GRANTVILLE (KSNT) – Families visiting Gary’s Fall Festival this fall may spend a few hours exploring the pumpkin patch, corn maze and attractions, but owner Gary Starr says the work behind the scenes starts months before opening day.
Starr said preparations for the annual festival begin long before the first visitors arrive, with planning discussions continuing throughout the year.
“We will start the preparation probably March, April, if not sooner,” Starr said. “The ideas are flowing the whole time.”
What began as a strawberry, blackberry and raspberry farm in the 1990s has transformed into a fall destination that attracts visitors from across northeast Kansas. Starr said the festival started in 2000 with a corn maze, pumpkin patch and a green Army tent. Twenty-seven years later, it has expanded to include animals, food vendors, rides and dozens of attractions.
Today, visitors can find a corn maze, pumpkin patch, pig races, Scottish highland cattle, rabbits, a miniature donkey, hay attractions and a variety of food options.
Preparing all of that takes months of work.
Starr said one of the biggest tasks is setting up the festival’s corn pit, which requires about 3,000 bushels of corn delivered by three semi-truck loads. Crews also spend time setting up tents, preparing attractions and cleaning buildings before opening weekend.
Food preparation is another major undertaking. Starr said workers begin cleaning food venues as early as June while supplies are ordered throughout the summer and fall. The festival also relies on a large team to make everything happen.
“Our family becomes about 150 large in October and September,” Starr said.
Many of those workers are local teenagers. Starr said he enjoys seeing young employees develop work skills and customer service experience while helping operate the festival.
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For Starr, the festival is about more than pumpkins and attractions.
“This is our passion,” Starr said.
Starr hopes families who visit spend time making memories together and enjoying activities away from their phones and other distractions.
Gary’s Fall Festival is open from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Fridays, from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturdays and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays. The festival remains open through Oct. 31. Visitors can find the farm at 5991 17th Street in Grantville.
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