A little more than three years ago, I worked on the first concepts for a pirate-themed mini-golf at Vala’s Pumpkin Patch in Nebraska. Over the next year, those concepts were revised and polished. We made great progress on the plans. Last summer, I spent one of my days at Vala’s Pumpkin Patch tromping through the fields and measuring out the layout. The Vala’s team flew a drone over those spray marks on the ground to record it for me. I used that information to draw up the final concepts. In the fall of 2025, we began prefabricating the features and delivered the first semi-load to the farm. In spring, we picked up where we left off and fabricated a second large semi load. I was back on the farm in July to do a final layout and help establish the final grades. This week I returned once more to help locate the final features, rig the ship and start the planning for next year’s projects. As I was up in the ship today sorting out the rigging, I grabbed this picture of the progress. The brick edges should be finished tomorrow, as well as the forming for the walkways that connect the holes. Thursday morning, they will be poured. Friday, the first of the carpets will be laid. It is exciting to watch this project come together so quickly after working on it for so long. Stay tuned for more progress…
Instant mini-golf
I’m back at Vala’s Pumpkin Patch in Nebraska this week, advising the crews as they labour to finish the mini-golf before the season opening in less than four weeks. The worksite is bustling with multiple crews, all doing their specialized tasks. They have accomplished a great deal in the two weeks since my last visit. The half-acre site is now mostly shaped, with the soils stockpiled and ready for final grooming soon. The greens are all poured, and the ponds and the twisting waterways are well on their way to finish. Today we placed the last of the features, and Randy McFarling and his crew began laying bricks around the edges of all the greens. By week’s end, it will look much more like a mini-golf course, ready for landscaping and carpets. This is the fastest transformation I have witnessed, with the bare land transformed into an elaborate mini-golf course in only seven weeks. Stay tuned as things progress this coming week…
Roughing in the scorpion
Henry was a little disappointed to hear I would be in Nebraska all of this week. We made up for it by devoting much of Friday to the float. We changed two tires and roughed in the armature of the scorpion's body. Henry measured and cut steel while I did the welding. We managed to do the bulk of the lower body and started on one of the claws, which will be articulated by pulling the rod from the driver’s seat. He was happy to delegate that operation to me as he figures he will be plenty busy throwing candy and squirting the stinger from his lofty perch on the tail. Stay tuned for more progress next week when I get back to the studio…
