Crowley Pumpkins: A Mahomet Business Founded in Community
Family-owned and operated Crowley Pumpkins is back for another season of fall fun. Although their corn maze was “completely wiped out” by recent flooding, Colton Crowley said, many other traditions will return this year.
Background
Crowley Pumpkins began in 2007, after a family trip to a pumpkin patch got expensive. “The story goes,” Crowley shared, “that [our family] went to a pumpkin patch, and my brother wanted the biggest pumpkin, and it was super expensive. So [my parents] ended up getting it for him, but they said next year they weren’t going to do that. They were just going to grow their own. And so, not knowing anything about pumpkins, they bought 20 or 30 seeds thinking they would get maybe 10 or 15 pumpkins. They ended up getting 100 or 150 pumpkins.”
That year, they gave some away to neighbors and friends and carved some to put out. But from there, the pumpkin patch was born. Inspired by White Heath’s Pumpkin Hollow, Crowley Pumpkins began its own Pumpkin Glow tradition, with jack-o-lanterns lining County Road 2500.
Pumpkin Glow
The Pumpkin Glow display runs October 29, 30 and 31st, with a carving party taking place the Saturday or Sunday prior. Crowley explained that while his family does all the gutting, the community comes together to carve faces into 500 pumpkins. The cool thing, he said, is that a lot of people will come out to the carving party and then come back to Pumpkin Glow to find try to find their own pumpkin.
If you head east from Route 47, the display begins in the woods on County Road 2500N, continuing past Crowley Pumpkins at 435 County Road 2500N.
Farm Activities
While the corn maze is a fan favorite at Crowley Farms, there are plenty of other activities to keep kids busy when visiting this year. Feeding the neighbors’ animals – goats, chickens, pigs and turkeys – is still an option. And a new lawn games area has been added, with bags, connect 4, and basketball hoops. Farm photo ops are ready for family pictures, and of course, the shop is open for harvest purchases.
Pumpkins for Sale
Because the Crowleys grow many of their pumpkins on their neighbors’ land, they did not lose much stock to the flooding that affected their corn. Plenty of pumpkins are available for purchase, along with mums, autumnal decor items, and Crowley Pumpkin t-shirts.
A limited selection of pumpkins is available at the farm stand along the road, which is always open and operates on the honor system. The larger store is open Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 6-8 p.m., Saturday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m., and Sunday from 9 a.m.-3 p.m.
From the neighbors who share their fields and animals with the Crowleys to the crowd that comes together to carve pumpkins, community is central to the Crowley family business. If you’re in the market for porch pumpkins or looking for a weekend activity, consider supporting this local Mahomet tradition!
