Whoosh, Spin, Swing
If you’ve visited our Westford location, you know it’s the place to be for classic summer fun! Aside from serving up our homemade ice cream and fresh seafood, there are activities galore that appeal to all ages: mini golf, bumper boats, batting cages, zipline, arcade, driving range, Pitch & Putt, pony rides, and more.
We sat down with Zach Cournoyer, Kimball Farm’s Director of Machines and Amusement Devices, to see what it takes to keep our rides and attractions operating at full-speed all season long.
How long have you worked at Kimball Farm?
What do you love most about your job?
Which activity do you think is the “best kept secret” and why?
How many times each day do some of the activities run?
Who do you think is more nervous to ride the Soaring Eagle Zipline — kids or adults?
What are the most common (and strangest!) questions and comments you’ve heard about the activities?
The most common question I get is about our Batting Cages: “Which cage does baseball?” or “Which cage does softball?” And of course I always answer that all cages do both! Each cage pitches baseball and softball at multiple speeds that can be selected at the drop of a token. For our Soaring Eagle Zipline, everyone always asks: “How high up is it?” Our zipline will take you 100 feet high and move you 600 feet in one direction, and then zoom you 600 feet back!
One thing that always makes me chuckle is about the name of the Soaring Eagle — I hear people call it things like the “Screaming Eagle” or the “Soaring Rooster.” Too funny!
What tips do you have for someone who wants to impress their friends or a date at the Batting Cages?
What goes on “behind the scenes” to keep things running each season?
My team and I inspect all of our amusements daily, and if anything needs to be addressed it’s taken care of immediately. I take great pride in how well the rides perform.
There are many departments working together during our busy season. To name a few that operate behind the scenes, our cleaning crew keeps our tents, tables and pathways clean from trash and debris. And our maintenance team works daily to keep our grass cut perfectly on our Pitch & Putt course and Driving Range. They also make sure our parking lots are mowed and in good shape!
Winter is a critical time too, since we work on our larger projects then. These usually consist of upgrades or changes that will make the guest experience even better! I also work with my team to plow our parking lots during the winter since our Westford Country Store & Café is open year-round. A lot of long days and nights can go into this depending on the number of storms we have and how much snow we get. It’s a lot of work if it’s a snowy winter, but we always have fun while we’re out there!
