Farmamerica debuts jump pad

Farmamerica debuted a 25- by 40-foot “jump pad” during its Fall Festival on Saturday, Oct 17. Bigger than a typical school classroom and about 3 feet above the ground, Farmamerica Executive Director Jessica Rollins describes it as “a spot where children can get the wiggles out while the adults take a rest and enjoy the farm landscape."

 

Rollins says Farmamerica plans to make the jump pad a permanent staple of warm-weather events, positioning it at the heart of an expanding recreation area directly west of the visitor center. The giant pad will sit alongside a modified corncrib sandbox; a five-hole, soy-turf miniature golf course is set to join the lineup in 2027. 

 

The jump pad was a definite hit during the Fall Festival, Rollins states. About 20 or more children were able to use it at a time, and Rollins says some adults even stated they would like to give it a try.

 

The jump surface is inflated by a fan while the unit itself is staked to the ground. The pad is personalized with a green top, sporting the Farmamerica logo in the center. 

 

“If it weren’t for our sponsors,” says Rollins emphatically, “we wouldn’t have been able to get it.” She expresses gratitude to the Waseca Corn & Soybean Growers, Compeer Financial, Profinium, CFS, Kwik Trip, Midwest Dairy Association, and Crystal Valley Coop, all of which stepped forward when the staff at Farmamerica realized it made sense to have the jump pad on site.

 

“We were spending thousands of dollars a year renting bounce houses,” Rollins explains. “At one point we decided to look into what it would take to have something of our own.”

 

A difficulty with the bounce houses, Rollins continues, is that, in addition to paying the rental fee, there were also costs to transport the units to and from the Farmamerica grounds. Along with that, if some other organization had rented it, it wasn’t available. “We really enjoyed the cow-shaped one that we’ve had in the past,” she elaborates, “but there was the extra cost and extra time of getting it here from over an hour away. 

 

When the staff investigated what types of “wiggles out” options were available, they found that products offered by the Tennessee-based company The Jump Pad did the best at providing their desired features. Rollins says the decision to order a custom design was based on two factors. First, the “circus-like” colors of the standard product seemed out of line with the agricultural message of Farmamerica. Along with that, Rollins says, the cost difference for personalization seemed reasonable, while also allowing an opportunity to recognize the sponsors who made it possible.

 

Setting the giant jump pad up for the first time was a definite learning experience for Farmamerica staff, program director Kari Wadd observes. The vast amounts of heavy, vinyl-coated fabric add up to a weight of easily 500 pounds or more, making it a chore to unfold, place, and manipulate. The pad is held in place with long stakes which must be driven into the ground about every 5 feet around its perimeter.

 

Once it is placed, however, it is simply a matter of connecting the unit’s giant fan to electricity and turning it on, then waiting for the inflation process to finish.

 

Rollins says the jump pad is in storage, now, for the winter, and will come out next spring, in time for the 10 days of school field trips offered at the facility in May. As the play area continues to take shape, the plan is to make frequent use of the space for summer programs and special events including Barnyard Babies and the Fall Festival.

 

“It’s good to grow,” observes Rollins. “We’re excited to offer yet another activity for families to enjoy when they visit the farm."