Hailey Martinez
Staff Writer
For the start of the Halloween season, Cal Poly Pomona AGRIscapes Discovery Farm hosted its annual Pumpkin Fest.
On Saturday kids of all ages gathered to enjoy quality time with one another at the event to honor Halloween season and the start of fall.
Besides a giant pumpkin patch with various sizes, colors and types of pumpkins, there was face painting, a petting farm with goats and sheep, and two corn mazes.
There was a sunflower maze, a cow train and an antique tractor-pulled hayride.
“We come every year,” said Alex Melendez, a chef at Alfred Coffee, who attended the Fest on Saturday. Melendez said she and her friends look forward to the mazes and the Farmers Market, with the variety of food.
This year’s newest addition to the Fest was “Pumpkin Land” with variously colored pumpkin and gourd creations, and a house built from pumpkins and gourds.
There were various games to play – including a hay bale obstacle course, and a duck race.
And a variety of food vendors were on hand, including Tom’s Tailgate, a La Mirada-based Mexican restaurant, serving with aguas frescas, super fries and more. Covina-based Scoops on Tap, locally sourced ice cream with its signature fall flavors, such as pumpkin cheesecake and Butterbeer.
Pasadena-based Robin’s Wood Fire BBQ, had a booth, as did the vegan chain Native Foods.
There were also such festival classics as funnel cakes and kettle corn.
“The BBQ from Robin’s Wood Fire was great, the pulled pork cheese fries was the best,” said Savannah Pantoja, who attended the fest on Saturday.
“I’ve come here with my friends before, it’s always been really fun, it’s a really nice place to take photos,” said Jessica Cohen, president of the Huntley Peer Advisors Club, an agriculture organization at Cal Poly Pomona.
Cohen said she loves walking around the Pumpkin Fest to just enjoy and appreciate what her school’s farm has grown – like the pumpkins.
“I like the hay wagon ride just because you do get a history lesson about Cal Poly,” said Shivani Shimpi, a senior graphic design major at Cal Poly who was working at the info booth.
The Pumpkin Fest is open from 3 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays and from 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays through Oct. 30.
For tickets and information visit cpp.edu/~pumpkinfestival.
Hailey Martinez can be reached at hailey.martinez@laverne.edu.
Hailey Martinez is a junior journalism major with a photography minor. She is a staff writer for the Campus Times and a staff photographer for the Campus Times and La Verne Magazine.
Kim Toth, a junior photography major, is photography editor for the Campus Times and a staff photographer for La Verne Magazine. Her work can be found in Instagram at @kim_t_photos and @kimberlytothphotos.
