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Bauman’s Farm and Garden, located in Gervais, Oregon, celebrates two major milestones this year. It celebrates its 150 anniversary and the 38 annual Harvest Festival. Running from September 20 through October 30, the festival brings together families from across the Willamette Valley for a month of fall-themed fun.
The farm was founded in 1895 by Elizabeth Bauman. Today, her family continues her legacy by offering a wide range of activities that amass around 100,000 visitors each fall. What started in 1987 as a small pumpkin patch and straw maze for children has grown into one of Oregon’s largest harvest celebrations.
“To celebrate the harvest, October started out in 1987 as a month for their four kids to bring their classmates out to pick a pumpkin and play in a small maze made from leftover straw. It now has become a full month of tours for over 8,000 school children during the week and family fun on weekends.” -Bauman Family Story
Fall Activities
Besides a variety of pumpkins, other fall vegetables and fruit, Bauman’s provides other family-friendly activities, such as a petting zoo, corn mazes, a hayride, haunted mazes, obstacle course and playgrounds.
An annual pumpkin weighing contest is held at Bauman’s, which has broken multiple national records over the years. In 2019, Scott Holub from Eugene, Oregon broke the national record with his pumpkin, weighing in at 1,844.5 lbs. Winners of the contest get to watch a crane drop their gigantic pumpkin dropped off into a pool of water. The drop this year took off on Saturday, October 4.
Along with activities, the Harvest Festival provides a plethora of fall treats. Numerous venues are open, serving specialty autumn desserts like apple cider donuts, caramel apples and ice cream. Customers can watch the creation of Bauman’s specialty apple and loganberry ciders. Loganberry contains a mixture of blackberry and raspberry. This year’s Cider Festival takes place on October 25-26, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
The Harvest Festival also features live music performances, from Oregon based groups. These performances take place in the food courts so customers can enjoy lively music while they eat their food. Bands this year include, “Rock N Roll Cowboys,” and “Tuesday String Band.”
