Tapia Brothers Halloween Pumpkin Patch Returns!

Tapia Brothers in Encino will be opening its pumpkin patch for the 30th year running this weekend.

Carylin Tapia, who described herself as "one of the farmers' wives," said that they had a bumper stock of pumpkins to chose from this year.

"We have lots of different kinds of pumpkins," said Tapia. "We have warty ones and ones that have veins and big blue Hubbard squashes and Cinderella pumpkins. The Hubbards are the best squash, you can make the best pies and bread with them."

Tapia told Patch that, as usual, the pumpkin patch will feature a moon bounce, a big pumpkin stagecoach, a cave made out of pumpkin palettes, "a great big shoe to play in" and miniature donkeys, a cow, sheep, goats and some chickens. All the animals are brought in from a farm in Lancaster, said Tapia, except for the chickens, who live in Encino all year round.

There will also be a corn maze, a train pulled by a tractor, and a hay ride. The maze will stay open every day until dusk. The pumpkin patch will be open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and later at weekends.

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Tapia Brothers, 5251 Hayvenhurst Avenue  Encino, CA 91436. Tel: 818-905-6155.