Lakeland Orchard continues to grow and expand

ROBERT TOMKAVAGE, The Times-Tribune, Scranton, Pa.
·3 min read

SCOTT TWP. — A sprawling property featuring attractions from ax throwing to a train and carousel may not have been the intended plan for the site of Lakeland Orchard & Cidery, but the concept has proved profitable.

“We’ve been farming here since the ’90s,” said Jennifer Roba, manager of the orchard. “I opened here in 2013 for pick your own apples and I did two or three years of just apple picking. Then, we said we need to have something for people to do, and it just keeps growing. We’ve been adding attractions year after year.”

However, the initial plans were a bit more modest.

“I think the original vision was this was going to be my parents’ retirement plan,” Roba said. “They were going to sell apples and live on the farm. But at some point, we had to start growing all the Christmas trees and pumpkins here, so this turned into our growing location.”

Now, the property along Lakeland Drive includes a wide variety of entertainment and dining options for the whole family to enjoy.

“The train was our biggest investment, and everyone loves it,” Roba said. “We also have some people who come just to ride the Scrambler or the carousel.”

But the most popular attraction has been a large area filled with corn, Roba said.

“We have about 55 ton of shelled corn for the kids to play in like a sandbox,” she said.

The orchard offered season-pass members a sneak peek at some new amenities this year, including Chicken Run Delights — which sells chicken tenders, hot dogs, funnel cakes and lemonade — and the Railyard Saloon prior to opening day on Saturday.

Roba noted the sneak peak, offered for the first time this year, has been a hit.

“I think the season-pass holders really enjoy it,” she said. “They get to try everything out and get all their pictures.”

Roba has also been encouraged by a steady growth of season-pass sales at the orchard in recent years.

“At one point, the season passes were just at the farm and then we introduced them over here,” she said. “Now that we’re open about six months a year, it’s increased by quite a lot.”

The orchard currently contains about 17 acres of apples with close to 30,000 trees and more than 30 different varieties of apples, Roba said.

An Apple Harvest Festival is scheduled from Aug. 29 to Nov. 3.

First, a Strawberry Festival — featuring The Marvelous Mutts dog show and strawberry slushies, ice cream and doughnuts — will be held June 1-30, and Summer Fest — which will include a lumberjack show on the weekends and showcase local breweries and wineries — will take place July 5-28.

Then, a Blooms & Butterflies theme, highlighted by a butterfly house and more than 15 varieties of sunflowers, will be held Aug. 1-25.

Additionally, Roba anticipates blueberries will be ready to be picked in July and August while blackberries should be ready by August.

The season will wrap up with a Halloween Light Show from Sept. 20 to Nov. 3.

Charissa Zumbach of Taylor, who attended the sneak peek Sunday with her sons, Zachary, 5, and Noah, 2, looks forward to spending many weekends at the orchard.

“We love Roba’s and Lakeland, so it just makes sense to get the most out of what they have to offer,” she said. “The rides, the jumping ... there is so much to do and the staff is always so friendly and amazing.”