PUMPKIN CITY’S PUMPKIN FARM

“It’s safe, it’s fun, it’s clean and it’s fenced in--you can’t lose any kids,” said Patricia Gasser, co-manager of the Laguna Hills Mall location of Pumpkin City’s Pumpkin Farm.

Who could ask for more?

“Oh . . . And it’s free,” she added.

Pumpkin City’s Pumpkin Farm is a country fair, a miniature farm and an amusement park all rolled into one. And atmosphere is the key. At all four locations--Laguna Hills, Santa Ana, Laguna Niguel and Costa Mesa--it is like being in a time warp, or at least a geography warp.

“This is clean, wholesome, family fun,” says Bill Derentz, who started the now-booming business out of the back of a pickup truck 14 years ago. “We try to stay away from the scary stuff. We concentrate on the Harvest Festival. We don’t get into the witches, ugly faces, or people jumping out at you. The attitude we convey is the celebration of the harvest.”

Judging by the number of families wandering through the rows and piles of pumpkins (stopping along the way for hot dogs, sodas or popcorn), the concept of a farm atmosphere is a hit. Country-Western music is always playing in the background, with live bands strumming and crooning on weekends, drawing some of the residents from Laguna Hills Leisure World who come down to toe-tap to the music and people-watch.

The name Pumpkin City is apt. At the Laguna Hills location alone, there are about 20,000 at any given time. They range in size from miniatures, which are the size of baseballs, to the 200-pound “Big Macs”; prices are as varied as the sizes, shapes, and hues of the pumpkins: from 50 cents to $70.

Also scattered throughout the lots are other harbingers of the season. Shellacked gourds, yellow, orange and chartreuse, range in price from 50 to 75 cents; colorful Indian corn sells for 95 cents an ear, and bundles of cornstalks sell for $5.50; bales of straw go for $6 each.

There are also several mechanical rides, most of which are activated by quarters. But it’s the animals that grab the most attention. The pony rides are one of the most popular attractions. And the children seem to be fascinated by the ability to purchase a handful of feed for a quarter and feed the goats, pigs and other animals.

“We get our animals from a farm in Riverside,” said Jeff Keenan, the other manager of the Laguna Hills location. “This is like a vacation for them. By the time they have to go back to the farm, the pigs have doubled in size.

“I had one little boy run up to me. He was all excited. He said ‘Come here, quick. You have to see this. A chicken just laid an egg. I didn’t know that’s where they came from,”’ said Gasser. “I love it here. Everyone has such a great time.”

Hours: 9:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., daily

Address: LAGUNA HILLS: Laguna Hills Mall, 24203 Avenida de la Carlota; SANTA ANA: Metro Town Square, 3610 S. Bristol St.; LAGUNA NIGUEL: Plaza de la Paz, 27221 1/2 La Paz Road; COSTA MESA, 2300 Harbor Blvd.

Miscellaneous Information: Only the Laguna Hills Mall location has all attractions.