Over the past two years I’ve crossed off over twenty-five things from my Dells Bucket List, but none have come close to providing the vast amount of different activities I experienced as when I visited the Country Bumpkin Farm Market.
Established in 1997 by owners
Charlie and Cindy Rhinehart, the Country Bumpkin Farm Market offers over
fifty different varieties of homegrown berries, fruits,
and vegetables, along with bakery treats, flower baskets, crafts, and unique
gifts. On top of all this, they have a petting zoo, a play town, corn mazes,
zip lines, peddle karts, a tractor pulled train, and even a slingshot and
catapult to launch fruit and vegetables through the air – all of which I got to
experience during a recent visit.
Located on thirty acres one mile west of Walmart on County Road P, the beautiful farm grounds are an excellent place to enjoy some healthy food and healthy activities, as well as a great place to relax and take in the enticing aromas.
My afternoon started with a ride in
the tractor pulled train driven by Charlie, where I got a tour of the grounds
while Cindy described what went into the growing and harvesting process. I
learned that the farm is completely family operated, doing everything themselves
with help from their two children Danny and Debbie, along with their son-in-law
Jimmy.
During my tour, Charlie pulled the train right up next to a row of ripe champagne grapes, where Cindy and I were able to grab clusters right from the vine. Cindy told me that they don’t use any sprays, so it was completely safe to start eating them right then and there. She told me: “People are relieved, because they know their kids are going to eat the berries, but it’s all natural.”
As I ate the delectable grapes, we worked our way through many
fields of fresh produce, where I saw several varieties of berries, pumpkins,
melons, tomatoes, and sweet corn growing, the last of which I surprisingly was
allowed to eat right off the stalk. This was a first for me, as I’ve never
eaten corn that wasn’t cooked before, but I have to say, it was still quite
delicious.
After touring the fields, we ended up stopping at a large wooden
catapult, where you can launch melons and pumpkins through the air. Knowing an
opportunity like this doesn't come along every day, I hand-cranked the arm down,
loaded a Muskmelon into the sling, and after releasing the safety, pulled a
rope that let loose the arm, launching the melon through the sky close to fifty
yards.
Once we got done smashing melons, up next was a little
target practice, shooting apples from a large sling-shot. Using apples that
were a little too beat up to sell, we took turns loading them into the pocket,
and then pulling back the elastic bands about six feet or so. Letting the bands
go, the apples would shoot out forcefully, cutting through the wind towards the
targets. It’s harder than it looks though, and while I came close a few times,
I never did quite hit one of the far off targets.
Once we tired-out ourselves that way, we moved on to try a
second type of race, this time working your arms instead of using leg exertion.
Charlie made what he calls the Raging Rapids Duck Race, where you use a hand
pump to push water into gutters containing little plastic ducks like you would
find at a carnival game. After Cindy picked out her favorite color duck, I
picked mine and we competed again. I’ll admit, while she did beat me the first
time, I rebounded from my loss to win the second race.
Having enough competition for the
day, we next toured the Lil’ Bumpkin
Play Village
where Charlie has made all the buildings by hand. He built a replica of their
home, a cute little church, a barn that houses real animals for their petting
zoo, including Cindy’s favorite Allie the Alpaca, for which I had the
opportunity to feed watermelon to by hand. There also is a school house where
kids can hang up their coloring artwork, and if they happen to be a little
rowdy, parents can sit their children on a little stool in the corner and make
them wear a dunce cap.
I wrapped up my fun filled day
on the farm by swinging a couple times on the zipline, then navigating my way
through the 2.5 acre corn maze. Before I left, I asked Cindy what she liked best
about her Country Bumpkin life. She told me: “I just love having all the
healthy vegetables and fruit that people really appreciate. Everybody is happy
when they come out here. They can wander around and it’s peaceful.”
I sure can attest to that, as after having spent a few hours experiencing all that the
Country Bumpkin Farm Market had to offer, I slept great later that night.
The Country Bumpkin Farm Market is open every day from Late
April to November 1st, from 9am
to 6pm. They are wrapping up their
season with hay wagon rides taking you out to where
you can pick a pumpkin from the pumpkin patch. For more information
please visit: www.countrybumpkinent.com or call 608-254-2311
For more pictures of my visit to the Country Bumpkin Farm visit the Dells Bucket List Facebook Page here.
For more pictures of my visit to the Country Bumpkin Farm visit the Dells Bucket List Facebook Page here.
