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By LEAH INGRAM EAGLE | Special to the Reporter

Every weekend in October, guests can head to Helena Hollow to visit The Patch for plenty of fall fun.

The spot originally opened as Griffin Farms, a birthday party business, in 2014, and ground was broken on the pumpkin patch in 2017. The following year, the business name changed to Helena Hollow.

Owner Amy Griffin said this will be the eighth year for The Patch and she’s excited to welcome guests back to the farm. She said that The Patch typically brings in several thousand visitors each weekend, and that number increases as the month goes on.

“The Patch is what our farm is most known for,” Griffin said. “When we originally opened as a pumpkin patch, we had very few attractions and no clue if people would really come, but they did. It was such a monumental moment in our lives as a family and as business owners when we saw the first few cars pulling in that day in October 2017. Many people have made Helena Hollow a part of their annual family tradition.”

There will be more than 25 activities that will include something for all ages. Some of the favorites include the corn pit—similar to a ball pit at a fast food restaurant—with 23 tons of corn and a variety of slides from 40 to 100 feet, Griffin said.

Some of the other attractions include a hay run, tire climb, swings, Duck Creek races, jumbo cornhole, a treasure cove and more. Griffin said they try to keep a mix of activities that appeal to a wide variety of ages.

“Our slides, zipline and mechanical bull are where you’ll find most of the teens, while the younger crowd enjoys the petting zoo and the corn pit,” she said. “Parents and grandparents enjoy the ring toss, tug of war and jumbo cornhole games or just sitting under our shaded pavilions. Families love taking pictures at all of our photo ops that are scattered around the farm.”

Some new activities added for this year include an extension to the Patch Dash, which imitates a head to head Ninja Warrior style obstacle course race along with the Goater Speedway, which will feature live goat races once or twice each day.

In Animal Alley, guests can see animals including cows, horses, donkeys, goats, sheep, pigs, alpacas, emus and a kangaroo. In the Baby Barn, there are younger alpacas, possibly baby goats and other young animals.

While their biggest upgrade isn’t as exciting as all the activities, Helena Hollow has installed a real bathroom system and guests will no longer be relying on portable toilets.

There will be at least four food trucks and two dessert trucks at The Patch each weekend, along with the Snack Shack that sells cold drinks, ice cream and simple snacks.

“We try our best to keep each event we host different from the others so that our customers can choose to be a part of everything we host, yet gain new memories and a different experience each time,” Griffin said.

Tickets are $15.95 per person on Saturdays and Sundays (ages two and under are free) and $13 on Friday’s and Columbus Day. They are available for purchase online at Helenahollow.com, or on site with cash and cards.

General admission tickets are for one time use on any Saturday or Sunday in October and include an all-day pass. Tickets for attractions that are sold separately and can be sold onsite include a mechanical bull ride, horse rides, trampoline bungee and pumpkins.

The Patch is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Fridays and Columbus Day, with entry gates closing at 3 p.m. and the last hayride at 3:15 p.m.

The Patch is also open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, with entry gates closing at 5 p.m. with the last hayride at 4:15 p.m. The final day, Sunday, Oct.27 the patch will close at 4 p.m with the last hayride at 3:15 p.m.