What a fabulous fall
We had record corn maze attendance and pumpkin sales in 2011. We hosted visitors from 28 states, the District of Columbia and 19 foreign countries.

Engagement at the maze
Congratulations to Mickenzie Block of Ankeny and Michael Peterson of Grimes, formerly of Emmetsburg, for becoming engaged to be married during their October 16 visit to the corn maze at Geisler Farms. Two carved pumpkins that said, “Will you” and “Marry me?” were placed on a bench inside the maze when Michael and Mickenzie arrived at the farm.

Maze for Marfan results Oct. 8-9
We had an outstanding turnout for Fall Fest weekend. We had 1,443 maze customers during Maze for Marfan weekend. Growing Family Fun donated $1 for each corn maze admission Oct. 8-9 to the Heart of Iowa Marfan Chapter.

Record number of food items donated
The Share the Bounty food drive collected more than 2,155 food items 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 12 metro locations.

Our eighth corn maze season will be Saturday, Sept. 1 through Sunday, Oct. 28, 2012. This is our final newsletter for 2011. Season’s Greetings from Growing Family Fun.

Seventh Annual Maze for Marfan Fall Fest
Join us Oct. 8-9 for Maze for Marfan Fall Fest. Geisler Farms will donate $1 for each paid corn maze admission to the Heart of Iowa Marfan Chapter. Volunteers from the Marfan chapter will be on hand during October to answer your questions about Marfan.

Buy Fresh Buy Local
Growing Family Fun is a member of the Iowa Chapter of Buy Fresh Buy Local. In addition to acorn and butternut squash, we are happy to offer homemade jam from Clear Creek Orchard of Collins at $4 per jar. We carry strawberry, red raspberry, black raspberry, blackberry and apple cinnamon. We also have two sizes of honey from Spring Valley Farms of Perry. The 6 oz. container is $2.50 and the 12 oz. container is $4.00.

Hop-a-Long Fun
If you visit during October, make sure you try our newest attraction. The hop-a-long pony ride comes in three sizes from child to adult. The mini inflatables allow you to bounce across the lawn. Please make sure you keep the ponies in the pen and on the grass. 

Help your Neighbor
Bring a nonperishable food item for our Share the Bounty food drive and receive $1 off your corn maze admission (limit 1 food item/person). All items are donated to the Des Moines Area Religious Council’s Emergency Food Pantry.

Upcoming events
The Harvest Moon Walk will be Oct. 11-12. Begin your corn maze adventure between 6 and 8 p.m. those nights under the full harvest moon. Bring a flashlight so that you can read your map.

Earn a slice of Pizza Pie
Thanks to the generosity of Casey’s General Store, those who complete the 2011 corn maze may choose to receive a coupon good for 1 slice of Casey’s homemade pizza at your local Casey’s General Store.

Farm Cruise
Geisler Farms will be one of three farm stops in Polk and Story counties participating in the fall Farm Cruise on Saturday, Sept. 10 from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. The tour includes the Cory’s at Prairie Hill Farm, Elkhart and the Berry Patch of Nevada. For a map and description of the farm stops, please visit www.farmcruise.com/.

MMMMMM Pie
We have take and bake apple pie and apple crisp available at the farm. There are two versions of apple pie available, a regular piecrust and a Dutch or crumble crust. Plus we have strawberry rhubarb pie and pumpkin pie. This just-like-homemade product keeps well in the freezer.

Reserve a Firepit
There is still time to reserve a firepit for your group. We ask for a minimum of 10 paid admissions for the group experience. Bring your own food, beverages 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. There is a $5 group fee for use of the firepit payable at check-in.

Upcoming events
Maze for Marfan Fall Fest is Oct. 8-9. Volunteers from the Heart of Iowa Marfan Chapter will be helping with Growing Family Fun throughout October.

The Harvest Moon Walk will be Oct. 11-12. Begin your corn maze adventure between 6 and 8 p.m. those nights. Bring a flashlight so that you can read your map.

2011 Maze Theme
This year’s theme is a tribute to Ankeny-based Casey’s General Store. The maze includes the Casey’s logo, homemade to go pizza in a box, coffee and donut. There’s also a rooster, fence post, sunrise and DEKALB seed corn logo.

New Attractions
We have six Amish-built trikes for tykes to enjoy. We’ve added to the pedal kart fleet. Plus, there is a new hop-a-long pony activity for youth through adults to enjoy on the lawn.

Kids will be able to play in the corn in a real corn bin at the farm this fall. The corn box will be moved into a new grain bin that measures 36 feet in diameter.

Our Farm will be on the Farm Cruise
Geisler Farms will be one of the farm stops in Polk and Story counties participating in the fall Farm Cruise on Saturday, Sept. 10 from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. Other livestock and produce growers will be hosting open houses that day. For a map and description of the farm stops, please visit www.farmcruise.com/.

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 2011. There is a $5 group fee for use of the firepit payable at check-in.

See you at the Iowa State Fair
If you plan to visit the Iowa State Fair August 11-21, please stop by the Iowa Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association’s food stand in the Agriculture Building. It is located next to the stairs on the west side of the building. Purchase a refreshing red raspberry smoothie or scrumptious strawberry shortcake.

Help your Neighbor
We are going to continue the Share the Bounty food drive thanks to the great response we had in 2010. Bring a nonperishable food item and receive $1 off your corn maze admission (limit 1 food item/person). Our goal is to surpass last year’s Share the Bounty food drive, which collected 1,523 food items for the Des Moines Area Religious Council’s Emergency Food Pantry.

What a Fabulous Fall

We had record corn maze attendance (sorry, we don’t divulge the total) and record pumpkin sales in 2010. We hosted visitors from 32 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and 14 foreign countries. Attendance can certainly be attributed to one of the driest Octobers at the farm in recent years. And what a treat that was after such a soggy summer.

Maze for Marfan Results 

We had an outstanding turnout for Fall Fest weekend. We had 1,020 maze customers during Maze for Marfan weekend. Growing Family Fun donated $1 for each corn maze admission Oct. 9-10 to the Heart of Iowa Marfan Chapter.

Record Amount of Food Donated

The Share the Bounty food drive collected 1,523 food items from corn maze customers. That was up from 937 food items in 2009. This was the second year for the food drive. 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.

2011 Schedule 

Our seventh corn maze season will be Saturday, Sept. 3 through Sunday, Oct. 30, 2011. This is our final newsletter for 2010. Season’s Greetings from Growing Family Fun.