To Honesdale I go

The first thing I notice on a warm fall day is the distinct odor of a dairy farm. It’s not just the livestock that creates the scent but the manure that ensures the barn’s warmth in the winter.

Bunting’s Dairy Farm, located on the outskirts of Honesdale PA, is more than just a dairy farm this fall and has been more for the past seven years. A view of a five-acre pond and hundreds of acres of rolling hills is the very next thing to get your attention.

The dairy farm is home to more than 100 cows, 75 of which produce the milk for the cheeses and ice cream we eat, and operates year round. Milking the cows and feeding them needs to be done twice daily by the farmers. It’s not only a huge job, but also a 365-days-a-year job.

During the early fall, the Buntings transform their dairy farm into something else: a fall extravaganza. Admission to the fun is $5 per person, and covers a petting zoo, the corn and hay mazes, picnic accommodations and a real live hayride.

The Buntings’ corn crop, or at least eight acres of it, is turned into a maze with twists and turns through their fields. Because it is harvest time, the stalks of corn reach heights of seven and a half or more feet. The corn stalks billow in the dry fall wind with a certain rustle that insulates the maze from outside sounds and confuses a maze traveler. The lack of rainfall this summer has turned the once-green stalks into an almost pure dead tan color.

The entrance to the gigantic corn maze is a ten-foot-tall pumpkin; the ramp to entry is his tongue. He has a smile on his face that welcomes any who enter. The experience takes an average of 20 minutes but it really depends on your sense of direction and ability to keep going forward. Most maze conquerors are young children who will test their ability at the maze time and time again.

For the smaller children (and others who don’t like to get lost), there is a hay maze. The farm’s haystacks are set up around a section of open field with twists and turns and dead ends. The added ease of being able to see where you’re going makes this a little more the speed for smaller kids.

Owners Mary and Jerry Bunting add something new to their fall spread each year. This year, Jerry has added a caboose to the wooden climb-and-play train he has made. This lacquered and colorful beauty is about 20 feet long and five feet high. Kids of all ages and sizes may climb into it.

Jerry and Mary have also created dummies or scarecrows around the yard. A friendlier one is turning a cartwheel with a large smile on her face. An older couple dressed in farm attire is there to greet you on your entrance into the fields. An unlucky scarecrow is caught in a large rusted piece of farm equipment and his clothing is torn. It’s all a little on the spooky side—what fall is all about.

The noise of an engine quickly grabs my attention. Being pulled by a large farm tractor is a hay-filled cart used to hold visitors. The people on the hayride have an ideal seat to view the beauty of the fall with the multi-colored trees and the rolling hills of Honesdale. The hayride travels over a road and to a field where corn is being harvested for food.

A sudden “baaahhhh” is heard behind me. I turn to see that I had missed a petting zoo on my way in. Four stalls hold a bunny, some baby pigs, a goat and two donkeys. The donkey pair are miniatures and the larger of the two is the mother. This is the first time I have ever seen a miniature donkey and suppose it to be a tiny pony. “Donkeys have big ears,” Mary tells me with a giggle. In a fenced in area with a little man-made pond are a dozen ducks. They quack a little but mostly seem to enjoy the warm fall air and their own company. Until last year, the petting zoo had a 900-pound pig in one of its petting stalls, the biggest pig that most people have ever seen. The pig got so large because it was their pet.

Fall is not complete without pumpkins. A gated patch of hundreds of the bright orange spheres is located next to the hay maze. The pumpkins are sold by the pound and some of them are a two person carrying job.

The job of educating people about agriculture is half of the dual purpose of this operating farm. Kids usually have no idea how much work and how many day-to-day hours go into farming. Adults and kids alike are enlightened by the experience of running through the crops that will soon feed the livestock over the winter.

Bunting’s Dairy farm is not only a fun place to take the kids for a fall adventure, it is also a place for them to learn how a farm runs and farmer’s day-to-day activities. The farm is located on Schoolhouse Road in Honesdale PA. Groups are also accepted by appointment. For more information call 570/253-2510.