By Brittany Mullan

Staff Reporter

            Watching my two younger sisters enjoy riding ponies and feeding zebras, I couldn't even begin to imagine that the Dell'Osso Family Farm started off with nothing but a mere pumpkin patch and a corn maze in 1997. 

            Every year my family goes to Dell'Osso farms and what we enjoy most about it is that we can always count on seeing our favorite attractions every October and at the same time discover new exciting additions being made.

            My family and I like to shoot the pumpkin blasters and go on the scarecrow ride. My dad loves the pumpkin blasters. For him, it’s all about the competition and seeing who can shoot their pumpkin the farthest or who can get the most points. My mom enjoys something a little more artistic, like the scarecrow ride and the creative element involved of looking at Boys and Girls Scouts' creations. They had a “Despicable Me” and a “Toy Story” scarecrow that my sisters loved the most, being that both were designed after their favorite movies.

            The country store was very enjoyable, because it has custom made pottery and other cool little knick-knacks. They had unique Halloween and Christmas decorations that captivated my mom, and she ended up buying some for future presents. There was a bakery inside as well as delicious pumpkin pies and fudge, which my sisters (and myself) particularly enjoyed. There were different types of fudge like peanut butter and double chocolate, but for me it was all about the zesty lemon bars.       

            We spent most of our time at the petting zoo. This is my sisters’ favorite thing to do out of everything else at Dell'Osso. We were there for about 30 minutes, and they fed and petted various kinds of farm animals including chickens, geese, donkeys, pigs, and goats. They even were allowed to pick up some of the smaller animals like geese and chickens. They loved their animal friends so much, that my youngest sister cried when we left.

            My sisters really had fun with the new pillow bouncer, which is a huge parachute-like cushion to jump on. I would have gone on too, but it might've looked weird seeing that everyone on was under 10 years old.

            In the same area was the mining town where my youngest sister, who is three, really had fun with the panning for your own rock collection; her face would light up every time she was rewarded with a new treasure.

            One thing that I definitely won't be returning to any time soon is the haunted house, because of a previous bad experience in which I was chased by someone with a Michael Myers' mask, and ended up having to use the emergency exit. I was with my dad at the time, and he found it hilarious that I was being stalked by the one horror movie character that I happened to fear. Since then, my family always teases me about it when we pass by the haunted house on our way to the pumpkin blasters.

            The zip line and the obstacle course are some new additions that I didn’t go on but I thought looked fun. The obstacle course had three different levels, for designed for various ages; there were rope ladders and monkey bars that the participants had to face. Below the zip line was a lagoon which looked daunting since it wasn't that far from the participants' feet, that's all I would be thinking about if I was on it, although my dad found that part to be particularly alluring.

            What I personally found interesting, was the different family history and fun facts that were spread throughout the different rides. Like for the zip line, it was reminiscent of the time when the Dell’Osso family would play on the farm and swing from trees. And the obstacle course was an imitation of the competitions the Dell’Osso kids would have against one another.

            Overall, we were unable to do everything because of the sheer size and variety of attractions and rides. My family does plan on going back for another fun-filled day, and to experience more of the new additions and to once again revisit what we love to do most at the Dell’Osso Family Farms.