Archive for the ‘News’ Category
Congratulations to Growing Family Fun staff member Angie Plager of Cambridge for being selected Ms. Wheelchair Iowa 2009.
Since 2007, Plager has welcomed guests, helped distribute maze maps and provided maze instructions at Growing Family Fun. She’s traveled the entire 10-acre corn maze and enjoyed a ride on our accessible hayrack, with a lift built on it for wheelchairs. She has also helped transport pumpkins by driving her accessible van.
As Ms. Wheelchair Iowa, one of her accessibility awareness projects is to increase accessibility and safety of refueling vehicles at gas stations for persons with disabilities, the elderly and parents with children with disabilities. While Plager drives her own modified van using hand controls, she is unable to refuel the van because of her physical limitations. She is advocating for this change by sharing her story with key stakeholders and a Chicago-based company. Plager says the current law states a gas station with more than one employee is supposed to send an employee out to help pump gas for persons with disabilities. Because of environmental noise and inadequate employee training, the current law is not practiced.
A car accident on Aug. 23, 2003, left her a quadriplegic. She can move her arms and wrists, but not her fingers. She now volunteers as president of the Spinal Cord Injury Association of Iowa.
Plager will compete in the Ms. Wheelchair America Pageant Aug. 24-29, 2009, in Rapid City, South Dakota. Ms. Wheelchair America recognizes women of accomplishment that happen to use wheelchairs for mobility. The competition selects a spokesperson for individuals with disabilities. There are more than 52 million Americans living with disabilities.
Growing Family Fun at Geisler Farms will celebrate its fifth year beginning Sept. 5th. This year’s 10-acre corn maze commemorates the 40th anniversary of Apollo 11 and the first man on the moon.
Click image above for larger photo
The U.S. space mission took place July 16-24, 1969, and involved astronauts Neil Armstrong, Edwin (Buzz) Aldrin Jr. and Michael Collins. The corn maze features the lunar module that landed on the moon, an astronaut, flag and the Earth.
The Geislers selected Apollo 11 because it was such a historic event 40 years ago.
In addition to the corn maze, another NASA symbol, a space shuttle, is cut into the soybean mini maze.
The Growing Family Fun corn maze is open weekends during September and October. General admission is $6.50 per person. Children age four and under are admitted free. Growing Family Fun promotional partners are DEKALB and Van-Wall Group.
Growing Family Fun is the Ankeny area farm that offers affordable country fun.
Since 2005, Growing Family Fun at Geisler Farms has offered affordable country fun and fall hospitality to the public. Construction on the Red Shed, which began in 2006, was completed during the winter.
The 3,500-square-foot Red Shed features radiant heated floors, furnace, fireplace, air conditioning, commercial kitchen, ADA-accessible restrooms and indoor seating.
“We’ve come a long way since the original pole barn in 2006,” says Darrell Geisler, co-owner of Growing Family Fun. “We want to provide our guests and staff with a comfortable building with restrooms while they are at Geisler Farms,” he says.
The Red Shed is the center of fall activites at Geisler Farms. Admission to the 10-acre corn maze, playground and firepits is coordinated inside the Red Shed. Concessions, fall products and gifts are available for purchase. A corn box and toddler toys are also inside.
Help the needy and earn a maze discount through Share the Bounty
Earn a corn maze discount and help the community by participating in Growing Family Fun’s Share the Bounty campaign.
“We at Geisler Farms feel blessed to be farmers, have good health and to have food to eat,” according to Growing Family Fun co-owner Malinda Geisler. “We invite our visitors to participate in our new Share the Bounty campaign.”
Receive $1 off your corn maze admission by sharing one canned or packaged nonperishable food item. The limit is one food item per paid corn maze admission. Children age four and younger visit the corn maze for free. Geisler says all donated food items will be given to the Des Moines Area Religious Council’s Emergency Food Pantry.
The Emergency Food Pantry provides short-term food needs at nine locations. It has the greatest need for the following food items:
- Canned fruit
- Canned meats (chili, stew)
- Canned soups
- Canned vegetables and beans
- Cereal
- Fruit and vegetable juices
- Instant potatoes
- Macaroni and cheese dinner
- Macaroni
- Peanut butter
- Rice
- Saltines
- Spaghetti and spaghetti sauce
- Tuna
Growing Family Fun will open for its fifth season on Saturday Sept. 5. It will be open on Labor Day, Sept. 7 from 12 p.m. to last admission at 6 p.m. The last day of the season is Saturday, Oct. 31. The farm will be closed on Nov. 1.
Maze Season Hours
Saturdays: 10 a.m. to last admission 8 p.m.
Sundays: 12 p.m. to last admission 6 p.m.
Weekdays: By group appointment only.
New this year, the corn maze will be open on Friday nights during October from 6 p.m. to last admission 8 p.m.
Prices remain the same as 2008.
Corn Maze & Children’s Playground
Kids ages 5 to adult = $6.50*
Kids ages 4 and younger = Free
Optional hayride = $1 extra
* $1 off maze admission with donated food item
Playground & Hayride (no corn maze)
Kids ages 5 to adult = $2
Kids ages 4 and younger = Free
Harvest Moon Walks
Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 2, 3, & 4.
Friday, Oct. 4, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.; Saturday, last admission is 8:00 p.m. and Sunday, last admission is 6:00 p.m.
Explore the 10-acre corn maze under the harvest (full) moon. Bring a flashlight to read your map.
Maze for Marfan Fall Fest Oct. 10 & 11
Join us for prime pumpkin picking Oct. 10 & 11 during Maze for Marfan Fall Fest. Geisler Farms will be donating $1 for each paid corn maze admission to the Heart of Iowa Chapter.