October 27, 2025 – By Vicky Boyd – As the Kimmel family of Valley Springs walked along the edge of the U-pick pumpkin patch at Linden Blooms in San Joaquin
County this month, eldest son Ronny kept shaking his head at the choices his parents pointed out. Finally, he found the perfect pumpkin—a traditional orange jack-o’-lantern type.
But it was too heavy to lift, so he rolled it the few feet to the field’s edge, where his father, Robert, was waiting with a wheelbarrow the Linden-area operation provided for just such occasions. Once the pumpkin was loaded, Ronny quickly turned his attention to the ladybird beetles roaming the plant leaves.
His mother, Riley, said they wanted to do a fall activity but were afraid some of the larger operations might overwhelm their three young sons, two of whom were in a stroller. They’d learned of James Chinchiolo’s agritourism activities—which featured a pumpkin patch, corn maze, farmer-guided tour and country store—from a Facebook post her mother had seen…