Polk County
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Polk County Itemizer-Observer • October 5, 2016 7A
JOLENE GUZMAN/ Itemizer-Observer
Dallas residents Jennifer Hodgdon, left, Arron Hodgdon and Scott Hodgdon search for a medium-sized pumpkin on Saturday at Beal Pumpkin Patch.
PUMPKIN HUNTING
Dallas Christmas tree farm opens first pumpkin patch running through October
By Jolene Guzman
The Itemizer-Observer
DALLAS — The on-and-
off rain Saturday didn’t
dampen the excitement of
Beal Pumpkin Patch’s open-
ing day.
“It’d been pretty quiet so
far,” co-owner Don Beal said
as he walks down a dirt road
to the pumpkin patch.
Quiet is OK with Don and
his wife, Jo Ann Beal. This is
the first year they expanded
their Dallas Christmas tree
farm to include pumpkin
season, and they spent part
of the first day setting
up.
Jo Ann said
as they con-
sidered of-
fering the
pumpkin
patch, they
heard from
several people
in the commu-
nity that Dallas
needed a local option for
those who didn’t want to
drive far or battle large
crowds.
“This, I think is the per-
fect setup for them,” Jo Ann
said. “It’s a little trip. They
can just come out here.”
Check it out
The pumpkin patch
is open each Saturday
and Sunday in Octo-
ber, ending on Oct. 30,
from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
at 700 Oak Villa Road,
Dallas.
School field trips
can be reserved during
week days.
The pumpkin patch is sit-
uated in an open field at the
farm.
Visitors walking down the
short road from the parking
lot emerge from behind a
barn to see the
landscape dot-
ted with
b r i g h t o r-
a n g e
gourds.
The Beals
aren’t trying
to emulate
the big harvest
festivals of other
farms in the area, but
they are offering food —
popcorn, chips and hot
dogs — and family games.
The “I-Spy Trail,” a short
oak-forested loop on which
players try to locate objects
within the trees, is one of Jo
JOLENE GUZMAN/ Itemizer-Observer
Beal Pumpkin Patch co-owner Jo Ann Beal, right, talks with customers Saturday afternoon by the gift shop at the
farm. This is the first year Jo Ann and her husband, Don Beal, have offered a pumpkin patch.
Ann’s favorite activities. They
also have face painting and a
gift shop selling seasonal
items and Halloween deco-
rations she made by hand.
Starting this weekend,
Dallas FFA members will
bring animals for a petting
zoo.
“We’re never going to be
that big,” Don said. “We’re a
local farm, but we will keep
adding things every year.”
For the first year, the Beals
didn’t grow their own pump-
kins, choosing to buy them
from local farmers — in-
cluding the Wall Farm in
Perrydale — while testing
the waters.
If the month goes well,
next year, Beal Pumpkin
Patch will grow its own
pumpkins.
For now, though, the cou-
ple is looking forward to
watching customers hunt
for the perfect potential
jack-o-lantern.
“We just really look for-
ward to having the kids
come out,” Jo Ann said.
"I have devoted my life to the
Polk County Sheriff’s Office and
to serving the people of Polk County.
I am honored to be your Sheriff."
— Sheriff Mark Garton
Mark's accomplishments since
becoming YOUR Sheriff:
✓ Restored 24 Hour Patrols
✓ Reinstated POINT (drug team)
✓ Establishing a mental
health Mobile Crisis
Response Team (MCRT)
✓ Established the Sheriff’s
Advisory Team (SAT)