By Josie Donohue

Libby’s Pumpkin Patch celebrates its ten year anniversary

Libby’s Pumpkin Patch owners Rachel Lewis, Kevin Lewis, Libby Lewis, and Zach Dye stand by the roadside sign marking the entrance to Libby’s Pumpkin Patch in Albany, Ohio on September 6, 2021.

Photo by Dylan Benedict

When leaves hit the ground in autumn, Libby’s Pumpkin Patch comes to life. Owners Kevin and Rachel Lewis opened Libby’s Pumpkin Patch a few short years after selling pumpkins in 2011 when their daughter, Libby, wanted to grow some gourds for fun.

The family ended up with a surplus of pumpkins that year, so they decided to start selling them off the front porch of their barn to those that drove past their farmland located in the foothills of Meigs county.

However, after picking their pumpkins, customers were always left wanting more. It was then that the Lewis’s realized people wanted to have an experience and make memories with their families outdoors. Visitors kept asking the couple if they had more to offer outside of pumpkins such as food, apple cider or hayrides.

After four years of successful gourd sales, the couple decided to form a partnership with Rachel’s brother, Zach Dye, and the company flourished from there.

“What started as a backyard hobby has blossomed into a diverse operation including blackberries, raspberries, apples, peaches, cherries, and of course, pumpkins,” the Libby’s Pumpkin Patch website says. “Our 3 acre pumpkin patch is full of many varieties of pumpkins. We use cover crops to promote plant health and improve soil quality. We also look for innovative ways to improve crop production while minimizing material and mechanical inputs.”

Many people within the community come to visit Libby’s year after year, but some pumpkin-pickers have traveled hours to come see what is happening at the patch. These visitors, however, do not visit the farm just to buy pumpkins; they are looking for a way to enjoy time with friends and family.

After their visit, many patch-goers enjoy posting about those festive moments online to capture their memories, share them with the world and create an aesthetic social media feed.

In this age of social media, many visitors are looking for photo opportunities, so Libby’s saw the need and now provides many “Instagram-able” locations around the farm. Some of the popular spots are the decorated hay bales, the farmhouse barn and the fan-favorite sunflower field that will feature zinnias and a variety of other flowers next to the patch this year.

Among picking pumpkins and snapping selfies, the patch also offers a wide variety of fun for all ages such as a corn maze, giant slides, yard games and pumpkin-flavored foods. In consideration of the pandemic, a themed walking trail and picnic park has also been added to accommodate social distancing requirements. Libby’s Pumpkin Patch is looking forward to being fully operational once again this fall.

Pumpkins fill the ground in October 2019 at Libby’s Pumpkin Patch

Photo provided by Rachel and Kevin Lewis.

One of the additional opportunities that Libby’s Pumpkin Patch offers outside of the fall season is the opportunity to use their land as a renting space and venue. The Lewis’s say that when people want to rent a space, they like that they can have it for several days in advance to decorate and plan their event exactly how they’d please.

“Some people like that there is flexibility there,” Rachel says.

Various Panhellenic groups from Ohio University and surrounding schools have used the barn in the past as a place to hold their Greek Life events. This allows community members to utilize the barn and the surrounding amenities to create atmosphere for a more personalized experience. The land has also been used for special occasions such as graduation and birthday parties, as well as weddings.

Couples interested in a wedding venue can celebrate their special day at Libby’s anytime throughout the year, apart from the busy fall season in September and October due to the opening of the patch for all visitors. Southeast Ohio locals Abby and Devon Buffington recently held their wedding at the patch in September 2020.

“It ended up being the best day and was even more perfect than we could have imagined,” Abby says.

This rustic wedding took place outside on the Lewis’s beautiful farmland and was decorated with wood and earth tones and accented with floral arrangements that featured baby’s breath and violets, which created a natural yet tasteful ambience.

The venue is mostly a blank slate, which allows for a couple or group to decorate and make it exactly as desired. Libby’s provides their barn building and outdoor area complete with tables, chairs and a backlit wall with tulle and fairy lights.

For those interested in coming to the patch this fall, Libby’s Pumpkin Patch will open to visitors on Saturday, September 25, and run until the last weekend of October. On Saturday and Sunday, the gates will be open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and 12 p.m.to 5 p.m. Friday.

Owners Rachel and Kevin begin for the fall season in April and work almost every weekend until the opening date. This ten-year-old endeavor is a proud project for the Lewis’s, and they look forward to when autumn comes year after year.

“Ten years ago, I had no plans for what it has become now, for sure. It’s fun to see everyone come out and have good family fun together,” Kevin says.

Kevin Lewis poses with an antique tractor on September 6, 2021 at Libby’s Pumpkin Patch in Albany, Ohio. This depression-era tractor with no rubber on the tires is a one of a kind piece on their property.

Photo by Dylan Benedict

Story published in Fall Issue 1, 2021.