin patch is open 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
Fowler Pumpkin Patch owner Perry Fowler said that the farm has been in the family for more than 50 years. Before that, his aunt and uncle ran a Christmas tree farm for 60 years. He said the Christmas tree farm inspired him to open a pumpkin patch.
Fowler Pumpkin Patch offers a variety of activities for families of all ages. Some of the activities include picking your own pumpkin, a corn maze, a petting zoo and hayrides.
Fowler said the hayride allows riders to experience a hilly terrain that goes right through the woods. He said he thinks the Fowler Pumpkin Patch hayride is the best hayride in the state.
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This year will be the second time the pumpkin patch will offer a beer garden for those of legal drinking age. Fowler said the beer garden is open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Every Saturday the beer garden hosts music entertainment from 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. The pumpkin patch also offers music entertainment for all ages every Friday night from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Customers can find more information on events on their website or Facebook.
The pumpkin patch will run until Oct. 28.
IU senior Merdith Fain visited Fowler Pumpkin Patch on Oct. 26 of last year and said she enjoyed the activities and food options.
“Our favorite activity by far was the corn maze,” Fain said.
Fain said that the pumpkin patch feels very community oriented and is not too far from campus. She also liked the fact that it is affordable. Fowler Pumpkin Patch is a little over 20 minutes away from campus.
“It felt different than a lot of things here in Bloomington which are typically college student focused,” Fain said.
Fowler Pumpkin Patch has partnered with local nonprofits in past years. This year the pumpkin patch has partnered with the Monroe County Humane Association. The pumpkin patch will donate $1 to the MCHA from every ticket sale for the corn maze this year.
Fowler said that Fowler Pumpkin Patch also hosted a Special Needs Night for special needs kids so there were no large crowds. They partnered with Autism Rocks and Rolls and Unlocking the Spectrum on Sept. 25 and Oct. 2. There were games, pumpkins, a touch truck, sensory room and more.
Fowler said that he has an autistic nephew, so this is a very important cause to support.
During the off season, the pumpkin patch still hosts events. In August they hosted a Summerfest/Poker Run put on by Autism Rocks and Rolls. The event had various activities. Fowler said that they donated their property for the event and two bands were featured.
In July, the pumpkin patch hosted a Brewfest where they donated the proceeds to Hoosiers with Hearts Disaster Relief according to the Fowler Pumpkin Patch Facebook page.
More information on upcoming events at the patch can also be found on their Facebook page.
The agriculture industry around Bloomington has significantly changed throughout the years. According to the Bloomington Climate Action Plan Section 6, climate change has directly impacted the food system.
Although Indiana is one of the most dominant agricultural states in the nation, more than 90% of food is imported from other states.
The Bloomington CAP says supporting small businesses and the local economy can strengthen the local food market, which will fix the challenges of the food system that climate change imposes.
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