Fall Fest Grows with Fiber
JZ Farms celebrates its fifth season this fall
By Katie Luckett, Director of Marketing, Communications and Education
As the harvest moon nears, farms across the region open their fields to the community for fall festivals and activities. Nestled on 175 acres in Federalsburg, Md., JZ Farms welcomes guests of all ages to their annual Fall Fest. This year marks the fifth season for owners Jane and Zach Blough to host groups from across the nation on their family farm.
“We wanted to share the land that our family loves with our community and create a space for everyone to make memories outdoors,” shared Zach.
What started as a few attractions for kids in 2021 has quickly grown into a full day and night experience with 20 fall-themed activities, including a 10-acre corn maze, Farmersville with 12 playhouses, a U-pick pumpkin patch, sunflowers and more.
As the excitement for Fall Fest grew in 2022 with more visitors, Jane and Zach saw the potential for making the event larger to serve additional people. With more guests came
the need for more services and technology; and their current internet was not allowing them to expand or operate efficiently.
“We weren’t sure how we were going to be able to continue with slow-to-no internet out at the farm,” shared Jane. “It made ticketing transactions hard to complete and didn’t provide the quality customer service that our family delivers.”
At the close of the 2022 Fall Fest season, Jane and Zach were dreaming of additions to their farm and beginning to plan for the next year. Around that same time, Choptank Fiber obtained funding from grants through the state of Maryland and Caroline County to expand its broadband network to rural areas that were left unserved by other providers. In March of 2023, JZ Farms connected to Choptank Fiber and purchased the 450 Mbps Performance Package.
“It was perfect timing,” added Zach. “We knew with Choptank Fiber, we could grow the event to its potential with an advanced ticketing system now
that we had reliable high-speed internet. We have not had one issue since!”
JZ Farms now sells season tickets online, allowing visitors to scan their passes at the farm on iPads connected to the fiber network. They also accept credit cards and use the Square point-of-sale system, processing payments instantly for all parties upon admission. The Wi-Fi is also used in the main building for concessions and market transactions.
Jane added, “We don’t have to worry about transactions anymore and can spend our time focusing on the people and activities on the farm during Fall Fest.”
In addition to Fall Fest, JZ Farms also hosts field trips, birthday parties, corporate event room rentals, live music and food trucks.
Aside from the agri-tourism business, Jane and Zach raise chickens for Coleman, grow strawberries, flowers and other produce, and lease farmland for corn and soybeans. The entire farm and family’s home is on Choptank Electric Cooperative’s lines, benefitting from the affordable power as well as internet. Jane and Zach both grew up as Cooperative members in Caroline County and are proud to raise their own family with three children as part of the Choptank community.
Zach concludes, “We’re grateful for the reliable power the Co-op provides to operate our farm and maintain the essential equipment that’s responsible for keeping our chickens and produce alive.”
JZ Farms’ Fall Fest will begin on Sept. 11 and run through Nov. 2, 2025. Fall Fest is open Thursday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. with Fridays and Saturdays in October staying open until 8 p.m. for the flashlight corn maze. For more information, visit www.jz-farms.com.