Swank Farms adjusts to pandemic, battle continues to be allowed more activities

HOLLISTER, Calif. (KION)--Everyone loves celebrating fall holidays, but the tradition of casually walking into a pumpkin patch without a mask and unsanitized hands is no more.

Fall is in the air, and while it's usually the time to cuddle up and get closer, the pandemic has shattered that hope!

Swank Farms is a go-to on the central coast for pumpkins, corn mazes, and of course, the traditional Halloween feel.

But this year, things are looking different.

You'll see hand sanitizer, signs reminding you of the rules, and the mazes have one way in and one way out…no cross-paths.

"I've noticed that people have been very good about distancing themselves.," says Bonnie Swank, VP of Swank Farms. "They wear their masks when they're around others and that's required."

While Swank Farms has everything you're used to, including pumpkins and sunflower picking, the battle continues with San Benito County for them to be able to allow all their experiences.

So far they've been categorized as a zoo and a carnival. "Which we are not, so we're trying to plead our case that we are a farm and this is a farm experience and we're hoping to be able to lift some of the restrictions that are currently on certain areas on our property," says Swank.

Despite the roadblocks, it seems people still want to escape the indoors and get that sense of a "normal" fall, as the farm experienced its busiest weekend ever, last weekend.

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