By Myra Maldonado
Staff Writer
Little Bears Pumpkins is a family-owned pumpkin patch that offers fun for adults and children and a variety of pumpkins duringthe month of October, on the outskirts of Shafter not far from Bakersfield.
Little Bears is a fairly new pumpkin patch which has been open for two years. The owners are retired couple, Gary New, 72, his wife Judy, 73, and their only son Ted, 44, who is a mechanic. The family is not new to the seasonal business. They also run their Christmas tree farm in December in the same spot. The name came from a nickname given to Ted by his grandmother.
The New family has owned their own business since 1985. As the only child, Ted helps his parents run the business. According to Ted’s wife, Lori New, 41, a mail carrier, they spend their weekends out on the patch in their trailer and they love it. Both work every weekend and give a warm greeting and smile to their customers.
“What makes our pumpkin patch different is that we have a train that will take the kids on a ride around to see the sights of the farm and we have a few live animals. We have two live 30 pound turkeys, Dr. Pepper and Pepsi,” Ted said. The Pumpkin Express rides are free, but the pumpkins are the biggest draw.
“My favorite part of the pumpkin patch is watching my son run from pumpkin to pumpkin, picking out the perfect one and his favorite seems to be the jack-be-littles because he can actually carry it,” said Marcie Rodriguez, 32.
According to Ted, the patch carries a variety of pumpkins including: jack-o-laterns (the traditional pumpkin), jarrahdale (which is grey colored), jack-be-littles (perfect for the young ones), white pumpkins (also known as ghost pumpkins), gourds (infamously known for their warts) and the popular Cinderella pumpkin (which looks like the pumpkin that became Cinderella’s coach).
“I bring my boys and it’s our tradition because my parents took me when I was little. I want to do the same for mine now,” said Melissa DeWitt, 39, Mentor Coach, whose two boys, Caleb 12, and Malachi 9, each carefully picked out a pumpkin.
New said the patch offers a lot to families who come to visit.
“We have a few free activities: pumpkin bean bag toss, a pumpkin background photo opp [with holes for faces], a mini hay bale maze and the admission is free.”
Prices for pumpkins range from $3 to $20, depending on the size of the pumpkin. The address for Little Bears Pumpkins is 19040 S. Shafter Ave. The hours of operation are Sunday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. For more information, call (661) 746-3714.
