According to the owner of the San Martin Pumpkin Park, rumors that the land there has been sold are untrue, and they have no plans to close the popular seasonal destination.
“I’ve had friends and family ask me if we’re going to sell it—it’s become quite a stir,” Uesugi Farms General Manager Pete Aiello said. “We’re not going anywhere. We’ve been here a long time, and we hope to be here a lot longer. We know it’s an important piece of the community and if not for Pumpkin Park, people wouldn’t know about Uesugi Farms.”
Uesugi Farms has owned the property where Pumpkin Park sits since 2014 along with Rocke Garcia, President of Glenrock Builders. Recently, the Aiello’s sold their interest in half of 16 acres of farmland that’s adjacent to Olive Avenue in San Martin to Garcia.
“That land is not part of Pumpkin Park, and we’ve been growing vegetables there since 1979,” Pete Aiello said.
Pumpkin Park, located at 14485 Monterey Road in San Martin, is a 60-acre local fall family fun park, which features a corn maze, train rides, hayrides, a petting zoo, pony rides and, of course, pumpkins. It’s also home to the annual Giant Pumpkin Weigh-Off, where contestants vie for a $25,000 grand prize. In 2013, the contest hosted a then world record 2,032-pound pumpkin.
Pumpkin Park has been a family run business since 1985, owned and operated by the Aiello family. According to Pumpkin Park’s website, Pumpkin Park draws over 100,000 people each fall, starting when the park opens Oct. 1.
