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By EMILY SPARACINO | Staff Writer

HARPERSVILLE – Pumpkin picking and other family-oriented activities are happening this month at Old Baker Farm, one of Shelby County’s most popular spots during the fall season every year.

Over the last two weeks, people have flocked to Old Baker Farm’s “u-pick” pumpkin patch, which will remain open to the public on weekdays from 3-5 p.m., Saturdays from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sundays from 1-5 p.m. through Sunday, Oct. 31.

“We have had a good turnout,” said Pam Baker, who manages the farm with her husband, Jerry Baker. “It’s very encouraging.”

Visitors may take a hay ride to the patch, where pumpkins of varying shapes, shades and sizes await their new owners.

In addition to picking pumpkins, visitors may enjoy a corn maze, train ride, petting farm and the “hay ground,” an area where children can play on a hay mountain with a large slide, a hay hill with a smaller slide, a hay stack and a hay maze.

Children also have access to three tire horses, named Bucky, Bronco and Silver.

Admission to the pumpkin patch is $11 per person and includes one pumpkin and all farm-related activities.

Those who pay with cash will receive a $1 discount. Admission for children ages 1 and under is free.

“When you come through the admission gate, you pay for your pumpkins right there,” Pam said, noting horseback riding carries a separate fee.

Concessions are not included in the cost of admission, but visitors may bring their own picnic lunch if they wish, Pam said.

The picking isn’t limited to pumpkins. Sunflowers are $1 per stalk, and cotton bolls are four for $1.

Old Baker Farm will host Cowboy Day on Saturday, Oct. 9 from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 10 from 1-5 p.m.

The Western-themed weekend will feature “shootouts” and re-enactments against the backdrop of a little town called “Tombstone,” complete with a general store, sheriff’s office, jail and cemetery.

“It’s just really cute,” Pam said. “I think of ‘Gunsmoke.’”

The pumpkin patch will be open at 9 a.m. on Columbus Day, which is Monday, Oct. 11, and visitors may enter the gates until 5 p.m.

A Halloween party is set for Saturday, Oct. 16 from 6-9 p.m.

The farm’s annual festival, the Cotton Pickin’ Celebration, will be held Saturday, Oct. 23 and Sunday, Oct. 24 from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. both days.

Old Baker Farm’s pumpkin patch has been a hit since the family invited the public to the farm for a centennial celebration in 1999.

“People came to the pumpkin patch in droves,” Pam said. “It was fabulous.”

And how can you keep your freshly picked pumpkin looking pristine and avoiding decay? Pam’s advice is to sponge it off with cool water and 1/4 of a cup of bleach in the kitchen sink and let it dry.

Old Baker Farm is located at 184 Furrow Lane in Harpersville.

For more information about Old Baker Farm and upcoming events, visit Oldbakerfarm.com or the farm’s Facebook and Instagram pages.