Pumpkins aplenty at Molnar festival

Molnar’s pumpkin patch is ripe for the picking, especially since Molnar’s Taber Corn and Pumpkin Farm is celebrating its 6th Annual Pumpkin Festival Oct. 12.

“I believe everybody just loves to come out and pick their own pumpkin out of the patch and see all the pumpkins and have a fun family day,” said Jenn Molnar, adding the family has been on the farm for decades.

“We hope to have between 1,000 to 1,500 people,” she added.

This year, families can partake in a plethora of pumpkin patch shenanigans with a kids’ cornmaze, hula-hooping, hay rides, face painting, kids’ crafts, food and refreshments — and don’t forget…pumpkins for sale.

Admission is free for the pumpkin festival, as well as the face painting, the hay rides, hula-hooping and the cornmaze. The kids’ pumpkin craft is $5, concession prices vary and pumpkins range in price from $2 to $20, depending upon the size.

Molnar’s Farm, in addition to regular pumpkins of all shapes and sizes, has a variety of decorative gourds, mini-pumpkins, sugar pumpkins and more to choose from. Not only does Molnar’s Farm have a wide-assortment of pumpkins, the farm also grows kernels of yellow gold, famous in these parts. It has been noted Molnar’s Farm has been crowned Corn King at Taber’s annual Cornfest for the years 2007, 2008 and 2010.

“We have Molnar’s Taber corn in the summer and we have the pumpkins in the fall,” said Molnar.

“We plant the pumpkins at the beginning of June and they’re ready to go by mid-September to the end of October,” said Molnar, adding the pumpkins then go on to find a good home and are turned into Happy Halloween pumpkins in the form of jack o’ lanterns and the like.

Over the summer and recently with high winds, Taber weather has been unpredictable and a hassle to farmers and their crops but fortunately Molnar’s Farm was spared the wrath of Mother Nature, this past growing season.

“Our corn wasn’t affected by the weather. The pumpkins, so far are okay, as long as we don’t get any more really cold nights. So far so good,” said Molnar.

Molnar’s Farm 6th Annual Pumpkin Festival runs from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m., rain or shine. Molnar’s Farm is located one mile east and one-and-a-half miles south of Barnwell, just off Highway 3 (south side of the highway). There will be signs on the highway to direct pumpkin festival-goers.

Who knows — maybe children of all ages will get a sneak peek of the Great Pumpkin before Halloween.