Schnepf Farms' second Agritainment Park opens today in Queen Creek with more than 30 rides and attractions for the next four weeks, March 10-April 3.
"We started this last year with Castle Amusements, which is also family owned, because they rent out rides to movie sets in LA and due to the pandemic their business went down so I said, 'You have the rides and we have the space, so why don't we do this,' and that's how it all started," said Carrie Schnepf. "I was already working with them because I had rented rides for the chili party and they didn't have anything else to do so last year was a big success. It's a little tougher this year since their business has picked up again, but we still have lots of rides we've themed around the farm. This year we're only going for one month, not the three months we did last year."
Unlike other local businesses, Schnepf said their hiring fair for the Agritainment Park was a big success and they were able to "hire for every spot."
She said this year, they've added a talent show at 7 p.m. each night where the winner receives $200 and a chance to compete for a $1,000 grand prize on April 2.
"People can go online and sign up for the talent show and that's their free ticket to get in the park and compete in our very own 'Arizona's Got Talent,'" Schnepf said. "We just want to let people know that they can still come to the farm during our regular hours Thursday through Sunday to go to our bakery and visit the animals."
There will be antique tractor displays on the second and third weekends of the Agritainment Park, along with live entertainment, mini golf, food and Saturday night foam parties.
"People coming to the regular farm will just need to know that we're closing access to the animals at noon on Saturdays and Sundays because of the Agritainment Park," Schnepf noted. "We've also added new shops to our promenade this year."
Regular farm hours are from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday through Sunday. The Agritainment Park is open from 4 to 10 p.m. Thursday through Friday and from noon to 10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Tickets are available at schnepffarms.com and with rising gas prices, they're offering $5 off tickets if you use the code "GasHelp." Seniors, military and first responders get discounts at the door.
Schnepf Farms is located in Queen Creek at 24810 S. Rittenhouse Road.
