BY JULIE ROSE
Turlock Journal
Autumn has officially arrived which means it's time for pumpkins and scarecrows and corn mazes. It also means Fantozzi Farms is getting ready to open.
Operators Paul and Denise Fantozzi and their crew have been putting the finishing touches on the popular westside fall attraction in preparation for Saturday's opening. Fantozzi Farms Corn Maze and Pumpkin Patch opens at 10 a.m. Sept. 30 in Patterson.
For 20 years, the Fantozzis have provided an interactive fun venue that people of all ages can enjoy. Many guests return year after year making the annual visit a fall tradition.
The farm is family run, which is reflected in the personal touches throughout the site. Beyond the corn maze experiences and the pumpkin patch, there are activities to enjoy in the courtyard, food to purchase, and many photo opportunities allowing for a full-day of adventure or a simple stopping in to enjoy some seasonal time outdoors.
Whether an annual guest or a first-timer, the Fantozzis’ goal is for all their guests to discover a friendly, safe, entertaining, and educational environment to enjoy how it best fits them.
Denise said people use the farm in different ways. Many enjoy the challenge of the corn mazes, some skip the maze and spend time enjoying the courtyard activities, others come by just for the autumn photo opportunities and/or to buy pumpkins, and many do it all.
"Some stay for an hour, some stay all day, some come by every weekend," Denise explained.
How guests enjoy the farm varies. There really is no one set way.
Every year, Denise and her husband dream up ways to broaden the experience for their guests. Planning begins with the design of the corn maze, which is unique each season providing a general theme for that year.
Denise is the creative mind when it comes to the design. She coordinates with a company in Idaho called Mazeplay. Some years she has drawn out the entire pattern. Other years she has an overall idea with specific highlights and the company creates the design. About a month before the maze opens to the public, the company transfers Denise's plans and ideas to the field using a small tractor with GPS to till the paths in the cornfield. The process is amazing.
The theme this year is ‘So God Made a Farmer.’ The corn maze design celebrates agriculture, highlighting farming with a tribute to FFA and 4-H.
"Our maze this year is a tribute to the important role of agriculture in our state and the agricultural youth organizations that support it," Denise shared.
The Fantozzis have a long agricultural tradition. Paul is a fourth-generation farmer in Patterson and their children were involved in 4-H and FFA. Celebrating farming was the perfect theme for their 21st corn maze season, she said.
The intricately cut cornfield has three mazes within the entire design. Each has its own set of games and levels of challenges.
For younger guests there is the kiddie maze, which includes a game called Farm Scene Tracks. This maze is ideal for ages 2 to 8. Kids will search for the animal who stole Farmer Joe's pie in a tactile game that adds fun to the maze.
A larger maze includes the game Farm Scene Investigation, which has maze guests looking for who kidnapped Farmer Joe. There are six location scenes hidden in the maze. Using the clues provided, guests can discover which animal is the guilty party. Once the mystery is solved, guests can receive a Farm Scene Investigation badge to wear proudly.
The largest maze route has 12 checkpoints for guests to punch out on their map. Once all have been found, they can proudly declare they've mastered the maze.
There are detailed maps and instructions for the mazes.
There are two additional mazes to discover on the property. Making its debut this year is a fence maze called Punchin' Pumpkins. Designed for children, this maze uses fences to create a path that requires kids to find four pumpkins as fast as they can. The second maze is the return of the popular haunted maze. The last few years this had been a drive-thru attraction due to COVID regulations.
"Guests have been asking us to bring back the walk-through. We're happy we can," Denise expressed. Note, there will not be a drive-thru this year.
The haunted maze is a separate corn maze, near the main maze but without connecting. For those who like to be scared, this maze experience is for you.
"I know where the (characters) are located and I still get scared. It's that element of surprise," Denise described.
There is a myriad of ways to enjoy Fantozzi Farms.
The courtyard is a great place for families to play. There are areas for climbing, bouncing, running, racing, exploring, and learning. There are shaded picnic areas and food vendors. There are fun bikes to race, trains to ride, games to play and pigs to cheer on. The pig races are a popular attraction. The animal area has grown to include alpacas and a donkey, along with the goats and pigs.
Kids have a lot of energy, Denise reflected, and they like to climb and they like to race. So, this year instead of the hay bales, they created an obstacle course that has different climbing, balancing and coordination elements with two courses side by side for those who want to race. Thinking of new ways to enhance the farm experience is something Paul and Denise continually do.
The idea of the entire place started with wanting to provide the fun of a corn maze in their hometown while also providing education about agriculture through entertaining options. Learning about where food comes from, the life cycle of a pumpkin or a corn stalk, the care of farm animals, is part of the experience at Fantozzi Farm. This year, the theme is literally farming. FFA and 4-H groups have been invited to set up educational displays to share with guests. Other educational bits of information can be found throughout the farm as guests choose to discover on their own. Elementary schools plan field trips to the farm, which include educational programs as part of their tour.
Denise looks forward each year, to seeing the smiles on people's faces as they walk around and enjoy their time at the farm.
"Seeing them happy is rewarding for us," she described.
The work she and her husband and crew put into this is for that reason, to give people, families, kids a place to explore, to learn, to be entertained in a safe and friendly environment. It only lasts for a month but it brings great joy to those who create it each autumn.
And it's not just Paul and Denise, they emphasized. Warren Cox and Deborah Byram have worked with them for 20 seasons. They are instrumental in coordinating the field trips and the haunted maze, for example. Jose Gonzalez has worked for them for over 20 years in their farming operation. He builds the huge hay bale pyramid each year. There is also a phenomenal crew of local high school students and young adults who work the activities each year.
"We are fortunate to retain many of our employees who return every year until they're off to college or other paths," Denise said. “They enjoy working there, they have fun, and they are appreciated.”
Fantozzi Farms Corn Maze and Pumpkin Patch is located at 2665 Sperry Ave. in Patterson
The farm is open from Sept. 30 to Oct. 31.
Hours: are 4-7 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 4-10 p.m. Friday; 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturday; and 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Sunday.
2023 Admission: $15/person (2 and under free with a paying adult). Admission includes corn mazes, pumpkin patch, and the following Courtyard attractions: hayride, huge corn seed pit, pipe slides, hay pyramid, pedal kart raceways, huge jumping pillow, pig races, enlarged petting zoo, obstacle courses, archery, basketball, cornhole boards, new Punching Pumpkins fence maze, educational farming displays, and many new photo spots! Corn cannons, zombie paintball shooting range, and cow train rides are available for a small additional fee.
Haunted Maze: $5 per person (2 and under free). Please note that the haunted maze is only open from 7-10 pm. on the following dates: Oct.13, 14, 20, 21, 27, and 28th.
Tickets are available on site. Cash and credit card are accepted. New this year is an online option to purchase single tickets or a season pass. Visit fantozzifarms.com to purchase online.
More details and information is also found on their Facebook page Fantozzi Farms Corn Maze and Pumpkin Patch.
Note- All members of FFA (Future Farmers of America) and 4-H Clubs will receive half-price admission for the first week of October (Oct.1-0ct.7) in honor of National 4-H week.
