For years, Patty Ludy worked at a daycare center.

Now, she helps run Rooster’s Farm Pumpkin Patch, located outside Jonesburg.

“My husband (Thomas) and I for the last few years have been wanting to do a pumpkin patch,” Ludy said. “My 11-year-old son (Brody) thought it would be fun, too. We have planted pumpkins before, but we have been talking about wanting to get a pumpkin patch, so we thought, ‘We might as well try.’ So we jumped in.”

The Ludys are running a business that not only has six acres of pumpkins, but also has plenty of activities for children of all ages, such as a corn maze, a 20-foot double pipe slide, duck races, bounce house, a petting zoo and cornhole.

“We just hope to sell lots of pumpkins and have a lot of families come out and have a good time,” Ludy said. “This is what we do with our family. We love working together and doing everything together, planting and growing things and having families come out and have fun, enjoy activities and enjoy time with their loved ones.”

Rooster’s Farm had its grand opening on Sept. 24. Buell resident Katie Nichols and her family were the first customers to come to the pumpkin patch at 9:17 a.m. The first 100 customers received donuts.

“I was so excited about that,” Ludy said. “I’ve been emotional about this because it’s so much work. Hopefully, it will be worth it.”

The family-owned business is named after Brody’s nickname, Rooster. He received the nickname from his grandfather.

“It’s really cool,” Brody said.

Ludy said she hopes Brody will continue the family business when he gets older.

“My son hopes that he continues it and we just keep doing it every year,” Patty said. “What he wants to do when he gets grown is run this and kind of be a farmer and plant.”

Rooster’s Farm is located at 30903 Honey Locust Road, just two miles east of the Montgomery County border.

“We have 10 acres,” Ludy said. “My mother and father-in-law live right up the road and all of our family lives around us. My father-in-law’s mom and dad owned all of this. Then, they split it off. All of the family live here now. That’s how it started. We built here about 12 years ago. My husband lived here his whole life. My father-in-law and his family grew up here.”

Rooster’s Farm will open daily from 9 a.m.-7 p.m. until Oct. 31. Admission is $8 and children 2 and under will get in free of charge. The business has about 15 staff members, and most of them are friends and family members.

“We wouldn’t be able to do this without them,” Ludy said.

Rooster’s Farm sells gourds and many kinds of pumpkins such as regular orange, white and black and mini. Ludy said she and the other staff members spent all summer planting and weeding the pumpkins and making sure there were no bugs on them.

“We’re working so hard every day during the summer and making sure everybody is in the place they need to be,” Ludy said.