Fall on the farm just feels different.
Bright orange pumpkins of all kind — tall, stumpy, skinny, fat — are stacked in piles, inviting visitors to find the perfect one for their Halloween decor. The autumn breeze rustles through withered stalks as people navigate their way through a maize maze.
Bonfires and apple cider and hayrides add to the sensory sensation.
Most people don’t live on their own farms anymore. But each fall, they can honor and experience the area’s agricultural heritage at one of the county’s most historic homesteads.
Kelsay Farms will once again open its doors to the community for its annual Experience the Farm celebration. Starting this weekend and continuing through Oct. 27, people visiting the farm can climb on the straw bale mountain, meet farm animals, swim through the corn crib play area and ride the Moo Choo Express. The 7-acre corn maze, shaped like a tractor, beckons people to solve its twist and turns.
“It’s such a privilege to continue to offer this,” said Amy Kelsay, whose family owns Kelsay Farms. “It’s fun to be able to offer it to the community. Hopefully we can provide something entertaining and educational to the public about agriculture.”
When people need a break, they can enjoy milkshakes, grilled cheese, apple slushies and new creations such as the Spooky Shake on the farm grounds.
New this year is a farm market, where guests can buy locally made products to take home with them.
All of it adds up to one of the most enriching times of year for the Kelsay family, and hopefully one of the most fun for the Johnson County public.
“It’s one of those years when we’re adding quite a few things, trying to enhance the experience, updating some older activities and keeping all the staples. We just want to continue to offer a safe and clean and fun environment for our guests,” Kelsay said.
This is the 18th year Kelsay Farms has opened up to the community for the fall, a tradition that started as a way to share their agricultural heritage with the public. Six generations of the Kelsay family have farmed the land, growing row crops and vegetables. Until recently, they had a working dairy.
Weekends in the fall are packed as families come out to pick out pumpkins, take hay rides and enjoy attractions. Thousands of students across Johnson County come out for field trips, where they learn where the food their parents buy at the grocery store actually comes from.
“We just want to give them that real farm experience,” Kelsay said.
Certain activities have become family favorites, included every autumn. Foremost is the corn maze, which invites visitors of all ages to find their way through the different pathways and passages. Within the maze, people can take part in a scavenger hunt, adding another layer of complexity to the labyrinth.
Activities such as the hay bale mountain, Moo Choo Express train and the jump pad bring flocks of children as must-do fun during their trip to the farm.
But the Kelsays have also tinkered with new experiences and additions for this year. Inside the newly envisioned country store, people can purchase handmade goods from around Indiana, as well as pick up Kelsay Farms merchandise to take home.
“We sat down over the summer and talked about things we wanted to do and grow and expand. Honestly, we listened to our customers,” Kelsay said. “We’ve had requests for years to sell local foods, local products, Kelsay Farms merchandise. We’ve done bits and pieces of that, but this year’s we’re committing a space to sell those types of items.”
In the area where people wait for the most popular activities, such as the line for the hayride, they’ve added game boards and fun experiences that families can do together why they wait.
The Kelsays have also added a track to race pedal tractors — foot-powered vehicles that were a staple of childhood on the farm.
“Most of the activities we do on the farm are things that farm kids would have done growing up. The straw bale mountain, we all grew up building straw forts. The corn crib, we all grew up playing in the shelled corn,” Kelsay said. “One of the things my husband and I grew up doing was pedal tractors. So this year we’re adding a course for kids to drive on.”
Organizers have also made some changes to the food and drink options available. Of course, guests can load up on milkshakes, grilled cheese, apple cider slushies and caramel apples — all options that have proven immensely popular with the community, Kelsay said.
But the farm has also expanded its offering with seasonal drinks that have become favorites among visitors. The Spooky Shake is a signature milkshake with all kinds of toppings added, including cake pops and brownies and all kinds of treats, Kelsay said.
The Frosted Apple Cider combines a milkshake with apple cider slushie and caramel drizzle, topped off with a doughnut.
“My middle daughter runs our concessions, and she literally last year was creating things. She kind of created this new drink on the spot, and sold so many of them, so we’re bringing that back again for our customers,” Kelsay said.
IF YOU GO
Experience the farm
What: An opportunity for local residents to take part in agriculture-related activities at Kelsay Farms throughout the fall. Activities include a seven-acre corn maze, new pedal tractor track, scavenger hunt, Moo Choo Express, milkshakes and grilled cheese and more.
Where: 6848 N. CR 250E, Whiteland
When: 6 to 9 p.m. Fridays, noon to 9 p.m. Saturdays and noon to 6 p.m. Sundays through Oct. 27. Special weekday hours from noon to 6 p.m. will be held the weeks of Oct. 7 and 14.
Trick or treat in the maze: 4 to 6 p.m. Oct. 26.
Cost: Admission $12, kids 1 and under free; admission includes all activities on the farm.
Information: kelsayfarms.com
