MEDIA WRITING: Pre-event Story
Sinkland Farms kicks off annual festival with 150-foot super mega ride-n-slide
september 2023
Sinkland Farms announced Friday, Sept. 29, at 4 p.m. the grand opening of the 150-foot Super Mega Ride-n-Slide in Christiansburg, Virginia.
“We are kicking off the Sinkland Farms 32nd Annual Pumpkin Festival with the opening of our mega slide,” said Susan Sink, owner of Sinkland Farms. “You ride an innertube down that is dry, not wet, you spin as you go around and you move super fast. It follows the sloping of our hillside here at Sinkland Farms, and it’s really fun for anyone.”
According to Sink, this new aspect of the event is for any age. She emphasized that the organizers of the event have scoured the community for activities that will bring in the most tourists and the team decided that adding this slide would encourage individuals to build the festival into their itinerary.
The mega slide will be open to the public from Sept. 29 to Nov. 5. The festival will run on Fridays from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. and on the weekend from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
General admission for the event is $15 Saturdays and Sundays and $12 on Fridays. This covers parking, a hayride to the pumpkin patch, five-acre corn maze excursions, live music, Kidz-Zone games, access to food trucks, arts and crafts vendor lines and one trip down the newest attraction: the gigantic Super Mega Ride-n-Slide.
In addition, the event offers a discounted pass of $14 for seniors, military, and first responders on the weekend and an $11 charge on Fridays. The festival is always free for children ages 3 and under. The online ticket page features couple, family and group packages for discounts on admission. Tickets are nonrefundable unless an individual purchases the protection plan in case of unforeseen circumstances that cover illness, injury, transportation problems and emergencies.
“If you realize you cannot get enough of our new activity and want to ride on the mega slide all day long, which a lot of our teenage staff have already been doing, you will pay an extra $5 fee for the all-day Super Mega Ride-n-Slide pass,” Sink said.
Sink highlighted that this new attraction is already so special to Sinkland Farms and she believes it is what will set the event apart from other festivals in the area.
“The mega slide is not just for children,” Sink said. “We know that our seniors and adults are coming here to sip a craft beer, and we want them to enjoy their fun-filled afternoon riding an innertube down the brand-new slide, too.”
Sink added that Sinkland Farms 32nd Annual Pumpkin Festival has previously been voted the most unique festival by Blue Ridge Outdoors Magazine which covers seven states.
“The slide really makes us different from any other fall festival because we are the only one in the state of Virginia that includes a 150-foot slide,” said Tatum Greene, organizer of admissions. “We’ve been voted for having the best pumpkin festival several times, and last year we had over 40,000 guests. I really do believe that we have the best activities at any festival in Virginia, including this awesome slide.”
Sink added that she recently read an article in the local newspaper that promoted three events to attend when visiting the New River Valley.
“No. 1 is to visit a Virginia Tech football game. No. 2 is to visit Sinkland Farms and their brand new Super Mega Ride-n-Slide, and No. 3 is to experience the Town of Floyd,” Sink said. “We made the top three in Southwest Virginia. Go Hokies!”
