Fall festivities are back, including Gary’s Berries Fall Festival. Washburn Night begins at 5 p.m. on Oct. 9 at Gary’s Berries.

Visitors can expect a night filled with games, food and fireworks. Gary’s Berries will also have hay rides, a corn maze, a pumpkin patch and an apple canon.

“I’m excited for the apple canon because that is all my kids can talk about right now,” said Washburn University Alumni Association and Foundation’s Assistant Director of Events and Programs, Robin Moser. “We were pulling up YouTube videos of it yesterday, and I’ve never done it before.”

Although there are many fall activities available at Gary’s Berries now, the business began in 1993 with 25 acres of open land and a single house.

Gary Starr, owner of Gary’s Berries, said that in 2000, he thought about leaving his day job to make the farm work. After creating a corn maze and planting pumpkins, Gary’s Berries had their first customers.

“Our first customers were a man and his wife,” Starr said. “She was pregnant. They came out to walk through the maze trying to induce labor, and then the next day, the child came in.”

Since then, Gary’s Berries Fall Festival has taken off, bringing in almost 30,000 visitors each season.

Although COVID-19 raises concerns for some, Gary’s Berries anticipates seeing a rise in numbers this season. They are taking extra precautions this year to keep everyone safe.

“We’ve got signs up asking everyone to practice one cow length apart or six pumpkins,” Starr said. “We have enough ground out there to where social distancing is not a problem.”

Gary’s Berries will be providing hand sanitizer stations, cashless transactions and additional cleaning procedures during the event.

Moser believes that the event will create a sense of normalcy for the Washburn community. “I think that people will look forward to getting out, doing something and seeing people, even if it is from afar,” Moser said.

Starr and his wife are both Washburn alumni, and are thankful for the support and the relationships they have built with the Washburn community.
“We both came to Topeka with nothing to [do], and we were able to stay in Topeka and create something,” Starr said. “It is because of Washburn and our knowledge there that we are where we’re at today.”

Washburn Night at Gary’s Berries begins at 5 p.m. and ends at 10 p.m. Tickets will be offered at a discounted rate of $10 per person. If you are unable to attend Washburn Night, the fall festivities continue at the Gary’s Berries Fall Festival until Oct. 31.

Edited by Bri Smith, Jason M., Abbie Barth