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Finding the great pumpkin

Case Studies | June 1, 2021 | By:

Carlsbad Strawberry Co., located along the Pacific Coast south of Los Angeles, Calif., has been growing strawberries for four generations. Since the 1950s, the “pick-your-own” produce company has prospered as it actively engaged with local schools, churches and nonprofits.

One tradition enjoyed by the locals for decades stems from a secondary crop that brings people back year after year: the annual pumpkin patch festivities. Autumn naturally has many events for families and large groups, timed with the harvest. Carlsbad Strawberry’s pumpkin patch is its biggest draw and is paired with a corn maze that attracts people of all ages. In October, the maze transforms into a haunted corn maze.

Last year, with many state-wide restrictions on public gatherings, Carlsbad Strawberry  was looking for a shelter design that would convey to the public that small groups could safely visit the pumpkin patch. Customers needed assurance that they would be socially distanced under a shade structure big enough to accommodate crowds. And the structure needed to be sturdy, but temporary.

Carlsbad Strawberry organizers turned to Shazeebo shade company in San Marcos, Calif., for a solution, having seen the company’s work at other public settings like Rip Current Brewing (see page 15). First off, organizers nixed the idea of digging concrete footings in the parking lot, but they liked the method Shazeebo offered; 250-gallon water tanks served as ballast to hold support masts in place for the shade structures.

“We modified our original design and used custom-made metal posts with frames for the water tanks instead of the wooden posts,” says Robin DuBroy, Shazeebo director of design and installations. “This allowed larger sails to be used with multiple sails connected to the masts. The shade sails were a big hit and provided much-needed shade for families looking for outdoor adventures last year.”


Project data

Client: Carlsbad Strawberry Co. Carlsbad, Calif.

Fabricator: Shazeebo, San Marcos, Calif.

Fabric: Knitted HDPE shade cloth

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