Ahhh, those formative years ... when school was all about having fun. Nap time, lunch time, two hours of recess and, of course, field trips. We all know that when it comes to field trips, the pumpkin patch may very well be the quintessential, off-campus destination. Making the annual pilgrimage to Aztec’s Sutherland Farms in late October is a tradition for many area schoolkids with activities ranging from cider drinking and pumpkin picking to hay rides and a petting zoo.

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  Nice gourds!

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  A group of pre-schoolers display their hand-picked pumpkins.

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  “Tashina,” with help from friends, takes a break beneath a fresh bed of corn kernels.

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  Hard to beat a sunny hay ride through a pumpkin patch.

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  Preschoolers from A Gold Star Academy navigate their way through the corn maze.