Growing Family Fun

Geisler elected president of IFVGA

editor — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 20:05:41 +0000

Darrell Geisler of Bondurant was elected president of the Iowa Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association during its annual conference in January. Geisler is the owner of Growing Family Fun at Geisler Farms. Kathy Hohl of Kathy’s Pumpkin Patch, Donnellson was re-elected vice president. Eric Franzenburg of Pheasant Run Farm, Van Horne, was elected secretary/treasurer.

Jason Boyer of Harvest Barn Marketplace, Osceola, was elected to the board of directors. Other board members include: Fred Howell of Howell’s Pumpkin Patch and Howell’s Dried Florals & Greenhouse, Cumming, Mike Penick of Penick’s Sweet Corn, Carlisle, Scott Wilber of Wilber’s Northside Market, Boone and Maury Wills of Wills Family Orchard, Adel. Richard DeMoss of DeMoss Pumpkin Farm of Ames completed his term on the board.

The 2013 IFVGA annual conference will be January 24 and 25 at the Iowa FFA Enrichment Center in Ankeny.

Grow Fun, November 2011

editor — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 01:12:47 +0000

During this time of thanksgiving, we wish to express our gratitude to our customers, volunteers and staff for helping make the 2011 season such a success. Special thanks to our promotional partners, DEKALB, Casey’s General Store and Van-Wall Group for their support. We appreciate your support and interest in our family farm.

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.

Engagement at corn maze 10-16-11

editor — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 21:20:07 +0000

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.

Grow Fun, October 2011

editor — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 19:45:39 +0000

It’s pumpkin season at Growing Family Fun. We have pumpkins of all sizes as well as corn shocks, straw, winter squash, gourds, ear corn and other fall decorations. Small pumpkins are priced by size ($1, $3) and jack o-lantern pumpkins are priced at 35 cents per pound. There is no admission to purchase pumpkins.

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.

Grow Fun, September 2011

editor — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 00:25:10 +0000

Greetings from Growing Family Fun. Our seventh season begins Saturday, Sept. 3 and runs through Sunday, Oct. 30. The hours are 10 a.m. to last admission 8 p.m. on Saturdays and 12 p.m. to last admission 6 p.m. on Sundays. The maze will also be open on Labor Day, Sept. 5 from 12 to 6 p.m.

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.