event

Pumpkin Party

Celebrating Halloween at a Family Farm Text by Carrie M. Miner Photographs by Kerrick James

When the “legendary” Hillbilly Bob,

Wearing overalls and a straw hat, sauntered out of his quaint shack, we and the rest of the audience leaned forward on our haybale perches to better hear his tips on pigs well, make that racing hogs, to be exact. Hog races will be just part of the oldfashioned fun this month in Queen Creek, 35 miles southeast of Phoenix, at Schnepf Farms Pumpkin and Chili Party, now in its fourth year. Held at the 600-acre working farm that's been in the Schnepf family since 1941, the Halloween event offers so many activities, my 4-year-old twin sons, Hayden and Blake, and I found it hard to do them all in just one visit last year. We started our evening's festivities at the grills, where most people fill up on chicken and corn-on-the-cob. Kids can choose a hot dog and chips, but my boys went for the specialty, chili and homemade cornbread, topping it off with bottles of sarsaparilla his designated hog as Blake glared at us from his seat. We rooted noisily as the rare long-nosed Ossobow hogs raced around the track to obtain Oreo cookie treats. Hayden squealed with delight when his hog finished first, earning him the coveted rubber pig-nose prize; the other kids walked away with candy treats. To restore Blake's mood, I stopped at a stand and bought him a pignose, too. After the races, we took a spin on the 1912 Parker carousel. The fully restored musical merry-go-round sports mirrors and lights in its center, encircled by handpainted horses, a swan carriage and a wooden pig. Children rode the gaily decorated horses then rushed back to get in line for another turn. The expanded "A-Maizing" Corn Maze across the way kept those who entered guessing as they navigated the labyrinth of twists and turns. The Lil' Farmers Play Stage included performances by comedian and juggler Dana Smith, and original melodrama productions complete with a heroine and hero (we "oohed" and "ahhed") as well as a nasty villain (we "booed" and "hissed"). At the Kids' Activity Barn, children tried their hand at a pumpkin toss, pumpkin painting, a pumpkin dunk or, for an additional fee, scarecrow-making. The youngsters emerged from the barn carrying mini painted pumpkins; their parents followed in tow with life-size scarecrows bundled in their arms. We roasted marshmallows over a bonfire near the main stage as we enjoyed a feisty performance by The Shady Creek Band, 1999 Southwest Pizza Hut Bluegrass Champions. The four-week event hosts several country and bluegrass groups, including Out of the Blue, now in its third year at the farm. A new attraction this year, 25-foot-tall And fudge brownies. Sufficiently fueled for our adventure through the farm, we headed for the featured event - Hillbilly Bob's Pig Races. Before each show, Bob's cousin, Eleanor, induces laughter with a "spooky" story. The night we were there, she related an unusual Southwestern version of "The Three Little Pigs." Children clambered up front, lining the fence as though they were pickets themselves, riveted to the tale. Later Bob moved them all back to give the racers room. Bob and audience members from earlier shows taught us how to beckon racers with a loud "suuuey," which young and old gleefully called out into the clear night air. Hayden was chosen to compete in the race after I hoisted him over my head in an attempt to get noticed among the crowd. I joined him in the front of the crowd at the fence to cheer onYard nearby kept tots busy with a jungle gym, a straw-bale maze, a John Deere tricycle race course and a giant haystack. My boys opted to board the Spooky Railroad for a ride around the farm and orchard, where ghosts and goblins lurked behind shady trees, ready to frighten us with bared fangs and ghoulish groans.After practicing their screams while riding the train, several people took a hayride to the main stage for the nightly "Scream Off" contest. Other shows at the Old Farm Witch Mountain, will lure the young and young at heart to scramble up its face, travel through a mine-shaft entrance and then slide down to a pit below ground level. We enjoyed the farm's petting corral, country store and, of course, the pumpkin patch. After a few minutes of wandering down the rows and searching a tangle of vines, I found a jolly-looking pumpkin that seemed to weigh as much as both of my sons combined. But Hayden and Blake would have nothing to do with it; they had found their own "perfect" pumpkins. As we headed back to the car, the boys insisted I carry their fruity loot as well as my own. I lumbered after their pig-nosed profiles by the glow of ghostly Halloween lights. I shifted the pumpkins' weight and hurried to stay in step with them in the darkness - an exhausting but fitting ending to a family excursion that included racing swine.

Location: 24810 S. Rittenhouse Road, Queen Creek; 35 miles southeast of Phoenix. Getting There: From Phoenix, take Interstate 10 east to U.S. Route 60, east to Ellsworth Road exit. Turn right onto Ellsworth Road; turn left onto Rittenhouse Road and follow signs. Hours, Dates: October 5-8, 12-15, 19-22, 26-29; Thursday, 10 A.M. to 9 P.M.; Friday and Saturday, 10 A.M. to 10 P.M.; Sunday, 10 A.M. to 5 P.M. Fees: $6; $3, Thursdays only, 18 and younger; free, under 2. Ride tickets: $1 to $2. Scarecrow-making and supplies: $10. Dinner: $4 to $7. Pumpkins: $2 to $8. Additional Information: Schnepf Farms, (480) 987-3333; country store, (480) 987-1701; www.schnepffarms.com.