One Hilmar family is bringing all the fall fun to the community with their recently opened Irwin Acres, a brand new pumpkin patch and corn maze complimented with dozens of fun and games for those of all ages.
Located at 7706 Irwin St. in Hilmar, the property of nearly 10 acres sat unused for decades, but that changed on Sunday when the site welcomed visitors for a grand opening of the new attraction. They enjoyed cornhole, slides, pumpkin launches, mini basketball hoops, pools of corn kernels and cotton seeds, tractor rides and much more.
Co-owners Claudia and Jake Ducheneaux explained that the thought of opening a pumpkin patch in their hometown came from brother-in-law Jeff Perry last year, as their house and the home of Jake’s parents, Patty and Lyle Ducheneaux, are right next door. The families joined forces with Jeff's wife, Talena Perry, and Rae Lyn and Josh Sherer. Together, they closed on the property in May and transformed it into what it is today.
“It all came together pretty fast,” Claudia said. “It was a lot of hard work around the clock, but it’s been great and people seem to really like it. There’s something for the littles, for the teens, for the parents and adults. It’s all worked out well so far.”
She described it all as a learning experience, as the family had never grown pumpkins before. Today, they have literal thousands gracing the property. Pumpkins of all shapes, sizes and colors are for sale.
“We grew all these, now we need to sell them and get rid of them,” Jake said jokingly.
Jake was the mastermind behind several of the games and attractions, most being handmade, such as the cornhole sets, the photo walls and the beds for the kernels and seeds.
The beds are some of the most popular attractions for the youngsters. Talena explained that they are especially popular amongst her own children, as she has been finding spare kernels and cotton seeds throughout the house.
Nearby is the pumpkin launcher, where guests can buy a basket of mini pumpkins and launch them with a slingshot out onto the open field.
Creating space between the launch pad and the open fields is a dirt road, occupied by a massive John Deere tractor. The man behind the wheel is Lyle, who takes guests on rides throughout the property, teaching them the history of the tractor, the pumpkin and corn growing processes and just about anything in between.
“I’ve loved doing it. It’s really been a blast,” he said. “I love the kids because they are all so different. You get them of different ages and they all have different personalities, and interacting with them on a tractor is something really fun for me.”
The corn maze has been particularly popular amongst teens and adults. From an aerial view, the maze spells out “HILMAR.”
“It’s so cool on so many levels,” Claudia said. “The photo from the aerial view is just awesome.”
Although Irwin Acres has been open for just a few days, the family is already looking towards the future.
“We plan on coming up with new ideas and just building every year,” Jake said. “So far so good.”
Irwin Acres is open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. during the weekends. Admission is $10 for kids, $9 for adults and $8 for seniors, military members and veterans. On Saturdays they will also be hosting movie nights starting at 6:30 p.m. for an additional $5.
