PENROSE, Co. — By September, the trees at Happy Apple Farm should be heavy with apples. Owner Tony Ferrara has seen years when the branches were so full, they began to bend or break. This fall, the trees are bare, but he is still getting ready to welcome families Saturday.
Watch Jaylen Lee's report in the video player below:
Ferrara said the temperature fell to 22 degrees on April 18 while the apple trees were blooming, and the freeze killed the blossoms before they could become fruit. It is the second year in a row the farm has lost its apple harvest, something Ferrara said has not happened in the 42 years the property has been in his family.
“Obviously it’s a lot of stress financially,” Ferrara said. “You know, it hurts.”
The loss is changing fall plans elsewhere in Penrose, too. Third Street Apples says it will remain closed for the 2026 season after the April freeze left its orchard without apples. Happy Apple Farm plans to open because it has another crop and a country store to help carry it through the season.
“Luckily we diversified. We don’t have all our eggs in one basket,” Ferrara said. “If we had nothing but apples, then, you know, yes, we’d be closed.”
What can families do at Happy Apple this fall?
Happy Apple’s pumpkin patch opens Saturday, Sept. 19. The farm says visitors can take a free hayride around the patch, shop in its country store, and bring pets. There is no charge for admission or parking, and no reservation is needed. Pumpkins and store products are sold separately.
The farm’s website lists fresh apples for sale in the country store, but there will be no apples to pick from its trees. Visitors looking specifically for local apples should check for an update before making the drive.
After opening day, Happy Apple lists its hours as Friday through Sunday, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at 1190 1st St. in Penrose.
What does a second lost harvest mean for the farm?
Ferrara said the family has weathered freezes, droughts and other bad crop years before, but never two lost apple harvests back to back. He said some insurance helps, though it does not erase the financial stress.
He also said there was little he could do to save the blossoms when the temperature reached 22 degrees. Smudge pots can be used to warm an orchard by a few degrees, he said, but he believes they would not have been enough that night.
Ferrara does not plan to stop growing apples. Instead, he is relying on the pumpkin patch and store for this fall, while hoping next year brings a bumper crop.
“You have to find a way to survive, and you have to stay optimistic,” Ferrara said. “Next year we’ll have a bumper crop—you just have to believe that.”
For Ferrara, reopening is about more than making it through a difficult season. He said some families have visited the farm for three or four generations. Children he once saw here have grown up, and some still return.
“You know it’s the families,” he said, pausing as he became emotional. “Just the tradition of bringing a smile to families, and that makes it all worthwhile.”
Ferrara hopes families will keep making their own fall memories at the farm even in a season without a local harvest.
For opening updates, hours, and store information, visit the Happy Apple Farm website.
