Growing Family Fun

Greetings from Growing Family Fun

During this time of thanksgiving, we wish to express our gratitude to our customers, volunteers and staff for helping make the 2009 season such a success. We appreciate your support and interest in our family farm.

Staff pumpkin decorating results
Creativity in pumpkin decorating was showcased at Growing Family Fun during October. Part-time staff members at the farm were invited to participate in the first pumpkin decorating contest. They were allowed to decorate, not carve their pie pumpkin entries. Votes were cast from Oct. 10 through Oct. 31. Here are the People’s Choice awards for the following categories: 

Funniest, “Crazy Daryl,” by Matt Righi, Bondurant.
Scariest, “Scary Clown,” by Joshua Mosher, Bondurant.
Most original, “Linus and Snoopy waiting for the Great Pumpkin,” by Becky Plager, Cambridge.
Honorable mention goes to “The World,” by Zachary Quick, Bondurant. Photos of the entries are posted on the Growing Family Fun Website.

Maze for Marfan Results Oct. 9-11
Who would have predicted that October would be one of the wettest and coldest on record? The first night of frost also resulted in measurable snowfall on Fall Fest weekend. Yet, we had 438 brave maze customers during Maze for Marfan weekend. Growing Family Fun donated $1 for each corn maze admission Oct. 9-11 to the Heart of Iowa Marfan Chapter.

Growing Family Fun to be on RFD-TV
Growing Family Fun owners Darrell and Malinda Geisler were interviewed for an upcoming segment on Living the Country Life television show. This rural lifestyle program by Des Moines-based Meredith Corporation can be seen on RFD-TV. The Growing Family Fun feature is scheduled to air on Tuesday, Dec. 22 at 6:30 p.m., Wednesday, Dec. 23 at 8:30 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 27 at 9:30 p.m.

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The Share the Bounty food drive collected 937 food items plus a monetary donation from corn maze customers. The food donations were given to the Des Moines Area Religious Council’s Emergency Food Pantry. The council serves short-term food needs at nine locations.

Congratulations to Monica Congdon, Carol Elliott, Denise Obrecht, and Jamie Smith. They won $25 Casey’s General Store gift cards in the Growing Family Fun drawing at the maze.

Our sixth corn maze season will be Saturday, Sept. 4 through Sunday, Oct. 31, 2010.

This is our final newsletter for 2009. Season’s Greetings from Growing Family Fun.

Greetings from Growing Family Fun

It’s pumpkin season at Growing Family Fun. We have pumpkins of all sizes as well as corn shocks, straw, winter squash, gourds, mums, ear corn and other fall decorations.  

“It is not too early to hunt for the perfect Halloween pumpkin,” says co-owner Darrell Geisler. “Pumpkins and winter squash store well in a dry, cool place until you are ready to carve or consume them,” he says.

See our display at the Bass Pro Shops, Altoona
Geisler Farms was invited to create a harvest display near the waterfall at the new Bass Pro Shops five miles south of the farm in Altoona. The display features Joe Scarecrow, straw bales, various pumpkins, gourds and a corn shock.

Fifth annual Maze for Marfan Fall Fest
Join us Oct. 9-11 for Maze for Marfan Fall Fest. Geisler Farms will donate $1 for each paid corn maze admission to the Heart of Iowa Marfan Chapter. Since 2005, this event has helped raise $3,000 for the chapter.

Ms. Wheelchair Iowa 2009, Angie Plager of Cambridge, will be at Geisler Farms on Sunday afternoon, Oct. 11 to discuss accessibility issues. Plager, who works part-time at Geisler Farms, completed the 10-acre corn maze in one hour.

Music at the Maze featuring Scott Stilwell
On Friday, Oct. 9, singer-songwriter Scott Stilwell will provide music in the Red Shed beginning at 7 p.m. to kick off Fall Fest weekend. Stilwell will perform selections from his self-produced CD “Witness.” He is director of music and fine arts at West Des Moines Christian Church. There is no charge to enjoy the music inside the Red Shed. There is a charge for those who wish to enter the corn maze.

Married in the Maze
Congratulations to Bob and Dora who were married in the Growing Family Fun corn maze on 09/09/09. The couple exchanged vows while standing in the first nine of the 1969 that is tilled into the 10-acre corn maze design. This year’s maze theme is Apollo 11. The couple traveled by hayrack to the ceremony site in the maze along with their bridal party. They enjoyed a hayride around the cornfield following the ceremony.

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The Harvest Moon Walk is Oct. 2-4. Visit the corn maze during a full harvest moon. Bring a flashlight to read your maze map.

We have delicious take and bake apple pie and apple crisp available for $9 each. The product is made at a bakery in Minnesota and keeps well in the freezer.

During October, Growing Family Fun will be open from 6 p.m. to last admission at 8 p.m. on Fridays.

Greetings from Growing Family Fun. Our fifth season begins Saturday, Sept. 5 and runs through Saturday, Oct. 31. This year’s maze theme is Apollo 11. There are 11 paper punches to locate in the 10-acre corn maze. The maze will also be open on Labor Day, Sept. 7 from 12 p.m. to last admission at 6 p.m.

New and Improved
Our farmstead now has a rocked parking lot in front of the Red Shed. The project was completed in August. You will also notice finishing touches completed inside the Red Shed. We’ve doubled the number of swings on the swing set and the number of water pumps on the popular duck races.

Maze Volunteers Honored
Congratulations to Kari and Marty Dostalik and family of Urbandale for being named national volunteers of the year by the National Marfan Foundation during its annual conference held in Rochester, Minn., in August. The Dostaliks coordinate volunteers from the Heart of Iowa Marfan Chapter to work at Growing Family Fun each fall. Since 2005, volunteer time at the corn maze has helped raise more than $4,000 for the Heart of Iowa Chapter.

Music at the Maze featuring Scott Stilwell
On Friday, Oct. 9, singer-songwriter Scott Stilwell will be providing music in the Red Shed beginning at 7 p.m. to kick off Fall Fest weekend. Stilwell will perform selections from his self-produced CD “Witness.” He is director of music and fine arts at West Des Moines Christian Church. There is no charge to enjoy the music inside the Red Shed. There is a charge for those who wish to enter the corn maze. For more info on Scott and his music, visit his Web site at: http://www.scottstilwell.com/.

MMMMMM Pie
We have take and bake apple pie and apple crisp available as you prepare for the holidays. There are two versions of apple pie available, a regular piecrust and a Dutch or crumble crust. We also have a limited number of pumpkin pies available for purchase. This just-like-homemade product keeps well in the freezer. Take one home for just $9.

Buy Fresh Buy Local
Growing Family Fun is a member of the Iowa Chapter of Buy Fresh Buy. We are happy to offer homemade jam from Clear Creek Orchard of Collins.  If you missed this product last year, we carry strawberry, red raspberry, black raspberry, blackberry and apple cinnamon, which tastes like apple pie filling. At $4 per jar, it makes an affordable gift.

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Group Reservations
There is still time to make group reservations. If you have not tried our group experience, we ask for 10 paid admissions. Bring your own food and enjoy the camaraderie around the LP-firepit and a group hayride. Please contact us on the Web or call the farm.

Greetings from Growing Family Fun. This is the first edition of our new electronic newsletter.

This fall marks the fifth year for the corn maze at Growing Family Fun. The season runs weekends from Saturday, Sept. 5 through Saturday, Oct. 31.

Early bird reservations
We are now taking group reservations for this fall. If you have not tried our group experience, we ask for 10 paid admissions. Bring your own food and enjoy the camaraderie around the LP-firepit and a group hayride. Please contact us on the Web site or via e-mail to reserve a firepit for fall 2009. There is a $5 group fee for use of the firepit payable at check-in.

New for ‘09
Save some dough and help the community by participating in the Share the Bounty food drive. Bring a nonperishable food item and receive $1 off your corn maze admission (limit 1 food item/person).

Maze Royalty
Congratulations to staff member Angie Plager for being selected Ms. Wheelchair Iowa.

Go Green
Farmer Darrell acquired his wish: a John Deere A tractor to use for hayrides. He brought the tractor home from Buffalo, Minnesota, this summer, gave it new tires and drove it in the Ankeny Summerfest parade.