BELLEVUE, Neb. (KMTV) — Bellevue Berry Farm is expanding every year, so much so that it's creating more jobs in the community.
"The business is doing well. This year we did hire a full parking crew, a full security crew, so we’re expanding. We don’t want to be one of the huge pumpkin patches, per se, but we’ve kind of outgrown the 80 acres we have," Zach Schaefer, co-owner of Bellevue Berry Farm said.
It's attracting multiple visitors every day. The peak days of the week are the weekend, but weekdays are also now seeing a lot of traffic.
"When the weather is good it’s overwhelming how many people are coming out, especially on the weekends. We’re starting to see huge crowds now on Wednesdays and Thursdays as well," Schaefer said.
That traffic to the Bellevue Berry Farm isn't just good news for the farm. Mayor Rusty Hike says traffic from fall attractions and events brings in economic activity for the rest of the community.
"You can definitely see an increase in the types of services like restaurants," Mayor Hike said. "All these events, the parades, the veterans day parade coming up ... There’s a lot of things that create a lot of traffic around town."
That traffic attracts people to other services around town like restaurants. Hike says the fall events definitely make a difference in the community's economy.
"If you got rid of those venues it changes the dynamic. That's why we work so hard on keeping those things happening. All those venues help get people out it helps all the businesses," Hike said.
