Bill Zimmerman operates the wheelchair lift attached to the side of hay ride trailer at Bi-Zi Farms in Brush Prairie. Bill owns and operates the farm with wife Peggy and son Doug.
Fall is just around the corner.
For many, that means a hayride at a pumpkin patch.
Thousands of residents across Southwest Washington will soon pile onto tractor-guided hay trailers and traverse down bumpy dirt roads in pursuit of the perfect Jack-O-Lantern in the rough.
But as enjoyable as they may be for some, hayrides are often not realistic for those with certain disabilities, specifically if one is wheelchair-bound.
The fact that wheelchair-bound folks often weren’t able to enjoy a hayride — and in many cases, the visit through the pumpkin patch that is often coupled with it — was not lost on the owners of Bi-Zi Farm in Southwest Brush Prairie, one of the most popular fall destinations in Clark County.
Bill and Peggy Zimmerman decided they wanted to find a way to remedy the problem, and this year they found it.
When the 105-acre Bi-Zi Farm opens on Sept. 30, it will debut its new wheelchair accessible hayride, featuring a hydraulic chairlift on the side of the wagon.
“I always felt bad that so many kids in the wheelchairs, about all they could do was be in the barnyard and they couldn’t see the rest of the farm,” Bill said while taking a break to chat with The Reflector at the farm last week. “This way, even if they can’t get off at the pumpkin patch — which we’re hoping they can if it’s dry enough — at least they can get out and see the farm a little bit.”
Peggy added that they’d been looking for a way to make it work for awhile and knew it was something that had to happen.
Bill said feedback from the public has been mind-blowing since they posted a picture of the lift via Facebook on Aug. 31.
Multiple people have told the Zimmermans what a difference the lift will make. The post was shared close to 400 times and received over 1,500 interactions.
“I've been concerned that my son, who is now too big to carry, might have to skip the pumpkin patch this year,” someone wrote after thanking them.
“This is the greatest! As a person in a chair, this is awesome to hear. I wish more people would take note,” wrote a wheelchair-bound individual.
Learn more about the farm at bizifarms.com. The farm is located at 9504 NE 119th St., Vancouver. The telephone number is 360-574-9119.
