DOUGLAS LATTUCA: Everyday from mid-September to Halloween the Pumpkin Hollow is open for the season. And everyday owner Louise Cox is here from 10 am – 6 pm packing orders, stacking pumpkins, and checking out the crops. But this year is a bit different. Cox says it’s definitely better than the COVID-stricken 2020 but another factor has been pumpkin to talk about.
LOUISE COX: All of the pumpkin farmers have raised their prices by maybe a dollar. I mean, it’s not a huge jump but it’s enough to cover the loss because most of us had to buy wholesale in September and now our crop is in so we’re making a better profit because we’re picking our own seed and pumpkins.
DOUGLAS LATTUCA: Cox says COVID allowed families to come more frequently with virtual classrooms and zoom work meetings, but now that’s not the case.
LOUISE COX: Unfortunately, they’re not out of work this year. Most of them have been called back to work. Some of them have come back and said I’m lucky enough that I can work from home. Last year the bulk of the Monday through Friday traffic was afternoon because most of the schools were closed down and so were the businesses so mom and dad would say we’re going to do the schoolwork, I’m going to do my office work and we’re going to get fresh air in the afternoon.
DOUGLAS LATTUCA: The Pumpkin Hollow hires paid volunteers to work alongside Cox – mostly high school and college students and she says a similar issue is happening with them.
LOUISE COX: They move on and we’re happy for them. One of our best workers went on to Geneseo, one relocated, she wants to go to college in Florida, so we wish them well and they’ll come back married with children later.
DOUGLAS LATTUCA: On top of all of that, there’s still one thing that’s worse than them all: the lack of children. Cox says the patch used to thrive from school field trips – the kids would fill the place with joy and youthful energy – but that has faded due to COVID-19.
LOUISE COX: So, no field trips last year. Totally none. This year I have less than ten, some of them are 50 to 70 kids and several busloads. Before COVID we would have up to four to five busloads probably every other day, so it’s a huge hit to the bottom line.
DOUGLAS LATTUCA: Cox is a family woman with 5 sons and 22 grandchildren – one of which is 20-years old and blind. Due to her grandson’s disability, Cox tries to support other people in similar situations.
LOUISE COX: We have a fair amount of traffic from the adult care centers. They bring out their clients to teach them how to hand over a five-dollar bill for a two-dollar pumpkin and say please and thank you and we’re seeing a pretty good traffic of that and of course, I have a soft spot for anyone like that.
DOUGLAS LATTUCA: She hopes to continue to sprinkle seeds of happiness on the Central New York area for years to come. In Syracuse, Doug Lattuca, N-C-C News.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) — For many students, field trips are a fun excursion away from the classroom and something to look forward to during the school year. For Louise Cox, owner of The Pumpkin Hollow, school trips are a big chunk of her business. Cox is long removed from being a student in school, but she still knows what her patch needs to survive and what the kids want: an entertaining and joyful day picking pumpkins.
“No field trips last year,” Cox said. “Totally none. This year I have less than ten, some of them are 50 to 70 kids and several busloads. Before COVID we would have up to four to five busloads probably every other day, so it’s a huge hit to the bottom line.”
Cox said transportation and group size restrictions have resulted in a lack of field trips. The buses could hold about 52 students before the pandemic, but now half are allowed, and fewer classes are coming to visit.
COVID-19 has also affected the price of pumpkins, which rose by over a dollar to recover from the losses in 2020 and poor weather in the area, Cox said. Cox’s whole September crop was flooded due to rainwater, causing her to bring in product from elsewhere instead of growing her own.
Additionally, the coronavirus brought new customers to the patch because children were out of school and parents were working remotely, but now that’s not the case, Cox said.
“Unfortunately, they’re not out of work this year,” Cox said. “Most of them have been called back to work. Some of them have come back and said I’m lucky enough that I can work from home. Last year the bulk of the Monday through Friday traffic was afternoon because most of the schools were closed down and so were the businesses, so mom and dad would say we’re going to do the schoolwork, I’m going to do my office work and we’re going to get fresh air in the afternoon.
There has been a void at the Pumpkin Hollow with fewer kids and parents looking for the perfect pumpkin, but a large number of customers filling the gap are from adult care centers, Cox said.
“We have a fair amount of traffic from the adult care centers,” Cox said. “They bring out their clients to teach them how to hand over a five-dollar bill for a two-dollar pumpkin and say please and thank you and we’re seeing pretty good traffic off that and, of course, I have a soft spot for anyone like that.”
Cox’s grandson, 20, is blind. He occasionally comes around on the weekends and helps out when he can. For children who are scared to go into the corn maze on haunt nights, Cox said, her grandson will gladly hold their hand and help them find the finish line.
Cox has owned the place for 23 years with her husband upholding the farm’s motto the whole way through, “family-run for family fun”.
