KITCHENER -- Families were out enjoying Sunday's fall weather by searching for the perfect pumpkin at Shantz Family Farm ahead of Halloween.

"We're just turning it into a family tradition," said Zain Spoenlein, whose family was back at the pumpkin patch for a second straight year.

The COVID-19 pandemic forced the farm to pause its more interactive events again in 2021, but the patriarch said it hasn't slowed them down.

"This year and last year, it's back to the basics," Kevin Shantz said. "Selling produce, selling straw bales, corn stalks and pumpkins."

This year marks 25 years in business for the farm.

"This was our patch 25 years ago, just this little field, and since then it's grown up to 30 acres some years," Shantz said.