Jack’s Patch a pumpkin wonderland
It’s a pumpkin playground out by the Northshore Target.
“I’ve dreamed about doing this for the last 15 years and I am finally doing it,” said mom of
four, Elizabeth Christiansen, as she stood behind the outdoor counter at Jack’s Patch Wednesday, Sept. 27.
She and her husband, Brian, have created a kind of wonderland there in the field in front of Target: huge tractor tires filled with corn seed — like sandboxes, only cleaner; an enormous white picture frame, big enough for an entire clan to pose inside; wagons to haul pumpkins or children around the area; a $1 mini pumpkin and gourd stand; a fall gift area and a concession stand.
Jack’s Patch will be open through Halloween. Hours are from 3 to 7 p.m., Monday-Thursday; from 3 to 9 p.m., Friday; from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday, and closed Sunday.
Pumpkins run from $1 to $10, with specialty pumpkins, such as white ones, from $10 to $25. Hay bales are $7 and cornstalks are $6. Drinks, including pumpkin milk from Cruze Farms, hot chocolate and cider are available, as well as doughnuts.
The patch opened the weekend of Sept. 16.
“We had food trucks and live music and a bigger turnout than expected,” Christiansen said.
The Christiansens lived in the Watt Road area for seven years and moved about a couple of years ago to the Northshore area near Carl Cowan Park.
“We lived in upstate New York and there were several pumpkin patches there,” Christiansen said. “We had a favorite one in upstate New York called Jackson Farm. My son’s name is Jack and that’s why we named it Jack’s Patch — plus jack-o-lanterns.
The Christiansens have four children — Austin, Jackson, Rylee and Brinley in their teens and early 20s — who are helping out. To lend a hand, two of her seven sisters have come in from outside the area.
She was expecting the one from Chicago, but the one who flew in from Utah surprised her.
“I always wanted to have a pumpkin patch and just never got the chance to. This lot came open and we got approved to do it right here. Everything just kind of fell into place. I had two weeks to plan.”
For more information, call 865-209-1679.
