Pathfinder Award

Contact Information:
Gieselle Fest, Site Director
Carolyn’s Country Cousins Pumpkin Patch
816-809-3344
For immediate release
January 8, 2009

Local Pumpkin Patch Receives State Award

Carolyn’s Country Cousins Pumpkin Patch, Liberty, Missouri has been awarded the 2008
Missouri Travel Council’s Pathfinder Award, at the 40th Annual Missouri Governor’s Conference. The Pathfinder Award is given to an organization or company that has succeeded in creating niche market (ethnic, cultural, tour and travel) for tourism. This award recognizes a Missouri company that has taken great strides to find new paths to drive tourism to Missouri.

Carolyn’s Country Cousins Pumpkin Patch organization has and continues to demonstrate a commitment to the tourism industry beyond their personal gain by offering advice and assistance to industry members. They have significantly and measurably contributed to the tourism industry in their market have been involved local, regional and the State of Missouri. They are trailblazers.

They started by first going to Farmers Markets, taking the agricultural experience to the public. People expressed a desire to see real farm life, because many of today’s young families are three to four generations removed from the actual farm experience.

The Pumpkin Patch was started in 1991. Teachers requested school tours with animals and pumpkins. The Raaschs provided them. Several years later, the teachers began to request assistance with curriculum material for the class room.
From a class at Baker University and the help of Missouri’s Ag in the Classroom, an educational color book was created. It has been printed by generosity the Hy Vee Grocery Stores with the help of Pepsi-Americas. Each visiting child returns with a book that many use as a teaching aid. Teachers again expressed their teaching difficulties with multi lingual students and not having materials in their languages. Now the color book is available with the help from six translators.
In 2004, Technology came to the farm as well, with the corn maze utilizing Global Positioning Satellite for designing and cutting the maze. In 2006, the third to fifth grade earth science teachers needed a field trip with an educational and entertaining theme for rocks and minerals, with Uncle Earl’s Mining Camp. In 2008, the farm has hosted several thousands of children and family and looks forward to an exciting 2009 with a family oriented offering.
Carolyn’s Country Cousins is open the third weekend of September until October 31 each year. Carolyn’s Country Cousins Pumpkin Patch is located at 17607 NE 52nd St., just south of Liberty, Mo., two miles southeast of 291 & 210 highways. www.carolynscountrycousins.com.

For more information on the awards, please contact:
Mary Oberreither (573) 751-1908 mary.oberreither@ded.mo.gov