Jonamac Orchard is a four 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. Our values of quality and creating a memorable experience remain steadfast. Each year we add new attractions for your family to enjoy and create traditions that are reminiscent with a touch of new. We look forward to welcoming you to our family orchard.
Stan & Katie Johnson started Johnson’s Orchard (10 acres) by planting the first apple trees here and opening a small roadside stand.
1984
Gerald (Jerry) & Mary Lynn McArtor purchased the farm from the Johnsons and decided to change the name to “Jonamac Orchard” to honor both families. The McArtor’s purchased an additional 5 acres, so the farm was now 15 acres. Jerry also decided to start making donuts, caramel apples, and grow pumpkins to sell along with the apples.
1987
The McArtor’s purchased more land (25 acres) and planted more trees. Kevin (Jerry and Mary Lynn’s son) married Denice. Also this year, Jerry & Mary Lynn’s daughter Amy (and her Husband Dan) welcomed the 3rd generation of the family, Jenna! Born in September.
1992
The McArtor’s added on to the Store.
1994
Kevin & Denice McArtor joined the business, and helped Jonamac become officially incorporated. They welcomed their first child, Max in December of this year.
1996
Kevin & Denice moved into the Barn house on the property. They welcomed their second child, Jake to the family in October of this year. Also this year, Kevin built the Play Barn with a slide so kids could have a place to play while they were here.
1999
Kevin created the first corn maze! It was only about 5 acres and he cut pathways with a mower. It was terrible, but he tried and learned a lot.
2000
They joined the Maize Group with Brett Herbst, and made the first “true” corn maze with a design! Our first maze was a little over 5 acres, said Jonamac Orchard, and had an apple in it. This time, Kevin sprayed out the maze design with an herbicide, and the design was much cleaner! This was also the first year we had a Haunted Corn Maze.
2001
The McArtor Family rented land North of us to move the maze by a parking lot.
2005
This year we added the Apple Train, Duck Races, The Grain Bin full of Soybeans for kids to play in, and fenced in the Area. We called this our “Barnyard Play Area” and charged admission on weekends for kids to enter. This was also the year we added our Apple Launchers.
2007 & 2008
This year we added on to the Store & Bakery. This gave us more retail space, a larger walk in cooler, a space for apple grading, and indoor bathrooms!
2009
We added our apple cannons! (At first they were just modified tennis ball launchers, but we eventually upgraded them to the Air Powered Artillery Guns they are today)
2012
Jerry added a frost fan in the orchard, and at just the right time! This year, the trees bloomed earlier than normal (March 28th) and there was a hard freeze. We lost about half our crop, but the frost fans and hard work of burning fires helped us save half so we could be open for the season. It was a small crop, but it was something, much of the Midwest lost entire crops this year. Jenna (Jerry & Mary Lynn’s Granddaughter) joined the business with her boyfriend Mike Spychal, they helped the family install the irrigation system, and Kevin had a friend build the Pumpkin Cannon! Our family also purchased another 65 acres this year, including the land we had been renting for the Corn Maze. This brought the farm to 105 acres.
2013
Jenna and Mike got Married in May, out in the orchard. The week of the wedding we planted about 4,000 trees, and started the North Orchard. Due to the crop loss last year, the trees had the biggest bloom in our history, and we had a bumper crop of apples! We picked into November, and STILL had fruit in the cooler when we were closed. We didn’t know what to do with it, so we called our friend at Prairie State Winery in Genoa, and he recommended we make some wine! This year we also added our Kettle Corn Barn and started making Kettle Corn, Apple Cider Slushies, and Cider Donut Sundaes.
2014
The wine was going well, so we decided to try making some hard cider as well. For this we partnered with the Wild Onion Brewery in Lake Barrington and made our first batches of Hard Cider and Apple Ale.
2016
In February, Jen and Mike welcomed the first member of the fourth generation, their daughter Amy. We needed a better facility to produce our apple cider, needed more cooler space, and wanted a beautiful space to offer tastings of our wine and hard cider, so this year, we built the Cider House. Doors opened in September of 2016.
2018
In 2018, we tried planting flowers for the first time, and had our first Sunflower Field in the early fall of the 2018 season. Jen was pregnant all fall, and her son Calvin (Cal) Spychal was born at the end of October.
2020
We weren’t sure if we were going to be able to open due to COVID, so we spent most of the spring and summer working with other farms and the Illinois Department of Public Health figuring out how to be as safe as possible while dealing with a pandemic. We made a lot of changes to how we cleaned, spread out guests, offered timed ticketing, and offered online orders and pick ups. This year we also built our Pumpkin Barn and the Tiny Town Buildings (the School House and Donut Shop) to go alongside the Play Barn Kevin had built.
2021
This year we built the Corn Crib Play Barn and our Main Stage. The main stage was designed by Jenna’s other grandfather, Don Hance, who is an architect from Central Illinois.
2022
This year, we moved the play area over by our Corn Crib Play Barn. This made the farm feel much more open! We also added the Bubble Barn, Racer Slides, and our Grain Cart Basketball.
2023
This year we added the Silo Expansion to our Kettle Corn Barn, it was finished in season, but gave us much more space to make popcorn and snacks for our guests. We also added Gerald’s Gas and Filling Station to the Tiny Town.
2024
This year we added a new Grand Entrance by the Main Parking lot, built a large low ropes Obstacle Course, added a Tiny House to sell Flowers and Pumpkins out of, and added Paintball Shooters out in the Shootin’ Range by our Apple Cannons. We also added Camel Rides.
Visit Our Store & Bakery
The heart of Jonamac Orchard’s family business is not only our apple orchard and varieties, but the labor of treats you get to enjoy from our crops. Our Store & Bakery offers seasonal treats that celebrate autumn - and draw in the crowds for the tastes of the fall season. From apple cider donuts and fresh baked pies to hand dipped caramel apples, apple cider and refreshing apple cider slushies - there is something to satisfy every craving. We also offer homemade fudge and kettle corn.
