Local pumpkin stands thrive, cracking COVID-19’s new normal

Moonlight and pumpkins set the stage for the first-ever Locals Night at Gordon Skagit Farms last Thursday.

A first-quarter moon loitered over the barn. Tea lights illuminated a display of green speckled swan gourds. Lighted pumpkins spelled “Gordon’s”.

La Conner High School graduate Parker Rivas unloaded purchases from carts in the weigh station. Georgia Johnson whipped up complimentary chocolate Cointreau crepes. Owners Todd and Eddie Gordon mingled with after-hours guests.

The small but appreciative crowd stayed until closing time.

“The evening was very much connected to what we do,” said Eddie Gordon. “(It is) very much of the landscape and the night sky.”

Shifting markets and changing state guidelines have challenged La Conner-area pumpkin farms this year.

At one point in August, it appeared that while u-picks and pumpkin patches were permissible, hay rides, petting zoos and some corn maze activities would not be. Objections from farmers who had not been consulted led Governor Jay Inslee to reverse the ban and provide clearer instructions for COVID-19-safe on-farm activities.

U-pick operations are allowed in Phase 2 counties under the state’s Safe Start plan and are underway at Schuh Farms, Gordon’s and Tulip Town.

There is no haunted house or corn maze at the Gordons this year. The Tulip Town maze is one-way – and visitors are thrilled by its challenge. “People are telling us it’s one of the hardest they’ve ever experienced,” said CEO Andrew Miller.

The Schuhs widened the paths of their maze “so people would feel comfortable in case they had to pass another group,” said Jen Schuh.

Extra sanitizing measures are keeping the Schuh’s hayrides, giant pumpkin patch, barrel train and rider mower train clean and safe.

By and large visitors wear masks, stay in family pods and are “excited to have space to roam in,” said Schuh. “They are very, very happy to be here.”

Todd Gordon says that while sales to regional retail and wholesale accounts are slightly down, the Gordon Autumn Market is having its best year ever.

The Market, whose unique mix of art and unusual pumpkin varieties has been featured in Garden Design and the Seattle Times’ Northwest Magazine, has a sparer look this year. There is less merchandise on the tables and more space between displays.

Checkout procedures have been redesigned to avoid crowds in the weigh station. Two additional socially distanced checkout stands operate in the rear barn on weekends.

Weekdays are busier than usual, even with no school field trips. “People are looking to get out and go somewhere where there’s beauty,” said staffer Nicole Newell.

Early in October, a photo crew captured that beauty for the fall 2021 issue of a high-profile national lifestyle magazine whose extremely well-known name can’t be mentioned yet. But you can ask Eddie Gordon.

With its 2020 bulbs largely sold out and its 2021 bulbs in the ground, Tulip Town’s “The Harvest” is entertaining families on weekends with tractor rides, a one-way corn maze, an indoor pumpkin market, a beer garden and a café.

“We sell as much espresso as pumpkins,” said Miller. “Nobody is just zipping in to buy a pumpkin or grab an espresso and be on their way. Families are spending 90 minutes together.”

The Tulip Town team designed The Harvest to appeal to the growing number of people seeking on-farm experiences in Skagit County. Whether families come from in or outside the county, they want to capture their time on the farm for social media.

“We invested heavily in instagrammable scenes like a floating picture frame in the pumpkin patch and a faux swing that makes it look like you are swinging out over the patch,” said Andrew. “We are always making hay with whatever we’ve been given!”

Schuh said while the weather has been “a little fickle”, customers who come to pick pumpkins are prepared for the rain.

“We were nervous going into this year because we weren’t sure how it would go,” she said, “but the community has been great.”

Gordon’s and The Harvest will close after Halloween. The Schuhs will continue to sell their winter produce, homemade baked goods, nuts, and seasonal gift items – including fresh-cut trees – in their barn until December 23.