We hang the OPEN sign on Sunday, July 13th at 10:00am!

We built the frame for our rather large sign and installed it today! There is still a little tweaking to do but it is in the ground! Rick's grandma, Mrs. Charles Greuel, from Macomb, IL is in town and will hang the OPEN sign for the very first time on Sunday, July 13th at 10:00am!

We are still hoping that the peaches will be ready to pick! If they aren't quite ready, we are still going to celebrate opening our orchard to the public! We'll have hay rack rides touring the orchard every 30 minutes, slushies, eggs, herbs, our own From the Farm dip, cobbler & crisp mixes & several other goodies in the Trading Post shop. You'll be able to wind your way through the newly planted apple-shaped gourd maze and feed the goats, chickens, ducks, and catfish!

This all started many years ago when Rick’s Great Uncle William Essex developed the famed Fulton County (Illinois) apple in 1847. Rick’s grandparents, Charles & Doris Greuel, established an Illinois farmstead and apple orchard in the 1940s. Charles built and operated The Wagon Wheel Trading Post just outside of Macomb, IL, which Doris still runs today. So it just makes sense that she hang the OPEN sign on this Wagon Wheel!

We've had another busy week getting ready! We'll post more about all of the activity in the coming week and of course, we'll keep our eye on the peaches! We've added a picking report to the top right of this page so you'll know how things are lookin'!