Swank Farms Corn Maze

2008-09-20T22:47:00.000-07:00

Our 9th annual corn maze and haunted attractions are now open. We opened to great weather this year. ScreamWorks has outdone themselves with their two haunted attractions "Conover Mystery Ranch" and "Sinisterium". Awsome! Our Maniac Maze IV is the most confusing of all the mazes I've designed. With 27 hidden spots within the maze to find you'll be anything but bored. Our Kiddy Corral just welcomed two new bunnies and twelve chics. Our managerie continues to grow. So come join the fun! We'll be open til Nov. 1st. but I would suggest coming early and avoid the crowds. When planning your adventure please visit our new website www.swankfarms.com for detailed directions. Don't leave your trip in the hands of mapquest or gps, they may lead you down the wrong path. See you at the maze!

2008-05-21T16:23:00.000-07:00

It's nearly the end of May and I haven't done very well at keeping my blog updated. We finally got our permits for our Farm Market. Two years ago it started out as a Produce Stand but with all the delays it ad transformed into a Farm Market. We had to put in a certified kitchen if we wanted to sample our salsa so we thought we'd try to get our moneys worth out of it and sell a few extra things. We will be selling homemade fudge along with fresh fruit slushies. We're carrying a line of snack products packaged under our name. We'll have hand woven market baskets.

These beautiful hand-woven baskets are from Ghana, West Africa. The “Bolga Baskets” are all natural baskets made from elephant grass; they are dyed with natural plant pigments and finished with goat hide handles. The elephant grass grows wild and is harvested, dried into straw then woven by the women of the village. The men primarily tan the goat hides and work the leather on the handles. The weavers/leather crafters of the “Bolga Baskets” are mostly farm families from the historic town of Bolgatanga. To supplement their unpredictable crop income, the families have been weaving and selling these handcrafted works of art for generations! The purchase of these baskets is helping a farmer in Africa!

We will be offering local jams, honey, dried fruit, nuts and as many other local products as we can. Our Mining Sluice will be running along with our Pedal Karts and Jumping Pillow. It's been a long time coming so I hope you come out and visit us. Our grand opening is June 7th and our hours are 10:oo am to 6:00 pm dailey. There will be free hotdogs and goodies between 10:00 and 2:00 pm and free jumping pillow and pedal karts all day long.

2007-10-31T15:21:00.000-07:00

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

LAST CHANCE TO EXPERIENCE THE MAZE AND HAUNTED EVENTS THIS YEAR. WE WILL BE OPEN UNTIL 11PM AND THEN WE CLOSE FOR THE SEASON.

We just got back from a late lunch after sending our last class of the season through the our Kiddy Corral. I probably won't read The Legend of Spookley the Square Pumpkin until next year. I've read it so many times I honestly have it memorized. Well hopefully it all comes back to me next season. Except for a few rainy days things have gone very well this year. Thank you to all who have come out to have a good time. This year I will try to keep our blog going throughout the year so check back to see what's new at Swank Farms in the upcoming months.

2007-10-30T14:54:00.000-07:00

Tuesday October 30th and the sun is out. It was a chilly morning but the school kids all came and had a great time. We're sorry to those of you who came last night to find our gates closed due to rain. As it turned out it rained all around us and all we got was a little drizzly mist. I'm sure if we had decided to stay open it would have poured. Oh well. We'll be open tonight til 10pm with both haunted events open. On Halloween we will be open til 11pm. This will be your last chance to get lost in the corn and scared beyond your wildest dreams in one of ScreamWorks haunted attractions. Thank you to all of you who have come out and made this season a success. I'm sure most of you who came in the past noticed the new additions. The Giant Jumping Pillow and the Cow Train have been a huge hit this year. Remember the corn maze is just part of what Swank Farms does. Visit us at one of the many Farmers Markets we attend. Check the site for locations. We added Evergreen Saturday and Sunday markets which are part of the California Farmers Market Assocciation just in case it hasn't been updated on our website. Have a great Halloween!

2007-10-30T08:49:00.000-07:00

We're open come on out. It's Tuesday and you only have two days. We'll be open tonight and Halloween with our haunted events open.

2007-10-29T15:34:00.000-07:00

It's Monday Oct. 29th. Dick and I were in Salinas doing a radio interview with Joey on
K-OCEAN and the weather started to get ugly. By the time we were done with the interview it was sprinkling. It got worse as we drove back to Hollister and now we're hearing thunder. I think it's a good night to stay home and keep dry and warm. Bottom line ScreamWorks and Swank Farms have decided to close the gates tonight at 6:00 or earlier if the heavens open up. We will however be open tomorrow as usual with extended hours. If things change I will keep you posted.

Oct 30th 10am - 9pm with ScreamWorks haunted attractions

Halloween 10am - 11pm with ScreamWorks haunted attractions

2007-10-25T17:39:00.000-07:00

It's Thursday night October 25th and we have extended our hours. Please check the schedule listed below. The weather has been nothing but sunshine all week and should continue through Halloween. It should cool down a little which is actually a good thing. As long as there is no rain. It's hard to believe the season is almost over. November 1st we start packing things up. So for all of you who have thought about coming out but just haven't gotten around to it, come on out, You won't be disappointed. See you at the maze!

Thursday Oct 25th 10am - 9pm with ScreamWorks haunted attractions

Friday Oct. 26th 10am - Midnight with ScreamWorks haunted attractions Saturday Oct. 27th 10am - Midnight with ScreamWorks haunted attractions

Sunday Oct. 28th 10am - 10pm with ScreamWorks haunted attractions

Monday Oct 29th 10am - 9pm with ScreamWorks haunted attractions

Tuesday Oct 30th 10am - 9pm with ScreamWorks haunted attractions

Halloween 10am - 9pm with ScreamWorks haunted attractions

2007-10-21T15:12:00.000-07:00

It's Sunday afternoon October 21st and the weather couldn't be nicer. People are out having a good time and shopping for pumpkins. What a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon. Sorry It took me so long to update my blog today. My computer and I were separated for awhile. Tonight should be a great night to come out and enjoy our nighttime activities. Both of ScreamWorks haunted attractions are both very good. I would suggest going through both of them if you can. Especially tonight since the lines won't be that bad, being Sunday and all. We had a great night last night. I hope everyone had a good time. We have decided to extend out hours since many people come out even if we advertise we're closed. So........................ here are the new hours:

Monday Oct. 22nd 10am - 6pm maze only

Tuesday Oct. 23rd 10am - 9pm maze only

Wednesday Oct. 24th 10am - 9pm maze only

Thursday Oct 25th 10am - 9pm with ScreamWorks haunted attractions

Friday Oct. 26th 10am - Midnight with ScreamWorks haunted attractions

Saturday Oct. 27th 10am - Midnight with ScreamWorks haunted attractions

Sunday Oct. 28th 10am - 10pm with ScreamWorks haunted attractions

Monday Oct 29th 10am - 9pm with ScreamWorks haunted attractions

Tuesday Oct 30th 10am - 9pm with ScreamWorks haunted attractions

Halloween 10am - 9pm with ScreamWorks haunted attractions

2007-10-20T09:40:00.000-07:00

It's Saturday morning October 20th and everything is fine at the maze. The sun is out and there are no rain cells on the Accuweather website. We are only open until Halloween so now would be a great time to come on out and experience a day or night at Swank Farms. We will extend some of our hours this coming week as we get closer to Halloween. I will have them posted soon. See you at the maze!

2007-10-20T09:04:00.000-07:00

It's Saturday morning October 20th. We had some rain around midnight and the ground is sticky but we'll be open at 10am. There are no rain cells on the Accuweather website so as long as the sun shines today things will dry out quickly. Wear your old shoes or boots and come on out. See you at the maze!

2007-10-20T01:42:00.000-07:00

Well it's Saturday morning and we just put Friday night in the books. Friday started off sunny with blue skies and ended with a blustery rain at midnight. What does this mean for Saturday morning? Hopefully the sun comes out and things dry fast. Last week Friday we were closed because of rat, we opened at 10am to birthday parties and customers and it was fine. Join us for what Accueather promises to be a beautiful day.

2007-10-19T14:35:00.001-07:00

It's Friday October 19th and the skies are blue and the weather is warm. It looks like we won't be seeing any rain today. Come on out for a good time. See you at the maze!

2007-10-19T08:58:00.000-07:00

It's Friday October 19th and the sky is blue, blue, blue! It's not suppose to rain on us today although it may rain around us so I will update as often as I can or you can call the office 831-637-4704. It's time to come out and have some fun. See you at the maze!

2007-10-17T15:44:00.000-07:00

It's Tuesday afternoon October 17th and things have dried out nicely. We didn't have one field trip cancel today. We just but bags on everyones feet and everything was fine. The weather really hasn't been our friend this year. In years past we've been blessed with dry warm weather. Oh well, that's why we say "weather permitting". See you at the maze!

2007-10-16T19:44:00.000-07:00

It's Tuesday October 16th 7:45 pm and it's been raining for awhile now. We won't know the condition of the maze until the morning but right now it looks like it's going to be muddy. If you have a field trip planned for Wednesday please give the office a call I'm going to try to have someone in there by 8:00. If not you can call my cell phone 831-245-8990. Let's hope it stops raining.

2007-10-16T09:30:00.000-07:00

It's Tuesday October 16th. Last night we had a little rain but it was just enought to settle the dust. It looks like it's going to be a great day so come on out. See you at the maze.

2007-10-15T10:46:00.000-07:00

It's Monday October 15th. I apologize for not updating the blog on Sunday. Unfortunately my father passed away on Saturday night and I was without Internet access on Sunday. Thank you to all of you who came out this week-end. Nothing makes us happier than seeing families having fun. The weather is fair today, a little crisp, very Fall like! It's amazing how fast the ground dried out from the rain we had on Friday. There are mixed weather reports for the week but I'll keep you posted the best I can. I will be away on Tuesday but you can always call the office if you have any questions. Remember to get the directions for 2600 San Felipe Road where the corn maze is located. Many people are getting lost by trying to get to the home ranch. See you at the maze!

2007-10-13T08:51:00.000-07:00

It's Saturday October 13th and Dick just called from the maze. The sun is out but the ground is sticky. It will take some time to dry out. There isn't a safety issue at this point so if you don't mind a little mud you'll have a good time. Or you may just want to give the sun a little longer to do it's job and come in the afternoon.Wear your mud boots or old shoes. As far as we know everything is a go for tonight. We will let you know if ScreamWorks says otherwise. See you at the maze.

2007-10-13T08:28:00.000-07:00

It's Saturday October 13th, 8:30 AM and the sun is out. Dick has gone out to the maze to check it out so I will let you know what he has to say about the mud. Hopefully it dries quickly. We will be open today at 10am.

2007-10-12T15:59:00.000-07:00

CLOSED DUE TO RAIN! Our pathways and haunted events have become unsafe so we decided to close tonight Friday October 12th. We will be open tomorrow after the rain has past.

2007-10-12T14:20:00.000-07:00

It's 2:30 pm on Friday afternoon October 12th. We had a dry morning but it's raining at the moment. It shouldn't last long but if you want to come wear old shoes. I will post another update in a few hours. It looks like there is rain coming this evening but it could miss us so check back later. See you at the maze!

2007-10-12T09:20:00.000-07:00

It's Friday October 12th and we did have some rain last night. Accuweather has already changed their forcast for today from a rainy day to rain in the late afternoon. This could pass us by. I will continue to update the blog as the day goes on. See you at the maze!

2007-10-09T18:15:00.000-07:00

It's Tuesday October 9th and what a wonderful sunny week-end and Columbus Day we had. Families were out having a great time. Friday night was a little cold but we only had a few rain drops and the rest of the night was clear. We know it was raining around us but we were dry. That's why if you have any questions about the weather continue to check our blogg or listen to updated messages on our answering machine. AccuWeather is O.K. but don't always believe it. It looks like we might get some rain tonight but should be clear after that. I hope so! Any changes and I will post them. See you at the maze!

2007-10-07T10:59:00.000-07:00

It's Sunday October 7th and the weather is beautiful just the way we like it. Yesterday was a wonderful day with lots of families. Many enjoyed the challenge of the maze and or a relaxing walk through the Laybyrinth. The Kiddy Corral was hopping with activity and our new Jumping Pillow and Cow Train were a hit. When the sun went down hundreds came out to experience the maze at night and get scared silly at ScreamWorks Conover Mystery Ranch and Sinistarium. Come on out and join us. We'll see you at the Maze!

2007-10-05T19:46:00.000-07:00

It's Friday night October 5th and the skies are clear. I know it's raining around us but don't let that keep you away. ScreamWorks has their two haunts fired up and ready to scare so come on out and enjoy a scarey good time. See you at the maze!

2007-10-05T12:57:00.000-07:00

It's Friday October 5th, the weather is crisp and there are some puffy clouds but NO RAIN! We haven't had rain for two weeks. The pathways are clear and there is no mud. So bring a jacket and plan on a good time. See you at the maze!

2007-09-28T13:29:00.000-07:00

It's Friday and the beautiful weather we had earlier in the week has turned into slightly overcast skies. It's cooler but if you check the weather on our site there are no rain cells on the radar. We're looking forward to a fun night but come prepared with a jacket and sensible shoes. See you at the maze!

2007-09-27T14:12:00.000-07:00

It's Thursday and the weather has been unusually warm after the cold wet week-end we just had. NO RAIN IN THE NEAR FUTURE! Things will get a little cooler so dress appropriately and remember to wear comfortable shoes. Flip flops aren't a good idea in a corn field. Hope to see you at the Maze!

2007-09-23T09:55:00.000-07:00

The sun is out and we're open! Hopefully that's the last rain we see until November. The maze is still a little muddy so come prepared. With a day of sunshine things should be better tonight when the sun goes down and ScreamWorks haunted events open.

2007-09-22T14:56:00.000-07:00

CLOSED DUE TO RAIN! SATURDAY SEPT. 22ND........
Swank Farms and ScreamWorks have decided to close tonight due the mud and rain. This is our opening week-end and we will be open through October 31st and the upcoming weather looks to be much better. We are considering opening up Sunday so check back for tomorrows update. THANK YOU FOR UNDERSTANDING.

2007-09-22T13:10:00.000-07:00

Rain rain go away. What a way to kick off the our opening week-end. It's rained all morning but the sun has come out. We are currently checking out the situation and will keep you posted. Right new we a planning on being open tonight, Saturday Sept. 22nd. If you do decide to brave the less than perfect conditions wear old shoes and come prepared. I'll keep everyone posted as I learn more.

2007-06-25T18:31:00.000-07:00

Our Produce Stand is OPEN! Although it is in a temporary tent we are now selling produce from the 2600 San Felipe Road address in Hollister. We have our pedal karts to ride, our panning sluice where you can mine for gemstones and fossils and we have added a huge 70'x40' jumping pillow. There are only two others in California and they are much smaller. It is installed in the ground not on top. If you would like to see what the look like click on the link; http://www.jumpingpillows.com/ . We've also added a belly bouncer for the little kids. I swore I would never buy one but this one is too cute. It's a huge blue cow and I think the kids will love it.

Over the winter our goats gave birth to over 36 goats, I lost count, so we will have plenty of active goats in our goat walk. Bring a lunch and enjoy some fun time at Swank Farms.

News for the Fall. This year our haunters at ScreamWorks will bring you two haunted events. The ever popular Conover Mystery Ranch where you have to meander through the corn to reach the different haunts encountering who knows what along the way.

Sinisterium is the name of their new haunt and there is no real way to to describe it. You'll just have to come and see for yourself if you have the nerve to face your fears. http://www.screamworks.org/

November 11,2006

2006-11-11T12:08:00.000-08:00

The Corn Maze, Kiddy Corral and Haunted Ranch are now closed for the season. Thank you to everyone who came and made this year a huge success and thanks to Mother Nature for not raining on our parade. We are already working on new ideas for 2007 so check back for periodical updates. THIS BLOGGER IS GREAT! Thanks R.J.

We are currently working on constructing a produce stand at the 2600 San Felipe Road site (where the corn maze is). Hopefully if all goes well and we get our permits it will be open in the Spring of 2007 in time for cherry season. For those of you who didn't know, we have a 12 acre cherry orchard and grow six different varieties of cherries, the best cherries in San Benito County!

November 11,2006

2006-11-01T14:53:00.000-08:00

October 30, 2006

2006-10-30T14:18:00.000-08:00

It's Monday and the weather is deffinately changing. Fall is in the air so dress appropriately. We will be open until 10pm tonight and Halloween. The Haunted Ranch is opening between 6:30 and 7pm. Please try to come before 9pm so you can get the most out or your visit. People arriving late may feel short changed. Do the maze first and allow at least 1 hour to complete. Head to the Haunted Ranch to top off your night with a good scare. Please make sure you know the rules before entering the maze so your experiece will be a good one. If you have any questions ask before entering. See you at the Maze!
REMEMBER WE CLOSE FOR THE SEASON 10:00pm OCTOBER 31st.

October 27th

2006-10-27T20:17:00.000-07:00

It's Friday night and the weather is great! We will be open tonight and Saturday until midnight. Ticket sales will stop around 11:30. Sunday, Monday and Halloween night we will be open until 10:00 pm. The Haunted ranch will be open every night until we close for the season. Halloween night is the last chance you'll have to experience the 2006 Maniac Maze and Conover Mystery Ranch.
Come during the day for a great time. No scares. Buy you pumpkins, play and have a family adventure in the maze. See you at the maze!

October 22, 2006

2006-10-23T22:07:00.000-07:00

Due to a shortage in staff this week we are cancelling our extendend hours. We will be open Oct. 26th until 10pm with the Conover Mystery Ranch. Week-end hours as usual. Monday night until 10pm and Halloween night until the fun stops.

Saturday October 21, 2006

2006-10-21T01:23:00.000-07:00

The weather couldn't be better! Daytime is great fun but for a more intense experience visit at nighttime and go through the Haunted Ranch. Come early to avoid a long wait.

October 20, 2006 - Friday

2006-10-20T11:17:00.000-07:00

Sunny and Gorgeous!!!

See you here!!

Weather is Gorgeous!!!

2006-10-19T22:01:00.000-07:00

78 and sunny...even the goats are enjoying themselves!

See you here!