By Lauren Smith
Publicity Director/Lifestyles Editor
Fall has to be one of my favorite seasons, especially at Marywood. To be honest, every season is beautiful on Marywood’s campus; it’s just my personal opinion that fall is best. What’s not to like about it? The crisp weather, falling leaves, autumnal colors everywhere you look set the scene for a typical fall day. Then there are certain things that everyone associates with fall: football, bonfires, pumpkins, hot cider, and Halloween are just a few that come to mind. Three of those can be found in abundance at Roba’s Family Farm in Dalton.
Just a short jaunt north of Scranton, Roba Family Farm was established in 1984, when John Roba bought a 52-acre dairy farm and converted it into a tree farm. Almost ten years later, they began to sell pumpkins to raise awareness of their Christmas tree farm, which turned out to be so popular that they continued to sell them and now devote 25 to 30 acres of land to their pumpkin patch. Since then, Roba Family Farm has come to be known for their fall and harvest activities.
Roba’s( as it’s affectionately called for short by locals) has become a fall tradition for many families in and around the area. With a plethora of kid friendly activities, Roba’s a hit with families. But don’t assume that Roba’s is only for kids. Their fall campfire sites are probably the biggest draw for adults and kids alike. For $40 plus the cost of admission, you and as many friends as you’d like can rent a campfire site complete with fire pit and hay bales to sit around and roast hotdogs and marshmallows. Roba’s also offers group pricing for groups of twenty or more. You can bring your own food and drinks (no alcohol), purchase a hot dog roast package that feeds about twenty, or buy food from one of the six food stands on the property. Some of Roba’s Family favorites are apple cider donuts, funnel cakes, fresh baked cookies, kettle corn, french fries, pierogies, chicken tenders, the list goes on. And for the chilly autumn nights don’t forget the hot chocolate and hot apple cider.
Roba’s offers campfire sites during both daytime and evening hours. They suggest you bring your camera, an extra jacket and gloves at night and skewers for your hotdogs and marshmallows. Daytime campfire hours are daily from noon to 4 p.m. and evening hours are on Fridays and Saturdays from 5-9 p.m. Campfire sites are by reservation only, so if you plan to go, you should call early as they fill up quickly.
Aside from their popular campfire sites, Roba’s offers a slew of other fall themed activities. Three different corn mazes, hillbilly pig races, pumpkin jumpin’ pillow, feeding and petting zoo, kiddie kattle train, and occasionally, pony rides. A recent addition to Roba’s is the Harvest Slinger and Pumpkin Cannon where you can sling-shot pumpkins into a bucket and win a large pumpkin yourself. Another favorite unique to Roba’s is Bunnyville, a miniature town with homes, shops and a lake occupied by live bunnies!
For more information on Roba Family Farms, including rates, coupons, photos and their blog, you can visit their website at http://robafamilyfarms.com. You can also become a fan on Facebook and follow them on Twitter at @robafamilyfarms for up to the minute pumpkin patch news!