Corn mazes, pumpkin patches will have varying COVID safety requirements across St. Louis region

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    EUREKA, MO (KMOV) — With 14 acres of corn maze, Brookdale Farms owner Jerry Kirk said there’s plenty of room to socially distance.

“The corn maze is bigger, we’ve added camel rides this year,” explained Kirk about the fall festivities kicking off at the Eureka farm this Friday.

They’re located in Jefferson County which has few coronavirus regulations, meaning most of the festivities will look pretty normal.

“We had no mask mandate, so we’ve been able to do business as usual, a couple of social distancing things and that kind of stuff but we really haven’t had to change our operation that much because we are outside,” said Kirk.

It’s a different story in St. Louis County.

At Thies Farm in Creve Coeur, they are setting up for Pumpkinland, their annual fall event which opens to the public on October 1.

“Safety first for us and our guests,” said manager Andy Welle.

Per St. Louis County Health Department guidelines, all visitors 5 and up must wear masks at all times, even when pumpkin picking. There will be hand washing station at the entrance and the biggest difference this year is guests will need to make a reservation.

“Were only going to allow a few people in at a time for a two hour window of time so you have to make reservations,” said Welle.

He hopes the added safety measures will make guests comfortable, but with the limited capacity they expect to only serve about half the normal amount of people they would usually see during the Halloween season.

A spokesperson for St. Louis County said all attractions have to run their opening plans by the health department to ensure they meet the county guidelines.

Here’s a look at other fall festivities in the area:

The Darkness and Creepy World open to the public on October 2 with safety restrictions including mandatory masks, social distancing, limiting the interaction between actors and guests and limiting hours.

The Godfrey, Illinois Parks Department announced they will not host their annual corn maze due to the pandemic.

Eckerts has not announced their pick your own pumpkins dates yet according to their website. Their Belleville and Grafton Farms are open for apple picking. Masks are required and you can purchase advance tickets online.

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