Huckleberry Trail Farm: A working farm with a mission

At Huckleberry Trail Farm near Siler City, there’s a second definition that owner Bob Reichel, aka “Uncle Bob”, prefers to use. A huckleberry also means: “the exact kind of man needed for a particular purpose”. The “Historical Dictionary of American Slang” has about a third of a column of citations documenting this meaning all through the latter 19th century. So “I’m your huckleberry” means “I’m just the man you’re looking for!”

Over the years Uncle Bob has had to learn a lot and forge partnerships with other organizations and businesses. He considers all of them to be “huckleberries” and value what their goods, services and knowledge have done to get Huckleberry Trail Farm to where it is today.

You see, it is much more than a corn maze and pumpkin patch. Uncle Bob’s mission is to create an inclusive environment.  And environment where those with disabilities, even wheelchair bound individuals, can enjoy outdoor activities to include hay rides, fall activities and just be outside enjoying the beauty of the farm.

From their website:

What happens when you bring together Huckleberry and Cackalacky? You get the means to propel a dream forward. Even before day one we have wanted our farm to be accessible to all, including those with limited mobility who may need wheelchairs or other aids to get around from place to place. That’s a tall order for a farm, but we are making it happen! When the great people at Cackalacky got wind of this (they’re the folks that make some of the most delicious hot sauce and barbecue sauce you ever tasted!), they didn’t hesitate to get on board with us. This festival season, they donated product for us to sell to our guests. 100% of the sales went towards making this dream financially possible. When you come for a visit to our farm, be sure to pick up a yummy bottle of sauce or a tasty can of nuts and enjoy them knowing you’re helping make something great happen in Chatham County.

As we worked to propel this dream forward, we applied for and were awarded a grant from the NC Tobacco Trust Fund and the Rural Advancement Foundation International (RAFI).  This grant helped cover about 60% of the costs for the construction of our wheelchair ramp and walkway that leads to a deck (or as Uncle Bob is calling it, “The Dock”) in the farmyard. Thanks to RAFI for making this part of the dream come true for the 2016 Fall Festival!

As we began to procure materials for this project, one of our stops was Lowes in Pittsboro, NC. Uncle Bob spoke to the store manager Jamie, told him about HAPpy and let him know that we were going to need a bunch of lumber for this project. Jamie asked many questions about the farm and our mission. He came to the conclusion that our project might be a good fit for the Lowes Hero initiative. After several more conversations, Lowes awarded Huck a grant to help with material costs for HAPpy! As if this was not enough, Lowes also sent a team of people out for a day to help build the ramp! Thank you to Lowes in Pittsboro for helping us make this happen!

CORN MAZE FAQ

Our corn maze is 4.5 acres of stalks and bushels of fun. Our design is an old-fashioned maze that has just enough turns to make it challenging but not too many so that the young ‘uns get frustrated and come out crying.  The first year, we had guests get to the back of the maze and then asked the farmhand, “What is the quickest way out?”  Since then, we have designed our maze as two different mazes with an “escape path” right through the middle.  You can take either the 5 station or 10 station challenge.  And if you want to take a break before completing the maze, you can easily walk out and then pick up where you left off

So come on out and give it a try.  We are sure you will be aMAZEd at what we can do with corn!!!

 

Public Access and Pricing:
This year the farm will be open to the public every weekend beginning Saturday, October 1 through Sunday, October 30.
Huckleberry Trail Farm is also great for fall school field trips! It will be open every Thursday and Friday in October for educational visits, by appointment only between 9 :00 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.