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Lets Party!

Have a special something to celebrate this fall? Birthday? Anniversary? Family reunion or corporate get-together? Gender reveal?? (YUP! They’re FUN here at the farm <South Brunswick location only> with the use of our corn cannons! Join us for a fun memory-filled day on the farm … there’s lots to do, and tons of fun to be had!

This fall we are offering parties at both of our farm locations: South Brunswick (505 Ridge Road, Monmouth Junction, NJ 08852 … Middlesex County) and Washington (438 Route 57 West, Washington Twp, NJ 07882 … Warren County).

For available dates, times, and pricing for parties held at the farm in South Brunswick, visit our South Brunswick party page. For available dates, times, and pricing for parties held at the farm in Washington, visit our Washington, NJ party page.

Here’s the answers to our most commonly asked questions…

The information below should answer any questions you may have about hosting your event. If you need additional information, please email Cindy@VonThunFarms.com

HOW DO I MAKE A PARTY RESERVATION? All party reservations are done online. (Make a party reservation now!) A $50 non-refundable deposit is required to secure your party reservation. Reservations are not secured until the party deposit is received.

WHERE ARE THE PARTIES LOCATED? Parties are located in our Party Zone, an area to the back of our activity area that’s designed to be a little off the beaten path & away from the general public.

HOW LONG IS THE PARTY? By making a party reservation, you have use of a party zone for two hours. Although the Party Zone must be vacated after that time, you are welcome to stay, as the wristband you receive is good for the entire days admission. Your party can be as long as you choose.

WHAT GUESTS AM I REQUIRED TO PAY FOR? The birthday child is free. All other individual, (kids, adults, grandparents, etc) are included as guests. All individuals that will be within our activity area/Party Zone need wristbands … the wristbands will be received by each of the guests on your guest list. Only very young kids that will not be taking part in any activities do not need to be counted in your guest list. Kids that will be going in the bounce house, riding the trikes, doing the straw maze, etc., will need a wristband, and hence, should be counted as a guest.

WHAT IS PROVIDED FOR ME THE DAY OF THE PARTY? We provide the Party Zone tent (it’s a circus type tent with poles and ropes) and tables. Each Party Zone has one food table and one gift table. Picnic benches are available for seating … we provide the picnic benches based on the number of guests you are planning on. We calculate one 8’x3′ picnic bench for eight guests. We DO NOT have paper plates, cups, knives, candles, or matches readily available and on hand – please bring those items you may need.

CAN I DECORATE THE PARTY ZONE TENT AREA? Absolutely! The tent will be decorated with corn stalks. You are welcome to add, within reason, other decorations as you wish.

WHAT ACTIVITIES ARE INCLUDED FOR OUR GUESTS? There’s lots for your guests to do while at the farm! View our South Brunswick fall activity list for parties taking place at our South Brunswick location, and view our Washington fall activity list for parties taking place at our Washington, NJ location.

DO WE GET A PARTY HOST TO HELP WITH OUR PARTY? No… you are welcome to plan your party as you choose. Most parties consist of eating, socializing, and having birthday cake. A hayride with all your guests is fun, but expecting all your guests to do other activities together is not realistic. Most guests enjoy the majority of activities after the party is over.

WHAT IS THE FOOD POLICY? You are welcome to bring your own food, order out, or use one of our food vendors. No alcohol of any kind is permitted. (See a list of our fall food vendors and our recommended pizza shops at the bottom of this page)

CAN WE ADD U-PICK PUMPKINS AND APPLES FOR OUR PARTY? Yes, you simply pay for what you pick. Although pumpkins are available for picking at both farms, apples are only available for picking at the farm in South Brunswick. U-pick apples will be available at the farm in Washington, NJ next fall (the trees are still growing!) Sugar pumpkins (3-4 pound pumpkins) can be purchased as party favors. Please email us about pricing.

DO YOU OFFER PONY RIDES OR FACE PAINTING FOR PARTIES? Both the pony rides and face painting are provided by outside vendors at the farm in South Brunswick. To add either to your party, simply speak with the pony ride/face painting staff when you arrive the day of your party. Pony rides are $10 each, face painting starts at $6 per person. You should pay those vendors individually that provide those activities. Pony rides & face painting will not be added to your balance due at the end of the party.

WHAT DO WE DO WHEN WE ARRIVE AT THE FARM?  When you arrive you can pull your car in the blocked off area near the farm market… just tell the parker that you are there to host a party. If you stop in the farm market or office, one of our staff will show you where the party area is & will help you get your party supplies to that area. Once you are unloaded, you will be asked to park in our main parking area. Please provide us with an updated guest list when you arrive. Have young kids that are not getting a wristband (not old enough to participate in the days activities) in one column, & all other guests in another. This will help our party attendant keep track of which party guests are yours & which guests may belong to another party. We may have multiple parties going on that weekend.

WHERE DO OUR GUESTS GO WHEN THE ARRIVE AT THE FARM? Your guests should park in the general parking area and walk past the general admission entrance, continuing towards the farm market, where our party attendant will be with the wristbands your guests will need for admission.

CAN YOU REFRIGERATE A BIRTHDAY CAKE UNTIL WE ARE READY FOR IT? Absolutely! Just let a farm employee know when you arrive.

CAN WE ALL DO A HAYRIDE TOGETHER? If you would like to do a hayride together as a group, let our hayride attendant know when the group is ready. Once all gathered in the hayride line area, the customers waiting in line will be put on the first available hayride, but your group will be placed on the 2nd incoming wagon.

WHAT ABOUT RAIN DATES? Birthday Parties are becoming more popular here at the farm and we continue to find our party areas reserved for most of the times that we offer – so we hope you can understand how rain dates for us have become a nightmare. Should you get rained our and need to reschedule yoru party, we can guarantee a limited number of picnic tables in an alternate area for your group. Most likely, our Party Zone area will NOT be available for raindates.

WHEN DO I PAY FOR MY PARTY? We can square up on final payment when your party is done. Stop by the office to do so. Although cash or check is preferred so we don’t pay a credit card fee, credit cards are fine…we accept Visa, MC, Discover, & American Express.

OUR LOCAL PIZZA SHOP RECOMMENDATIONS:
They’re familiar with party deliveries and are less than 5 minutes from the farm.
**Pizza Delizia: 613 Ridge Road, South Brunswick. 732-329-2277
**Capriccios: 485 Georges Road, South Brunswick. 732-329-8640
**Enzo’s Pizzeria & Pasta Grill: 328 W Washington Ave, Washington. 908-689-3652

OUR FALL WEEKEND FOOD VENDORS THAT ALSO OFFER PARTY CATERING AT OUR SOUTH BRUNSWICK LOCATION ONLY:
<Be sure to call ahead for pricing & availability!>

**Street Fairs NJ (Pete Panayiotou)  StreetFairsNJ@gmail.com   973-432-3808
Sandwiches, chicken fingers, hamburgers, fries, and more!

**MikieDes Gourmet Catering (Mike Deslonde; MikieDees.com) MDeslonde@aol.com   732-421-4578
BBQ sandwiches, gyro, hotdogs, burgers, nuggets, fries

**The Weeend Fryer (Bob Herbst) BobHerbst@comcast.net   732-822-8157
Hot dogs, chicken nuggets, fries, fried oreos, funnel cake. Can add other dishes is requested

 

 

Hopes & Promises

We’re growing! Although Spring is finally here according to the calendar, you’d never know it. But it’s spring at the farm and it has been for weeks- in the greenhouse! The greenhouses provide a much needed temporary solution to the farmers case of Spring Fever. It does a soul good to seed & watch for sprouts, to water and see daily, green growth, and to nurture and feel the hope and promise of a new season. The farmers need that NOW, as that is the motivation they’ll use to face Mother Nature and help them to begin our 2018 growing season.

Currently growing in the greenhouse are seedlings that will be transplanted into the fields when the weather finally breaks … mostly our early season CSA crops, including lettuces, cabbage, kohlrabi, broccoli, cauliflower, and other similar crops that enjoy and thrive in cool, early spring weather. Growing these crops in the greenhouse gives them a ‘head-start’ to the season. They’ll be a few inches tall and pretty well established by the time the farmers can get into the fields to plant – which is still weeks away!

Oh, we’ve got some summer crop seedlings growing in the greenhouse now too – tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, and such. And many of our bedding plant seedlings and hanging baskets were potted and planted last week too. They’ll all be ready for our May 1 opening day…but for now, we’re focused on the hopes and promises of the new season and those early, cool season crops. Spring is right around the corner, and the tilling and planting will soon begin. Our fingers are crossed that Mother Nature will be kind this Spring and that the challenges will be few. For now, we’ll keep growing in the greenhouse & dreaming about those warm, sunny days ahead!

Strawberries

Farm fresh, homegrown Jersey strawberries…YUM!!!
It’s Jersey Fresh strawberry time in south Jersey,
but we’re still over a week away from picking here at the farm.

Although we’ve got lots of flowers & some small berries starting to form, we really need some sunshine & warm days to get these babies growing!! Can y’all help us in wishing for some more blue skies & 70* days?! Some warmer days & nights will give the berries that little uumph they need to be ripe & ready for us to open the picking fields. The wait will be worth it…we PROMISE!

Meanwhile, save the date for our annual Strawberry Festival-
Saturday & Sunday, June 4th & 5th.

Want to be among the first to know when our homegrown strawberries are ripe & ready??
Join our email list and FOLLOW US on Facebook, Instagram, & Twitter. While we’re all waiting for strawberry season ’16 to arrive, how about pinning a few of our Pinterest strawberry recipes so they’ll be ready to use when the berries are ripe?!