McALLEN — Families from the Rio Grande Valley and beyond stopped by Maddie’s Pumpkin Patch here for a little seasonal activity and a picture-perfect fall photo.

Ricardo Vega, Maddie’s owner, has been setting up the pumpkin patch for the past five years and said he never envisioned it would become as popular as it is today.

At one time Saturday, there were six different families at Maddie’s enjoying the fall decorations and making memories.

Located at 6712 N. Bentsen Road in McAllen, the pumpkin patch is named Maddie’s after Vega’s daughter who was in the hospital for a bacterial lung infection, which delayed the family’s inaugural launch of the patch.

Vega said Maddie loves the fall season and found the name fitting after going through that experience as a family.

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, Vega adjusted his business by setting up an online portal for guests to purchase their tickets ahead of time via the web. He did this to ensure that not too many people were on the property at once to enforce social distancing.

“It was a better way of maintaining control,” Vega said.

Throughout the property are fall-themed quotes and many references to the family’s faith.

“It is a Christian-based theme, we usually play Christian music on the radio and there’s little messages throughout the patch,” he said.

Visitors at Maddie’s Pumpkin Patch take photos on one of the pumpkin scenes Saturday in McAllen. (Delcia Lopez | [email protected])

While there are various photo-worthy spots throughout the property, many groups flocked to take their family portraits in front of a giant cross in the center of the pumpkin patch.

Christina Madrigal, a Washington native, learned about the patch on Instagram and decided to bring her family out to capture their fall photos.

Madrigal said she had never been to a pumpkin patch like Maddie’s before and appreciated the family oriented and welcoming feel.

Melissa Berccera, of Georgia, came to the patch with her two children because she wanted a fun and safe family activity during the pandemic.

“In today’s world you can no longer go to the movies, you can’t go anywhere and feel safe,” Vega said. “Out here you kind of forget about all the troubles that this pandemic has brought and it’s an open air environment so families, I tell them ‘you need to wear a mask when you’re close to other people, but other than that feel free to take them off and explore on your own.’”

Just as intended, families kept to their own circles and traveled throughout the patch.

Visitors at Maddie’s Pumpkin Patch take photos on one of the pumpkin scenes Saturday in McAllen. (Delcia Lopez | [email protected])

However, while families remained together, throughout the ranch were farm animals such as chickens, an alpaca, horses and many more, some of which roamed free.

When asked what the greatest attraction is this year, Vega pointed to a bird that swooned overhead, while explaining how the most beautiful part of the property are the details in nature.

“I want people to see the beauty in the small things and out here you can see that,” he said. “You’ll see a hummingbird come by on a flower. You’ll see a wild fox. There are farm animals throughout and a lot of people have never seen certain kinds of farm animals in person.”

For Vega, the beauty is in the details and he and his wife put a lot of time and effort into hand-selecting artwork and aesthetically pleasing furniture throughout the ranch to give it that cozy fall feel.

Another mentionable part of the Maddie’s experience is the community aspect. Vega invites local photographers, artists and musicians to showcase their work and talents at the patch.

Julian Cabrera, 9, pets ‘Boba’ the small goat at Maddie’s Pumpkin Patch on Saturday. (Delcia Lopez | [email protected])

On Saturday, Brittney Luna, a local artist and art teacher at memorial middle school, painted a hummingbird and pumpkins onto the silo of the Vega’s barn.

Vega said his overall goal is to have Maddie’s become a tradition among families.

“I’m so proud that it’s become what it has as far as with the families, you know, the idea that I have families that have brought their parents in the past who shared a memory here who may have now passed, and they have that memory here,” he said. “It’s instances like that that are what make Maddie’s a good feeling for me.”

The pumpkin patch is open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays and from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.


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