Clarence, N.Y. (WBEN) - With the Buffalo Bills having already played Thursday night, some in "Bills Mafia" may be looking for something else to check out this weekend, especially with the weather remaining ideal as we approach the official start of fall. One such idea may be a trip to a local farm.
"Good weather is always fun to have on the farm," says Patrick Spoth of Kelkenberg Farm in the Town of Clarence. "It's a lot more fun visiting the farm on a nice, sunny day than obviously, a cold, blustery day."
The dry weather has affected the pumpkin crop this year, according to Spoth.
"The yield is a little bit down, the size of the pumpkins is a little smaller. But still, it's the beauty of Western New York," Spoth said. "We have plenty of pumpkins, as most of your fall destinations will have plenty of pumpkins this year."
Not only does the weather affect the crop at Kelkenberg Farm, but is also affects attendance.
"[If it's] too hot, people tend to not want to come out. And the cool temperatures, like we had a week ago, kind of gets people in the mood, kind of like the snowfall at Christmas time. The first chilly nights get people in the mood to get out and get some hot cider and pumpkins, and do that type of thing," Spoth said.
Last weekend was the first weekend of fall at Kelkenberg Farm, and numbers were about the same.
"We did see noticed attendance was down a little bit during the 1 o'clock football game on Sunday, but attendance has been good," Spoth added.
Others take advantage of the smaller crowd during the 1 p.m.-to-4 p.m. time frame to check out the farm.
With no Bills game this Sunday, will it be the busiest weekend of the season? Spoth says no.
"Generally, Columbus Day Weekend is the busiest day on the farm, and that's all, of course, weather dependent too," he said. "As long as the weather stays nice, it tends to spread."
Spoth further recommends picking pumpkins now while the weather is good.