by Matt Hughes
J-E News Editor
Early October is prime hayride season in Webster County. For many residents this means loading into hay filled wagons and taking to the scenic back roads and farmland of our area, or journeying to a corn maze and pumpkin patch like those at Mooney Farm’s Corn Maze near Dixon.
But for other residents, this yearly tradition has been impossible. Often children and adults with limited mobility have been unable to get into wagons to make the journey.
“We’ve had field trips here in the past where kids in wheel chairs came, but they had to miss the hay ride,” said Randy Mooney, co-owner of Mooney Farms. “While the rest of their class rode off, they had to stay behind. It never seemed to bother them, but it really bothered me.”
As the opening of the corn maze drew near this season, Randy suggested to his brother Rob that they do something about it.
“We had a lift off of a Webster County school bus that our dad bought at a surplus auction,” Randy said. “It’s just been setting at our farm shop for years. We decided to use it.”
Dapco Machine Shop installed the lift and painted the wagon while the Mooney’s were putting the finish touches on the Corn Maze.
The wagon was completed in time for Mooney Farms to run it in both the Clay Days and Onton Hay Days parades, and now it is on site every day for the corn maze.
“We just wanted to do something for the less fortunate kids and some of the parents or grandparents who haven’t been able to ride before,” Randy said. “They might not be able to make it through the corn maze or the pumpkin patch, but now at least they can go out with everyone else and see it.”
Awesome! Brenda, Access to the Garden
ReplyDelete