About Us...
Walters' Pumpkin Patch is owned and operated by Carroll and Becky Walters, with the pumpkin patch now spreading over more than 73 acres of the 1700 acre farm.
The farm was acquired by Vernon and Mazella Walters (Carroll's parents), who had just gotten married and were starting out on their own. They began working here for the Jameses who owned this piece of farm ground in Butler County. The Jameses had no children of their own, and rather adopted Mazella and Vernon as theirs. Many years later, as the Jameses grew older, they allowed the Walters to purchase the farm for the estate taxes that would be owed.
Mazella Walters-Our Greatest Cheerleader
Three children were born to the Walters, Vivian and her husband, Hank Ruckert,, who come each weekend to help us in the kitchen; Velda, who has her own pumpkin patch in Harveyville, Kansas; and Carroll. Carroll farmed and ranched for many years with his father, and then as the only son. Later, Carroll took an off-farm job with the refinery in El Dorado and leased the land to a neighbor.
After Vernon and Mazella had both passed from this life, the farm was divided into thirds, with Carroll and his wife Becky retaining the "front third" of the farm where their agritourism business had been established and had easy highway access.
Becky (right) adjusts the witch's hat before guests arrive.
As to the pumpkin patch? In the late 1980's, Becky Walters was working at Seivley's Greenhouse (now Stone Creek Nursery) in El Dorado. One of the delivery men came back from Wichita deliveries with a miniature pumpkin that all the florists were using in their autumn designs.
Leland, the owner, asked Becky if she was interested in growing some of those pumpkins, if he could get the seed. Leland was able to find the seed, and Becky found her niche on her husband's family farm. Becky wasn't good with livestock and had never "farmed" before, so this was her niche, something she could do as the city gal who wound up on the farm.
Becky would plant all the seeds by hand until she was planting over 10 acres in the coming years. And every weed was pulled by hand or tilled with a garden type tiller, and each plant was checked for squash bug eggs. This was Becky's "quiet time" when the kids were playing and she could go "to the field" behind the house.
Carroll had his 2 children from his first marriage (Chad and Benjy) and Becky had her 2 children from her first marriage (Pat and Amy). None of the children liked working in the pumpkins...in fact Amy's friends laughed that Amy's mother grew pumpkins. Now all those young ladies are bringing their families to the Walters'!
Among other duties, Carroll may be asked
to watch over his granddaughters baby
before firing the pumpkin cannon!
Amy and her family live here on the farm and Amy has always been there to help with pumpkin picking, planting, and all the behind the scenes work that goes on at the Patch.
Our oldest son, Chad, lives in Seattle, and now makes an annual trip to help at the Patch. He likes the excitement of the farm that we have created. Pat lives in El Dorado with Jessica Morris and their children, but Pat knows it's a crazy time at Mom and Dad's and only comes out on rare occasions.
Benjy, Teresa and family have moved to Delaware for his work--so time will tell whether the pumpkin patch lures them back in the fall.
Since that beginning, the pumpkin patch has gone from hobby to business with 20 acres of pumpkins being planted annually. Carroll just retired in 2007 after 19 years at the refinery.
"Each year we strive to find new varieties of pumpkins, squashes, and gourds, and to find new attractions to keep our customers coming back to enjoy our facility."
We're not just for kids,
and we're not just a field of orange pumpkins...We Harvest Memories.