Stoney Creek Farm is a Wayne County tradition each fall
For 30 years now Stoney Creek Farm in West Salem has been providing pumpkins, gourds, all-natural maple syrup, hay rides and seasonal fun for fall harvest.
With hayrides, meadow and straw mazes, and thousands of pumpkins, the farm offers a family atmosphere with hot dogs and s'mores available for roasting on a large fire for the brisk fall days.
Fred and Marilyn Reith moved to the location from Wadsworth in 1986 and in 1988 started the farm’s operations.
“He (Fred) is not a farmer by trade, but he loved to garden,” Marilyn Reith said. “We really moved here just to live here.”
Marilyn Reith, a retired home economics teacher, said the couple started farming pumpkins and then produce, which they sold to local farmer’s markets, grocery stores and then at their own farm.
“Our biggest crop at first was strawberries, but they were so labor intensive we stuck with the pumpkins,” Marilyn Reith said.
Marilyn Reith said the couple started selling pumpkins at grocery stores but then put a sign out on state Route 83.
“That was the spark, when we put that sign out,” Marilyn Reith said.
Fred Reith said their operation at that point consisted of baby scales, one tractor and a wagon.
“Now we have a variety of pumpkins and gourds,” Frank Reith said. “Lots of people don’t even realize there are pumpkins other than orange ones.”
In addition to pumpkins, Stoney Creek Farm also produces and sells all-natural maple syrup. Maple trees on the farm are tapped during the spring.
"It takes about 50 gallons of sap to produce 1 gallon of finished syrup,” Frank Reith said.
Stoney Creek Farm features a hayride out to the pumpkin patch, where customers can choose their own favorite.
“I think the hayride is the best part of the experience,” Frank Reith said.
Starting out by the big barn, the ride continues down a winding, scenic hill, past the rustic sugar camp and into the back pumpkin field. Among the fields are three irrigation ponds.
“We have a system of pipes that allow us to irrigate the fields as we need to,” Frank Reith said.
At the edges of the fields hang large pumpkin sacks with handles, ready to help cart off the customers’ favorite pumpkins on to the return hayride wagon.
“Those are fairly new to us,” Frank Reith said, referring to the bags, “such a good idea.”
The hayride ends back up behind the barn, where a 6-acre meadow maze (not corn) and a smaller straw maze for younger children await.
“Parents like this meadow maze because it's not quite as high as a corn maze, and the parents can relax and socialize beside the fire while being able to keep an eye on their children as they play down over the hill,” Frank Reith said.
Marilyn Reith said its family-friendliness is what she believes makes their farm special.
“We have some three generations now that have been coming here year after year,” she said.
An annual event Stoney Creek Farm hosts earlier in the fall is a barn party. The band Colin Dussault and the Blues Project provide the entertainment.
“It’s been a tradition since 2006,” Marilyn Reith said. “We usually have around 200 people.”
Stoney Creek Farms is a tradition for many in the area, and it’s grown a good deal along the years.
Marilyn Reith said, “I wouldn’t change a thing.”
Fred Reith admitted there was one thing he’d do differently if starting over. “I would have been using those pumpkin bags years ago.”
Stoney Creek Farm requires a $3 minimum purchase per person, which includes a free ride to the pumpkin patch and unlimited admission to the meadow and straw mazes.
Stoney Creek Farms is located at 14826 Stratton Road, West Salem, and is open every Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to dusk until the end of October.