Kuipers Family Farm a destination for Kaneland families for 10 years

By Diana Nuno and Katee Werrline
Reporters

After 10 years, Kuipers Family Farm is a familiar site for many in Maple Park—so familiar that some give it little thought.

That’s the case for Kristi Smith, a freshman at Kaneland High School, who passes Kuipers daily on the way to school, as her bus takes her past the intersection of Keslinger and Meredith Road.

Lately, her iPod has been more interesting than looking out the yellow bus window to see the local empire that has blossomed since 1998.

“I see it everyday, it just never catches my eye for some reason,” Smith said.

The family-owned farm, though, has been faithfully providing a family destination for area families for 10 years.

Kuiper’s was founded in 1998 by Wade and Kim Kuipers, who began with a simple 71-acre pumpkin patch and dreamed of bringing families from all around to create their own holiday traditions.

Ten years later, the farm offers seasonal and family-oriented activities, such as pumpkin picking, apple picking, hayrides, corn mazes and a Christmas tree farm.

Today, the farm has more than 230 acres, and area teens have grown up with fond memories of Kuipers.

“I went with my family into the haunted forest and my little sister tried to act tough, that’s probably my oldest and best memory at Kuipers’. It’s a really good atmosphere and they’re really nice,” Nathan Krauz, a sophomore at KHS, said.

With more than 230 acres of farmland, there is a lot of history behind this unique family farm.

Starting off in 1998 as just a 71 acre pumpkin patch, Wade and Kim Kuipers built their farm in hopes of bringing families from all around to enjoy their hard work. The purchase of the neighboring 160 acre Pine-Apple Orchard expanded the Kuipers’ farm to its current size, and the family added a barn store, bakery and corn maze to complete the empire.

“This store started out really small,” Cheryl Hackbarth, store manager, said.

As years went on, Kuipers’ extended the walls of the store to incorporate more and more seasonal decorations for their patrons.

Today, the barn store is filled with jams, jellies and honeys. Their apple doughnuts are famous, and even made with apple cider to get that special Kuipers’ taste.

The farm and store employs several local teens.

Katie Willis, a freshman at KHS and a bakery employee, loves working at Kuipers.

“It’s really fun,” Willis said. “I eat a lot of doughnuts and slushies, so that’s good.” Willis said.

Her job is to refill the doughnut trays for consumers like Kristi Smith, who continue to pass by the farm everyday, without even realizing what has grown in front of her very eyes.

Mother and son create gingerbread tradition in St. Charles

By Christina Janes
Reporter

Jack’s skeleton is finally finished along with suit and tie. The stained glass windows are cracked. The pebbles on the porch are set right.

That creative sculpture people are staring at? It’s a gingerbread house.

St. Charles native Suzanne Kathro and her son Evan Kathro, 28, create elaborate gingerbread houses for competitions every Christmas.

“My mom saw an ad for it in the paper she used to work for, the Kane County Chronicle. We had a new family tradition that year,” Evan said.

The Kathros create humidity-proof gingerbread houses instead of just using graham crackers. Traditional gingerbread is too soft and cakelike to make a good house; the Kathros describe the stiffer stuff as “plywood.”

“Everything you see has to be edible. The gingerbread can’t get soggy otherwise the whole thing could collapse. Our designs—there are so many—and how we use the elements, especially the candy, make ours unique and different than everyone else’s,” Suzanne said.

To make their gingerbread houses unique, the Kathros call upon pop culture for inspiration. Last Christmas, they followed a “Nightmare Before Christmas” theme. Melted Lifesavers became stained-glass windows, some of which were broken to add to the eerie effect. Speckled jelly beans became rocks around the house, and the Kathros placed tea lights inside the house to make the windows glow.

Breaking the Lifesaver windows wasn’t the original intentional, Suzanne said.

“The mistakes you make can actually make it better sometimes, like breaking the melted life savers. It actually looked pretty good,” she said.

The Kathros have competed in a creative gingerbread competition for the past two years together. The first year they competed they lost, but they noticed that other houses had themes. That’s when Evan thought of the “Nightmare Before Christmas” theme.

The Food Network-sponsored competition the Kathros compete in each year has been cancelled this season, but the mother-son team still plan to make a house.

“They can’t do the competition this year because they have other commitments, so we’re kind of bummed,” Suzanne said. “But we will still make a house.”

For Evan, what’s important is keeping up the tradition.

“I love working with my mom in our new Christmas tradition,” he said.