Pumpkin Spice and all things nice at Gail’s Pumpkin Patch

 

[October 03, 2022] 

Pumpkin Spice and all things nice is what visitors to Gail’s Pumpkin Patch found on Sunday afternoon.

The popular visiting spot for those wanting outdoor fun and an abundance of pumpkins, gourds, apples, mums, and fall décor was very busy throughout the afternoon.

Guests enjoyed not only the shopping and the outdoor fun though, because it was a day dedicated to pumpkin pie spice with offerings from Olde Tyme Ice Cream from LeRoy. The ice cream is a specialty product that is churned fresh in large quantities using an old time “hit and miss” engine.

The Brew 66 truck owned by local coffeehouse Guesthouse Coffee and Pastries was on hand offering a variety of latte’ including Pumpkin Spice, as well as cold brew coffee, iced tea or lemonade.

Around the patch one could see that there were a lot of folks who chose to enjoy ice cream as they shopped and played. In addition, the chilled apple cider beverage offered by Gail’s was a popular choice. Another popular choice was the caramel apple sundae from Gail’s. The sweet treat has no ice cream but is a large container of sliced apples, grown in the Gail’s orchard, topped with a thick rich warm caramel sauce.

In the retail area, owner Gail Apel-Sasse was busy floating throughout the area, assisting checkout staff and visiting with shoppers, while husband Dave was busy behind the apple cleaner that the family purchased last year.

He also was fielding questions about the apples grown at Gail’s while selling apples by the piece or the peck.

Outside kids were enjoying the fun and games areas at the patch including the new Hillbilly Basketball, the bumpy slide, trike course, and the pumpkin train.
 

On Sunday’s the popcorn wagon runs, taking visitors out to the popcorn field where they are permitted to select their own ears of popcorn still on the cornstalk.

In all, it was another perfect day at the pumpkin patch. The weather was warm but not too warm and the sun was shining down happily on everyone. Guests were having fun and enjoying everything the patch has to offer, and Gail, David and all the staff were all smiles as they stayed busy throughout the afternoon.

The patch, located off Illinois State Route 10 in rural Beason is open through the end of October six afternoons a week. Hours are Noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. On Saturday the hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and the patch is closed on Tuesdays.

[Nila Smith]