Despite the cancellation of events throughout the spring and summer due to the coronavirus, one fall tradition is ready to give Central Oregonians a feeling of normal.

The areas two largest pumpkin patches, Smith Rock Ranch and the DD Ranch both located in Terrebonne, opened last Saturday to the public with a few changes.

Both are full time, working ranches that take the month of October to throw open their doors and welcome troves of visitors in search of the perfect pumpkin and some good old fashioned fall activities.

The Smith Rock Ranch, the largest and most developed, has added timed entry for all paid activities and it must be booked in advance. These include the corn maze, pony and wagon rides, zoo train and barnyard golf with each family given a two-hour window to take part in the festivities.

The pumpkin patch and market are open with no tickets or reservations required and masks must be worn throughout the grounds.

Two-miles east of the Smith Rock Ranch is the smaller, more rustic patch at the DD Ranch, which opened for the season with a surprisingly well attended weekend, according to Linda Anspach who owns the ranch along with her husband Jeff.

“Opening weekend tends to be usually dead,” she said, “But we had incredible weather and I think people were just really excited to go outside and do something.”

The ranch has been operating a pumpkin patch yearly since 2000 with the Anspach’s continued the tradition when they purchased the DD in 2013.

While this may look and feel a little different due to COVID precautions, to Anspach, the vibe last weekend matched the weather conditions.

“I just felt like the public was really amazing,” she said, “They just rolled with whatever we had to do and everybody seems really upbeat…we were really, really pleased with how it went.”

This year, all activities have remained open and there are no required advanced tickets or reservations. Masks, however, are required while guests are on the hayride and in the barn purchasing the ranch’s meat or honey.

The hayride this year has more spread out seating to allow for more distance between patrons

“And it’s actually one of the most popular things that we do,” Anspach said. ”So we really didn’t want to give that up. That’s also kind of where we get to do our marketing pitch about our regular business which is meat. So we hated to give that up. And I think it’s kind of a cool attraction. … We actually take them out and feed the cows we don’t just take them to get their pumpkins or anything like that.”

Only one major element every year has been put mostly on hold — field trips for schools and private groups.

“Normally we’ll do about 30 to 40 each October and right now I think we have about five scheduled,” Anspach said, pointing to school districts’ closures and as the reason

Typically the field trips bring in about 15% of the ranch’s revenue for the month of October

The loss of the field trips is just one hit in an already difficult year that may get worse. The pumpkin patch will have a limit of 250 people at a time visiting, which Anspach says may not be a major problem given the smaller size of the ranch itself.

“Most of the time that’s not a problem for us…but on the busy days it’s probably going to affect our revenue for sure,” she said, adding, “The public is always welcome to call and find out when the quieter times are to come.”

According to Anspach, the revenue from the pumpkin patch brings in about one-third of the ranch’s annual revenue and with the potential for fewer people coming in over the course of October, the results she says could be devastating.

“I just hope that it works itself out…and not just for us but for all the other pumpkin patches around the state and everywhere. We’re all in the same boat.”

Overall, Anspach is hopeful that by remaining open this season, the community can get a much-needed diversion.

“It has been a very heavy year with COVID and the smoke and all of us trying to educate our own children at home…” she said, “I hope that people get the chance to have fun and maybe forget about things for a bit…hopefully there’s a little glimmer of normal”

DD Ranch

Where: 3836 NE Smith Rock Way, Terrebonne

When: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday

Cost: Free admittance, $2.50 per ticket for activities

Contact: ddranch.net, info@ddranch.net or 541-548-1432

Smith Rock Ranch

Where: 1250 NE Wilcox Ave., Terrebonne

When: noon-6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, maize and activities closed Monday through Thursday

Cost: Free admittance, $30 per ticket package (1 adult or child maize ticket and five activity tickets, see website for more details)

Contact: smithrockranch.com, office@smithrockranch.com or 541-504-1414