This article is presented in partnership with Visit Warrensburg.
Just north of Warrensburg off of Route 13 sits an autumn destination befitting of The Great Pumpkin. The revived Harvest Festival and pumpkin patch at Buckeye Acres celebrates its tenth anniversary this year and continues a long-held October family tradition.
Jim and Jeanne Counts established Buckeye Acres in 1982 to provide fresh produce like they had when they were growing up in northern Ohio. The farm started off with a u-pick strawberry patch and a few vegetables so Jeanne could stay home with their boys. As the boys, Buck and Will got older, the farm branched out into raspberries, blackberries, and increased the number of vegetable crops.
The original Harvest Festival began in October 1987 and featured a pumpkin patch, a wide selection of fall decorations, and family activities. In 2003, the Counts discontinued the festival when the boys went off to college. But after Buck and his wife Heather took over the farm in 2009, the harvest festival ramped back up in 2011 along with new offerings to the farm, which includes a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program. They also sell produce on-farm and at the Warrensburg Farmers’ Market, and u-pick strawberries and blackberries are still grown each summer.
This year, many festival aspects will remain the same as in years past, but there will also be some changes due to COVID-19. Currently, masks must be worn in the farm store, and social distancing practices must be adhered to outside. Also because of the pandemic, the farm is increasing its hours for the festival. Instead of being open only on weekends, the farm will be open weekdays as well because they expect a decrease in school field trips to the farm.
During the Harvest Festival, hayrides will take guests to the u-pick pumpkin patch, where pumpkins can be hand-selected for fall decor or jack-o’-lanterns. Guests can also ride horses and snack on kettle corn or other foods from festival vendors. In addition, special events will include an apple butter-making demonstration and cider pressing, and entertainment will be provided on weekends. Homemade jams and jellies; fresh produce; homegrown beef, pork, goat, and chicken; Hemme Brothers cheese, farm home decor, and goat milk soap, among other items will be available for purchase in the farm store.
Visit Buckeye-Acres.com for more Harvest Festival information, or VisitWarrensburg.com for more events and destinations in the area. To learn more about the area’s face covering order before your trip, visit JohnsonCountyHealth.org.
