VIDEO TRANSCRIPT: Central New York businesses shift gears after Halloween season
Tommy Armstrong: As Halloween winds down, seasonal attractions prepare for what’s next. For The Pumpkin Hollow, a family farm that transforms into a fall harvest gathering, that means wrapping up the festivities and returning to daily operations.
Louise Cox: We try and do a fast track, so we’ll probably try our best to get the cows, and the goats and the pigs and the chickens and the rabbits out. Pumpkin-wise we have a relationship with the zoo and they have an activity coming where they want all our leftover pumpkins for the elephant to smash.
Armstrong: It’s a quick turnaround for the Cox family — boxing up everything from decorations to baked goods. Meanwhile, the local spots that add their flavor to the season are just gearing up. Paul Valenti, owner of Glazed and Confused – the bakery behind some of The Pumpkin Hollows’ treats, is already preparing for the next season.
Paul ValentiI: Things go really quick to Christmas, we’ll be decorating our window, probably next week. And then we make a quick adjustment and go right towards Thanksgiving Day boxes, pivot towards caramel apple flavors… and then Christmas comes quick.
Armstrong: Tweaking the menu and the production is just one part. Adapting schedules to meet the next seasonal rush is another.
Valenti: Instead of the busiest hours being eight to 10, after daylight savings we’ll see it’ll move from like 10 to noon. People will probably sleep in and then come and join us when they get their family up or when they get up.
Armstrong: From festive farms to bakeries, the shift happens fast – each finding its own way to carry the season forward in Central New York. For NCC News, I’m Tommy Armstrong.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) – As Halloween comes to a close, Central New York’s fall attractions waste no time packing away pumpkins and preparing for the next season.
At The Pumpkin Hollow in Syracuse, what was a lively fall hub filled with hayrides, animals and sweet treats quickly transitions back to a working farm. The Cox family, who runs the operation, said the switch happens faster than most people realize.
“Pumpkin-wise, we have a relationship with the zoo,” co-owner Louise Cox said. “They’ll be coming out to pick up everything they can for that, so it’s a fast track to empty because the weather is going to force us to hurry up and get back to our farming activities.”
Once visitors stop coming, Cox said her family focuses on clearing the fields, collecting leftover pumpkins and preparing for winter livestock care. Decorations and hay bales are boxed up, while baked goods and supplies are passed along to local partners.
“It’s a lot of work in a short amount of time,” she said. “But that’s how it goes — we’ve got to reset and get the animals and grounds ready before the snow hits.”
One of those local partners, Glazed and Confused, helps bring flavor to the fall season by providing Pumpkin Hollows with apple cider donuts and other fall treats. When Halloween ends, the bakery feels the change just as quickly.
“The day after any of those big holidays is a little lull,” owner Paul Valenti said. “So we make a quick adjustment. We go right towards Thanksgiving Day boxes, pivot towards caramel apple flavors — Christmas comes quick.”
Valenti said the calendar shift affects more than the flavors — it changes people’s daily habits.
“People might sleep in a bit later after the Halloween weekend,” he said. “So instead of the busiest hours being eight to 10, it’s more like 10 to noon. We just adjust our schedule to match their routine.”
From farms prepping for winter to bakeries adapting to new holiday demands, the seasonal handoff in Central New York moves fast. For both the Cox family and Valenti, it’s about staying in rhythm with the community — one season at a time.