After operating as a successful agri-tourism farm and entertainment venue for two Autumn seasons, Jackalope Acres Farm is expanding offerings for its first summer in business. Hayrides allow visitors to see much of the farm’s 60 acres located outside Ignacio. Sunflower and Zinnia festivals are scheduled for August and September and will lead Jackalope Acres into the fall-fest season it’s become associated with. By Connor Shreve. This story is sponsored by Tafoya, Barrett & Associates and Serious Texas BBQ
Transcript
A local farm and agritourism venue is sliding into its first summer in business, with a focus on locals. Jackalope Acres Farm just outside Ignacio has specialized in pumpkin patches and fall festivals to great success during its first two seasons. Now, owners want locals to know they’re welcome, even though the pumpkins aren’t here just yet. This edition of the Local News Network is brought to you by Tafoya Barrett and Associates and Serious Texas Bar-B-Q. I’m Connor Shreve.
This summer, our main focus is our hay rides, and so we actually built that road for the hay rides. As far as west as you can go, that road was already there. Once you head north, that road was put in for the hay rides. And so what we wanted, our goal with that was to bring people out who aren’t necessarily familiar with the rural lifestyle.
Farm Co-owner Kristen Johnston says the farm opening was a whirlwind, as it served 10,000 customers over a period of less than two months.
We obviously had high hopes that we would have a good turnout and we were blown away with the response that we had. We kind of went off of a previous business that was here. They had ended up retiring, and we kind of came in after, we came in after them to kind of bridge that gap that we saw the community still needed.
It is the local community that Jackalope hopes to serve the remainder of this summer and through the fall, offering local specials to anyone who lives within 90 miles. Kids enter for 10 bucks and parents get in free. Hay rides behind a vintage tractor showcase 60 acres the farm sits on. Potato cannons, a corn maze, slides and snacks are all part of the fun.
With our summer events, we are trying to bring in different people and bring in the tourists that come to this area, since there are so many. And with that, we also want to expand our season. With more summer support, we have a better chance of supporting ourselves throughout the fall.
Flower festivals will bridge the gap between now and pumpkin patch time. The Sunflower and Zinnia Festivals will run from August into September. Check the website for details and tickets. Details on this and other stories are available at DurangoLocal.News. Thanks for watching this edition of the Local News Network. I’m Connor Shreve.
News in your inbox. Now that’s convenient.
Whereever you are, we’re there with you.