Safety During COVID-19

Fall is always busy here at Center Grove Orchard, this year even more so as we take extensive steps for health and safety. While staying busy as bees here on the farm, we send a heartfelt thank you to the healthcare professionals, first responders, and all essential workers in our area. We are grateful for the opportunity to give families something to look forward to, continuing our tradition of providing families a place to enjoy the sunshine and fresh air while making memories to last a lifetime.

The face covering regulation enacted by Story County is in effect as of October 22 and applies to all visitors to Center Grove Orchard. The complete regulation and FAQs may be viewed here. 

We want you to know what we are doing—and what we are asking of you—to keep our team members, guests and communities safe. Our efforts in addition to the face covering regulation include:

• Reducing the number of guests into the Farmyard each day to facilitate social distancing. This plan includes our Season Pass holders and, in essence, gives them priority. Here’s how:  Based on attendance in years past, we have an idea of how many pass holders to expect each day and have allotted for that in our reduced capacity for daily admission tickets. As the season progresses, we may adjust how we handle it and move to an online reservation system for those holding Season Passes.
• Asking that all guests practice social distancing between groups and wear a face mask, in observance of the regulation enacted in Story County effective October 22.
• We have chosen not to open our Corn Pool this year due to inability to disinfect such an area.
• Requiring all staff to wear a face mask or shield while on CGO premises.
• Placing floor markings in the Apple Market store to encourage social distancing between guests.
• Installing social distancing markings and/or signage at confined attractions and lines to encourage guests to distance.
• Adjusting store displays to provide guests and staff with label information without picking up items.
• Placing additional hand-washing stations for use by guests and staff, with hand-washing reminders and instructions posted around the farm.
• Placing hand sanitizer at each point of sale area and additional locations.
• Sanitizing countertops in the store and at food venues between each guest.
• Regularly sanitizing attractions and frequently used items/areas.
• Providing designated staff break areas to provide relief from face masks while maintaining social distancing.
• Requiring staff members to complete a COVID symptoms questionnaire at start of each shift.

Further, we are asking you to please know that we are doing our best to follow the guidelines set up by the CDC as well as the Iowa Department of Public Health to ensure that all our guests have a safe and enjoyable experience. The risk of exposure to COVID-19 is higher when visiting any public place and, in choosing to visit, you assume that risk.

Though most of our activities are outside, it is extremely difficult to continually keep adequate distance between guests. We have previously asked that masks be worn indoors and when social distancing cannot happen; now we are asking that masks be worn in accordance with the Story County regulation. There are people who cannot wear masks due to medical or other reasons. Please be aware that your level of personal safety may differ from the guests around you and we cannot force guests to comply with your interpretation of the guidelines.

Attendance is monitored throughout the day to ensure we don’t reach our capacity. We typically have more guests in attendance on weekends than on weekdays, and attendance fluctuates based on the time of day. Many guests do not come for an entire day and therefore make room for other guests to come in the afternoon.

We will continue to monitor guidelines and make additions and adjustments to our policies and facilities to support the safety of our team members and guests.

Please note: Admission, group reservations and all add-ons are non-refundable under normal circumstances. However, should we find it necessary to close for reasons of public health, full refunds will be offered for purchases and reservations made for those days. Season Passes, however, are non-refundable and will not be prorated, even if public health reasons require us to close. Thank you for your understanding of the challenges we are facing as a family-owned business and bearing some of the risk with us this year.

updated 10/22/20