October 2024 | Volume 17 | Issue 12
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Fresh off the vine Old Baker Farm prepares for fall season with family-run pumpkin patch
Discover area businesses that specialize in keeping your home and garden at their best.
See page B4
Steady Setter
By EMILY REED
I
f you’re looking for the Great Pumpkin, you won’t have to drive far down U.S. 280 to wait for him. But, unlike lonely Linus, there will be plenty of people waiting at Old Baker Farm with you. The pumpkin patch at Old Baker Farm, just south of Chelsea off of 280, officially opened its doors to the public on Sept. 28 for its fall season. “We want people to come and visit the farm and have a living history and authentic farming experience,” said farm owner Jerry Baker. “We know everyone will have a good time, and we love that everyone enjoys coming out. That is the reason we plant our pumpkins, because people love visiting the farm, and we love people coming to visit.”
See OLD BAKER FARM | page A30
Mia Wilson is setting the Briarwood Christian School volleyball program up for success.
See page B13 Above: Jerry Baker with goats on his farm in September 2024. Baker is the fourth generation of his family to work Old Baker Farm, which has been operating since 1899. Photo by Savannah Schmidt. Left: During the pumpkin harvest season, late September through late October, guests at Old Baker Farm can pick the gourd of their choice off the vine to take home. Staff photo.
INSIDE Sponsors.......... A4 City.....................A6 Schoolhouse... A10 Business.......... A16
Real Estate.... A22 Events............. A24 Sports...............B12 Community..... B14
Foothills Business Park has potential for significant economic impact By LOYD McINTOSH
facebook.com/280living
Foothills Business Park, a development that is selling space to different companies to create a new commercial area alongside U.S. 280, is located on Foothills Place, between Foothills Parkway and Chesser Drive in Chelsea. Photo courtesy of Shelby County.
After years of planning and development, the Foothills Business Park in Chelsea has started adding tenants, filling out a project with a long history of city investment. Foothills Business Park, a development over 13 acres off Old Highway 280 sandwiched between Foothills Parkway to the west and Chesser Park Drive to the east, is a planned development aimed at attracting new businesses and creating a new dynamic for the city, said Chelsea
Mayor Tony Picklesimer. Picklesimer said the idea for the business park came about after the city received an offer to purchase the land for $500,000. To date, the city has invested approximately $1.8 million toward building roads and developing infrastructure in the park. At the time the city purchased the land, he said, Chelsea was experiencing growth in its housing market.
See FOOTHILLS | page A28