The days of thousands of turkeys strutting around the Case Farm are long over.
Still, Mike and Sheila Case-Smith like to keep a couple dozen turkeys around.
They know how much children enjoy them during visits to the North Whidbey farm every October.
“Kids will find ways for them to make noises,” Sheila said. “That’s part of the fun … to make them talk turkey.
“It’s all part of the farm experience.”
October is the month that a handful of farms on North and Central Whidbey open up their pumpkin patches for the public to peruse.
For some families, picking out a pumpkin in the country is a fall tradition much like cutting down a Christmas tree in the winter.
Some can’t wait.
“We wanted to pick up one today, but it’s not open yet,” said Anicka Ellis, who visited Dugualla Bay Farms with her son and two grandchildren Monday. “We’ll be back this weekend.”
Dugualla Bay Farms and the Case Farm, both on North Whidbey, open up their pumpkin patches Oct. 1 and will be open every day this month.
Sherman’s Pioneer Farm in Coupeville, another popular Whidbey destination, officially opens Saturday morning.
Although U-pick pumpkins are the main draw, each farm also features other attractions.
At Sherman’s Pioneer Farm, a tradition for decades has been a trolley ride to the pumpkin patch. These rides will take place Saturdays and Sundays only.
Dale and Liz Sherman also have a farm stand where visitors may purchase a variety of squash and other types of pumpkins, including ghost-white lumina and reddish Cinderella.
“Young people with kids come for the pumpkins,” Dale Sherman said. “Older people come for the squash.”
(PHOTO TO RIGHT: by Ron Newberry/Whidbey News-Times Hunter Bechtol places a ghost pumpkin into a bin as he tries to keep up with Darrell Armstrong on a tractor last week on Dale and Liz Sherman’s pumpkin patch in Coupeville. Sherman’s Pioneer Farm on Ebey Road will sell a variety of pumpkins and offer trolley rides when the farm opens for the season Saturday, Oct. 4.)
The pumpkin patch at Sherman’s Pioneer Farm is part of a series of activities taking place this month in Coupeville all falling under the themed title, “The Haunting of Coupeville.”
Activities at other sites in Coupeville include a costumed pet parade, corn maze and ghost walk. For a complete rundown, check out the Haunting website.
On North Whidbey, Dugualla Bay Farms also will be featuring a corn maze with extended hours Fridays and Saturdays to allow visitors to travel through the maze in the dark using flashlights. At a farm stand, squash, pumpkins, corn stalks, bales of hay and produce are sold.
The Case Farm relies more on its country charm.
It has a small corn maze for young children, but the biggest attractions are the large pumpkin patch, a farm stand, peacocks and, of course, turkeys.
About 40 groups of preschoolers and kindergartners are scheduled to visit the farm this month.
“Mike likes to go crazy with pumpkin varieties,” Sheila said. “I think we have at least 40 different kinds, from miniatures you can hold in your hand to the big 40-to-50-pounders you can hardly carry.”
CASE FARM, located at 98 Case Road in Oak Harbor, opens Oct. 1 with business hours from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily through first weekend of November.
DUGUALLA BAY FARMS, located at 36699 State Highway 20 in Oak Harbor, opens Oct. 1 with hours from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day through October with extended hours until 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday for flashlight corn maze trips.
SHERMAN’S PIONEER FARM, located at 46 S. Ebey Road in Coupeville, opens Saturday, Oct. 4. Its hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays and 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekends. Trolley rides are only offered Saturdays and Sundays.
