BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — “My favorite part of being a part of the family pumpkin patch is literally the family. I come out here with my family, and I get to experience all the other families that come out here and just embrace what my family has created,” said Gia Wattenbarger, the granddaughter of Nancy Banducci.
Nancy Banducci shares how, more than 30 years ago, she and her husband first started the pumpkin patch, right at the family home.
“My husband grew pumpkins, and he said, ‘Let’s just see if we can sell them.’ I said ‘Okay.’ So we started in our front yard with maybe 100 pumpkins. So I’m cooking dinner, the doorbell rings, ‘We wanna buy a pumpkin,’ and it just snowballed,” said Nancy Banducci.
Now, the patch has grown into a community hotspot during the fall.
“We offer more of a traditional farm experience,” said Wattenbarger. “If you come out here and you’re seeing a farm, you’re not seeing the grocery store.”
The Banduccis help families find their perfect match at the pumpkin patch.
“There’s a pumpkin for everyone,” said Wattenbarger.
But to her, pumpkins hold a deeper meaning about family and connection.
“My grandma, Nancy Banducci… she picked out a pumpkin for me one year… and I’ve never seen a pumpkin smaller. And I kept it on my dresser for the longest time. And when it started to rot, I was so upset,” said Wattenbarger. “And I still every year look for a pumpkin as small as that one.”
The Banduccis work hard to offer memories like these to other families.
The Banducci’s Family Pumpkin Patch will be opening their petting zoo and pony rides at a future date.
Admission costs $5 per adult, but is free for children under five, which includes one trip through the corn maze.
They are open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and on Halloween from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
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