Family fun

Carmen Dore wanted to make memories with her granddaughters.

So for the first time ever, she took them to the Pumpkinfest at Gammondale Farms Sunday afternoon.

“We’re having a blast and I think I’m having more fun than they are,” Dore said.

But Taylor, 10, and 12-year-old Kirsten Wawia disagreed saying they were having at least as much fun as grandma. The two said they had the most fun checking out a barn full of farm animals.

“All the animals and the chickens eat off your leg,” Taylor said.

“And a donkey that looks like it has rabbit ears,” Kirsten said.

The trio were also busy spotting the perfect pumpkin to make pie with. 17-year-old Alexis Clair has been working at the farm for three years. While some were looking to make pie with pumpkins, she had another job to do. Clair was helping run the giant pumpkin catapult, always a Pumpkinfest favourite.

Children get to line up and pull the rope to help launch a pumpkin into a field and watch it explode.

“It’s really a good experience to have,” Clair said. “It’s always really nice getting all the kids pumped up.”

It’s also great seeing people come from all over. Clair has met people from as far away as Japan at the festival.

“You get to interact with a lot of kids and kids can be really unique. There are a lot of different people that come here,” she said.\

Owner Gerry Gammond said the festival has been going for 18 years now. It’s a great family fun atmosphere full of simple things he said.

“(It’s a way) to get away from malls and computes and just have some plain old fashion fun at the farm.”

The festival runs weekends from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. until Halloween.