From the Cultivating Our Communities Stories series BY KAY SHIPMAN FarmWeek
Curtis Orchard and Pumpkin Patch open each spring and fall with fresh fruits and vegetables, baked goods, specialty foods, and play areas in Champaign. For its 2020 season, the orchard added new guidelines and tweaked the facility to keep its customers and employees healthy.
“One advantage in Illinois, the administration has been proactive, working on guidance and pro-agriculture. They know food at every level is important,” said orchard owner Randy Graham. Chairman of the Illinois Specialty Growers Association, Graham helped develop newly released guidelines for agritourism and U-pick businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The orchard is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sundays. Visit its website and follow the orchard on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
Straight from the orchard, peaches are available in the on-farm store. Early variety apples are available for U-pick at the end of July with other varieties available for picking in the fall. The pumpkin patch opens for U-pick in mid-September.
Graham gave a lot of thought to U-pick practices that will keep customers and employees safe. Hand sanitizer is plentiful, and customers are advised to social distance and follow other guidelines at orchard checkpoints. Graham is considering more options, such as outdoor checkout stands, when fall apple and pumpkin seasons commence.
In the meantime, the orchard’s retail store sells a wide variety of fresh produce, award-winning honey, cider, cider slushies, baking mixes, preserves, sauces, and other value-added products.
Customers are finding more room between displays, social distance spots on the floor, and plexiglass shields at cash registers. In addition, employees frequently sanitize high-touch surfaces, such as cooler handles, doorknobs, and counters.
To accommodate social distancing, more than half the seats have been removed from the orchard’s Flying Monkey Café, but plenty of seats are available outside, Graham noted. “We have unlimited outdoor seating with picnic tables, and we’re promoting that in our social media” as a family venue, he said.
The orchard also offers outdoor play areas and activities that provide families with social distancing opportunities, Graham said. These include miniature golf, a corn maze, and a rope maze. “These are activities where you can keep your distance,” he added.
Graham has already thought about safe practices when pony rides return in August, such as sanitizing saddles and reins between riders and having adults place children in the saddle.
To keep the public and customers informed on the latest orchard guidelines, Graham and his staff plan to post information and any updates on the orchard’s website and other social media platforms.
With the start of his 2020 season, Graham said he is appreciating his customers’ flexibility. “They’ve all been wearing masks and are very conscientious here,” he added.
