photo by: Josie Heimsoth/Journal-World

People pick pumpkins at Schaake's Pumpkin Patch on Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025.

Way back before it was a fall staple in Douglas County, Schaake’s Pumpkin Patch got its start with a couple of kids, a project for the county fair and a little roadside stand.

The pumpkin patch at 1791 North 1500 Road turns 50 years old this fall, and Sheila Schaake, one of its owners, recalled how it all began. The Schaakes’ farm was founded by Janet and Larry Schaake, but Sheila said it was her brother Scott who had the idea to raise pumpkins to exhibit for 4-H at the Douglas County Fair.

“My story was, I just did whatever Scott wanted to do,” Sheila said, adding that he was very competitive as a kid. “Scott was the one that wanted to raise a pumpkin to win the biggest pumpkin at the fair.”

To sell the pumpkins that were left over after the fair, Sheila and Scott set up a roadside pumpkin stand out of the back of a pickup truck on Highway 10. And it didn’t take the family long to learn that the community had an appetite for pumpkins of all sizes and varieties.

“We just kept planting more pumpkins because it also turned into a nice little profit for him and I,” Sheila said.

They later relocated to selling pumpkins at a co-op at 23rd and Haskell. Pretty soon, customers started asking about bigger pumpkins and different varieties, and eventually, the Schaake family finally invited people to pick directly from their farm at the pumpkin patch.

“That was a lot easier than loading the pickup and unloading the pickup,” Sheila said.

photo by: Josie Heimsoth/Journal-World

Schaake’s Pumpkin Patch is pictured on Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025.

Today, the patch offers more than 30 acres of pumpkins for the public to choose from, and more than four generations of the Schaake family have helped out or worked there. The owners say the special thing about reaching the 50th anniversary milestone is the fact that it has been able to span so many generations.

“It is rewarding. It is all family, you know. We don’t have outsiders,” Sharla Dressler, another owner of the patch, said. “We do have friends of the family, friends from school that help work the scales on the weekend, but it is all family run.”

The pumpkin patch has thousands of pumpkins and other squash for visitors to choose from, and it grows more than 100 different varieties. Larry loved planting a lot of different kinds, Dressler said.

“When it started, they were all orange (pumpkins),” Dressler said. “Of course, a squash here and there, mixed in winter squash. But now we plant … I think it’s almost 200 varieties of pumpkin, squash and gourds.”

Dressler said Larry also wanted to educate visitors on how pumpkins grow and what life on the farm was like. The patch is close to the Kansas River, and Dressler said the soil is great for growing all kinds of pumpkins.

“We like to grow a lot of the heirloom varieties too that a lot of places don’t,” Dressler said. “… We have really rich bottom soil here, river bottom soil, so they all do pretty well out here.”

In all of the 50 years since the patch’s opening, Sheila said last year was the best year for growing pumpkins at the farm.

photo by: Josie Heimsoth/Journal-World

Schaake’s Pumpkin Patch is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2025.

“Last year was our best growing season,” Sheila said. “It was so dry. I mean, they had to have gotten rain at the right time because we had more pumpkins than we’ve ever had and we had minimal rottage, like very little rottage.”

Unlike some other pumpkin patches, Schaake’s doesn’t charge admission. They do charge to take home a pumpkin, for concessions like slushies and popcorn and for other items in their gift shop, but things like the playground, photo area, hay bale maze and farm animal viewing are all free.

For many, visiting the pumpkin patch has become more than just a seasonal outing — it’s a cherished tradition.

“We see a lot of families coming out that have several generations that are coming out with them too,” Dressler said. “… I think that’s the biggest thing to me, just to be able to do that with your family.”

The pumpkin patch opened for the season on Sept. 27, and the last day of its season is Oct. 30. The farm is open noon to 6 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Fridays through Sundays.

photo by: Josie Heimsoth/Journal-World

Pumpkins picked from Schaake’s Pumpkin Patch are pictured on Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025.

Catch the food trucks

For the pumpkin patch’s 50th anniversary, several food vendors will visit on the weekends, starting Saturday, Oct. 11. The food trucks are:

• Shelly’s Lunch Box – Saturday, Oct. 11, from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

• Main St. Scoops & Sweets – Saturday, Oct. 11, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 12, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

• Travelin’ Tom’s Coffee – Saturday, Oct. 11, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 12, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

• Kona Ice – Saturday, Oct. 11, from 9 a.m. to noon; Sunday, Oct. 12, from 9 a.m. to noon; Saturday, Oct. 18, from 9 a.m. to noon; and Sunday, Oct. 19, from 9 a.m. to noon.

• Brain Freeze Daiquiri – Saturday, Oct. 18, from noon to 6 p.m.

• JB’s Cali Fusion – Saturday, Oct. 18, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

• Uplift Coffee – Saturday, Oct. 18, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.

photo by: Josie Heimsoth/Journal-World

Schaake’s Pumpkin Patch

photo by: Josie Heimsoth/Journal-World

Schaake’s Pumpkin Patch is pictured on Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025.

photo by: Josie Heimsoth/Journal-World

In addition to pumpkins, Schaake’s Pumpkin Patch grows many different kinds of gourds.