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Pumpkinville to celebrate its 50th anniversary

Aug 30, 2018 | Entertainment

Who would have thought that what started as a simple roadside pumpkin stand in 1968 would have grown into one of Cattaraugus County’s largest tourist attractions.

Pumpkinville is celebrating its Golden Anniversary this season hosting an estimated 100,000 attendees with Fall Family Fun. That’s how many people are expected to visit the 200-acre regional tourist attraction during its six-week season each year.

Pumpkinville, the oldest, continuously working pumpkin farm in New York State, opens Sept. 15 and runs through Oct. 31. Its hours are 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. each day, rain or shine.

“We’ve spared no expense building new attractions and amenities for Pumpkinville this year,” said Dan Pawlowski, who has owned the nationally recognized, agri-tourism attraction with his wife Diane and their children since 1996. “We have something to entertain everybody.”

Topping the list of new attractions is a three-acre Pumpkin Patch Playground. It includes Yee Haw Hill, which features a number of covered and open 60-foot long slides. Barnyard Ballzone lets people test their football, baseball and basketball skills. On the less glamorous, but still important side, Pumpkinville has also built several permanent bathroom facilities for the comfort of our visitors.

Many of Pumpkinville’s favorite attractions will still be there including the Six-Acre Corn Maze, Apple Blaster, Pumpkinville Express Train, Pumpkin Jumpin’ Pillows, Henhouse Five Review, Cow Train, Gem Mining, Storyland, Hayrides and much more.

Pumpkinville also offers a variety of delicious food to eat while you’re there and to take home. The on-site bakery, Di’s Pies & Bake Shoppe, provides fresh-out-of-the-oven baked goods including their famous pumpkin donuts. Other products include homemade pumpkin bread, pumpkin pie, ice cream, old-fashioned Kettle Corn, caramel sauce and caramel apples, fudge, jam, maple products and much more.

“I love seeing our visitors faces when they take a bite of something that just comes out of the oven,” said Diane Pawlowski, who oversees the on-site bakery. “We’re one of the few
places in the country where you can get something homemade right out of the oven.”

Visitors can watch apples being pressed into cider in the restored 1870s cider mill. On weekends in October (weather permitting), they can also take a helicopter ride and see the gorgeous fall foliage from above.

Don’t forget the main attraction – pumpkins! With more than 25 acres in the pumpkin patch you’ll find the perfect pumpkins for decorating. Whether you like the traditional orange pumpkins or the exotic pumpkins with assorted sizes, colors and shapes, Pumpkinville will have it. All you need to do is select your own for a special jack-o-lantern, or choose from a variety of pre-painted pumpkins.

A former winner of New York State’s Agri-Tourism Business of the Year, Pumpkinville is just minutes from Ellicottville at 4844 Sugartown Road in Great Valley.

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