3 Weeks and Counting...

Three weeks from today, Papa's Polar Patch plans to open for its third season on Dec. 26. I say "plans" because, of course, it's North Dakota and everything is subject to weather. As a matter of fact, you might want to keep your eye on Papa's web site (www.papaspolarpatch.com) -- if the weather is in our favor, we might even do a sneak preview and open early!

What can you expect in 2009? Well, fun for families for sure! It's what we do best at Papa's and this year will be no different. The tarps for the ice skating rink arrived yesterday, so we plan to start filling it this week. The Snow Caves are under construction. Until this past week, we were calling them Hay Caves - it seemed more appropriate without snow. We'll have horse-drawn sleigh rides and Mrs. P has made up some really warm-looking blankets to snuggle under for the ride.

Yes, there will be bale mazes and slides and the gi-normous snowmen (and women), and uh huh, we're planning "fast and furious" or "extended play" routes for you thrill seekers on the old-fashioned sled rides!

Three weeks and counting. Don't know about you, but I'm getting excited.

See you soon,

Papa

It's nearly 60 degrees on Nov. 21

It's November 21st. I'm sitting on my porch looking over a lawn that is more green than brown. There are still birds singing, and I left the door to the house open because it's nearly 60 degrees. In November! In North Dakota!

Now I grew up in North Dakota and I know as well as the next guy that 60 degrees today can easily be followed by a blizzard this week. We plan to open Papa's Polar Patch five weeks from today. We're not worried about how to host a polar patch without snow, but we have had conversations about how fast sleds will move over grass and stubble compared to a couple of feet of the white stuff

Talk about ironies. We wore snow boots and insulated pants one weekend during Papa's Pumpkin Patch in October, and with the way things look today, we won't need a warming house -- we'll need t-shirts and cold beverages for Papa's Polar Patch next month.

When it starts getting dark at 5 pm, my body says the air is supposed to be crisp and clear, and I should see my breath when I'm outside. Hot chocolate should sound way better than iced tea, and getting ready to go out should be a five-minute process involving several layers, instead of opening the door and well, going out.

Yep, I'm confused. It's November 21st at 4:31 pm. The sun is setting and we're about to go out for a walk without a coat, hat or gloves. Well, all right then.

See you soon,

Papa

Nothing Is Ever Lost When It's Given Away

A wise friend and faithful Papa's volunteer said something simple and profound to me this week. "Nothing is ever lost when it's given away."

We were talking about the end of the pumpkin season and the few hundred pumpkins still sitting at Papa's Pumpkin Patch. He'd stopped by to pick up a few more pumpkins for his grandkids to carve this weekend when they were over for a visit.

By the time he was ready to leave, we'd loaded his truck with squash, gourds AND pumpkins. You see, he was going to have a few more pumpkins for his grandkids, as well as harvest displays for his community, and pumpkins for the nursing home, school and maybe even a few neighbors.

We'd talked it through and it was important to me that Papa's say "thanks" for the countless hours he and his wife had given during the pumpkin season. It was meaningful to him that he be able to share "his harvest" with those most special -- his family and his community (he lives in a small town outside Bismarck).

Getting ready to leave, he made his simple, yet profound statement: "Nothing is ever lost when it's given away." I'd been down on myself about mis-calculating the number of pumpkins we needed this year. My friend reminded me the number of pumpkins was accurate; I'd just mis-calculated the way in which they'd be used.

Thank you for another wonderful season at Papa's Pumpkin Patch! If you were unable to get your annual visit in due to the weather, or if you know someone special you'd like to gift with a pumpkin from Papa's, stop by this Thursday or Friday, Oct. 29-30, from 4-6 pm, or on Halloween from 10 am- 2 pm. And remember: nothing is ever lost when it's given away.

See you soon,

Papa

Rain, rain go away...

It's been a strange fall. September weather was more like July, and October seems more like November. Personally, I'd go for a few weeks of fall before we jump into preparations for Papa's Polar Patch!

On behalf of the patch family, I'd like to say thank you for your patience with the weather and with us these past two weeks. Part of the beauty of living in the country is gravel roads for driveways and mowed hay fields for parking lots. The balance to that is when it rains, it gets sloppy.

We know we disappoint your little people when their excitement builds on the drive to Papa's Pumpkin Patch, only to have a "Sorry We're Closed" sign at the end of the driveway. If we hadn't pulled so many once-clean vehicles out of knee-deep ruts over the years, we'd gladly welcome you in our rain slickers.

Time has taught us to think better of this and so we ask for your patience. The weekend forecast sounds like two, back-to-back beautiful fall days, and if the clouds hold back tomorrow, we should all be ready to celebrate the season.

We look forward to seeing you soon!

Papa

We've Got Us a Fan Club!

Papa's Pumpkin Patch and Papa's Polar Patch are just like every other attraction, festival or event -- word of mouth is the best advertising. In 2009, July 30 to be exact, Papa's entered social media with a fan page on Facebook, and word of mouth has truly become world of mouth.

As of Oct. 5, we have 1,444 fans from the U.S., Canada, South Korea, Australia and Palestine. The top cities represented on the site include Bismarck, Minot, Fargo, Hazen, Dickinson Sioux Falls, Beulah, Steele, Omaha, Minneapolis and Carrington. Holy Cow! I'd say we've got us a fan club!

What's most exciting about the fan page is the opportunity our old and new friends have to tell us what they like, comment on their visit, provide feedback and suggestions, post their favorite photos and ask us questions. And we have an opportunity to respond to all of these posts in a public format so anyone who's interested can learn more.

Like the request from one fan for more benches and seating areas so she can "sit s spell" while her grandchildren plan. Consider it done. Or the suggestion we offer season passes. That idea was first offered to us in 2008 and is now reality.

It's crazy. I never dreamed Papa's Pumpkin Patch or Papa's Polar Patch would have a fan club. Now that we do, I'm hoping fans will pass along the link and invite others to join. It gives us a way to stay connected throughout the year and listen to you in a high-tech way.

See you soon,

Papa

Home Sweet Home

For first-time visitors and many returning guests, it comes as a surprise to know that a family actually lives at Papa's Pumpkin Patch. It's true. Papa's covers over 40 acres along the Missouri River and while it is privately owned, our family thoroughly enjoys sharing it publicly with thousands of visitors each year.

We've long believed Papa's Pumpkin Patch and now Papa's Polar Patch are ways we can give back to the area which has given us so much. Who wouldn't want to be at a place where people are excited before, during and after their visit?

When children come to Papa's for a field trip, you can just feel the energy building as they wait for their train ride. Sometimes kids hardly get inside the gate before they take off at a dead run for the bale mazes. And I can't even count the number of parents who thank us for tiring their children out and granting them a "snooze cruise" on their way home.

Home Sweet Home. Whether it's a little pumpkin house or an entire pumpkin patch, we're happy to share it with you.

See you soon,

Papa

Come Visit Us!

Yesterday - Sunday, Sept. 13 - was opening day for the 2009 season at Papa's Pumpkin Patch. It was an amazing journey filled with the help of many friends and families. In less than 5 months, we re-built our main storage structure, planted (and are harvesting) a pumpkin crop, added a corn maze, sewed nearly 150 decorative flags and banners, acquired a LOT of new stuff, and got about the business of welcoming our guests to Papa's.

We are especially grateful to the Patching the Patch team, the U Mary Emerging Leaders program, Rebuilding Together, Bismarck-Mandan Young Professionals, school children and parents, along with so many individuals who made our re-building after the April 29 fire possible.

It was a beautiful day...gorgeous sunshine, mellow breezes, virtually no bugs. It was the beginning of fall at its finest. Our season runs from Sept. 13 - Oct. 24. We're open 12-7 pm daily, and I hope I get to welcome most of you personally when you visit us.

See you soon,

Papa