River K Pumpkin Patch celebrates its 56th Halloween season
Kunze family continues long-running pumpkin tradition on North River Road
– The River K Pumpkin Patch is packing in the Pumpkin pickers. Located on North River Road just north of Paso Robles, the pumpkin farm offers families the opportunity to walk through the field and select their own pumpkin. The parents cut the pumpkin from the vine and load it into a wagon to transport it to the booth for purchase.
The first Kunze pumpkin patch began in Goleta in 1969 as a 4-H project for Valerie Reynolds and her brother. After relocating from Goleta to Paso Robles, the Herbert Kunze family has continued the tradition on North River Road.
Coach JR Reynolds and Pumpkin Patch team.
The pumpkins grow in the field on the banks of the Salinas River. It’s a good spot for growing Pumpkins. Valerie Reynolds says it’s been a good season, “We’ve had some great weather. Nice and cool. We haven’t had those 110-degree temperatures like last fall.”
The River K Pumpkin Patch is free and self-serve. Valerie says, “The kids come in. We have a wagon for them to use. We give the parents a pair of clippers. The kids can wander out into the pumpkin patch, choose a pumpkin, and have their parents cut it off the vine. Then, they put their choice pumpkin in the wagon, haul it over, and pay for it. We also have a corn maze, which covers several acres. That’s most challenging after dark.” The corn maze costs $7 per person. People who enter often carry a cell phone in case they can’t find their way out.
Valerie’s dad still works the pumpkin farm. 92-year-old Herb Kunze does all the tractor work, but the entire family helps out. Four generations of the Kunze family grow and nurture the pumpkins.
The River K Pumpkin Patch is open seven days a week on North River Road. The hours are 9 a.m. – 8 p.m. Friday through Sunday. Otherwise, they’re open from 10 a.m. – 8 p.m. at night.
So far, no sign of the Great Pumpkin, but the season is early.
