The golden sun descends in the sky, setting the clouds on fire, and signals the final day for the Kimball Farm’s season on Monday, October 12th. 

 The outdoor activities and ice cream section of Kimball Farm closed for the season on Monday, October 12, and will reopen the Wednesday before Easter. While closing down, all of the ice cream is packed into gallon or half-gallon sized tubs and sold in the store, which stays open year-round.

The tents and all other outdoor activities are taken down and locked up. As for the animals, some are taken to a farm in Pepperell, whereas exotic animals are taken to a farm in Bolton. The remaining animals stay at the farm and are looked after by a caretaker. The rest of Kimball Farm is expected to open with new features such as bumper cars and a zipline.

Kimball Farm’s Cat Mahanna, a year round employee, enjoys the easy-going environment and the amiable people that she meets. She is looking forward to having a busy winter while she works in the Country Store. Most of all Mahanna finds the variety of ice cream and activities are the greatest appeals of Kimball Farm.

“[The ice cream] is so good, and we have so many flavors, so I think that just attracts everybody,” said Mahanna.

Nandee Ann Willets, a seasonal pony ride provider who has been working for Kimball Farm for seven years, loves how Kimball Farm is a popular destination and always offers something new for the public. She enjoys it when people from all over the country come for the unique sites it offers, including company outings and memorials. She finds it to be a beautiful, safe and secure environment and enjoys working with both young people and animals, and will miss the youth and intelligence that Kimball Farm attracts when it closes for the season.

“Providing pony rides [gives me the] ability to really truly live the dream, because I’m a horsemen and a farmer, so I’m able to come here and offer my services on a retail level. I think for the customers that come to Kimball Farm, it’s still very much a farm experience,” said Willets.

Senior Jordan Underwood a seasonal employee, also talked about how much she loves the range of ice cream flavors and activities such as the batting cages and bumper cars. Underwood, who has been working for two years, found it got busier every year.

“[The greatest appeal of Kimball Farm is] probably all the different activities we have. We have ice cream, bumper boat, and batting cages,” said Underwood.

Kimball Farm is an idealistic place to visit, with it’s diversity in events and assortment of foods.

“I love it here. I think that they give everybody a full experience whether they come to eat, or they come to relax. I find that it’s quite accessible in a wheelchair, and I think it’s very beautiful here and peaceful as well as being secure,” said Willets.