History

Jonamac Orchard is a three generational family Apple Orchard and Pumpkin Patch in Northern Illinois that has been in operation since 1984. Through the years our orchard and activities have grown along with our family, and we try to add a little something new each year to continue improving the experience of our guests who visit the farm.

Jonamac Through the Years

Expansion

Over the years our family has purchased additional acres to bring our total operation to 105 acres. By 1992, our little store was no longer big enough to serve the growing Chicago Area population, so we added a new processing shed and store onto the old building.  We continued to expand as our business grew and completed a large addition to the store complete with indoor bathrooms in 2008. Each year more and more trees were planted as demand for our apples and the apple picking experience grew. In 2012 we purchased 65 adjacent acres and planted 1,600 new trees, we now have over 24,000 apple trees consisting of more than thirty different varieties.  Some varieties are even grown specifically for hard cider production (These are not available in our farm market, sorry).

To help us manage our growth and work load, we brought our son Kevin and his wife Denice into the business in 1993. They purchased the barn/house from us in 1996 and moved in with their sons Max and Jake. Our granddaughter Jenna and her husband Mike Spychal started working full-time at the apple orchard in 2012, and have become partners in the business as well.  Jenna and Mike have now added the fourth generation to our family with their daughter Amy and son Cal.

The Maze

In 2000, we contracted with Brett Herbst of The MAiZE in Orem, Utah, to assist us in the design of our first corn maze. Each year, we decide upon a new design and characteristics for the maze and create a map. We plant our corn every season with our design in mind and then it is masterfully cut into shape, revealing an exciting new challenge for our visitors to enjoy.

More Fun

Each year our family works to improve our farm and try to add new activities for our guests to enjoy with their loved ones.  This has included the Barn Yard activity area, Apple Train, Apple Cannons & Launcher, Pumpkin Cannon, Petting Zoo, Pony rides, Jumping Pillow and our Corn Crib Play Barn with Hayloft Slides. In 2014 we added wine production to our list of adventures in a partnership with our friends at Prairie State Winery in Genoa. Then in 2016, we built our beautiful Cider House for both sweet and hard cider production as well as a tasting room for guests to enjoy and purchase our specialty crafted beverages.

Mission

Our mission is to provide our visitors with a safe, clean, fun and memorable family fall experience. We hope you will bring your family out to visit us this harvest season!

– Jerry & Mary Lynn McArtor, Kevin & Denice McArtor, and Mike & Jenna Spychal