PUMPKINS … THEY CARVE … EAT … AND EVEN DROP THEM FROM NEARLY 200 FEET. NOTHING SAYS “FALL” IN NEW ENGLAND LIKE PUMPKIN AND A PUMPKIN PATCH… AND FOR THOSE THAT ááRUN THEM… IT’S A LABOR OF LOVE THAT EXTENDS WELL BEYOND THE SEASON. WE SPOKE WITH ONE WOMAN IN NORTHERN VERMONT WHO TURNED HER PUMPKIN STAND INTO A ááDESTINATION… WITH SOME LARGER-THAN- LIFE CREATIONS. ALONG ROUTE 105 IN NORTH TROY, VERMONT… THERE’S A PUMPKIN STAND THAT ááSTANDS OUT FROM THE OTHERS. FOR CHANTEL GONYER, VEGETABLE FARMING RUNS IN THE FAMILY. BUT THE GOURDS AREN’T THE ááONLY ATTRACTION DRAWING CROWDS TO “CHANTEL’S CREATIVE CREATIONS”… IT’S WHAT SHE BUILDS ááAROUND THEM. THE GOAL IS TO PROVIDE A SAFE, OUTDOOR SPACE IN A SMALL TOWN WHERE PLACES TO GATHER ARE FEW AND FAR BETWEEN. IT’S A LOT OF WORK… BUT CHANTEL HAS PLENTY OF HELP. HER BROTHER CHRIS PITCHES IN WITH THE SCULPTURES AND SIGNAGE… WHILE HER DAD HELPS AS NEEDED, IN THE BACKGROUND. THIS YEAR HAS BEEN ONE OF CHANTEL’S MOST CHALLENGING YET. HER OPENING WAS DELAYED BY A BEE INFESTATION IN SOME SCULPTURES, AND THE HARVEST WAS SMALLER DUE TO SEVERE DROUGHT CONDITIONS. BUT EVEN IN HARD TIMES… CHANTEL SAYS SHE KEEPS GOING FOR ONE REASON. IT’S A LOVE FOR THE PLACE SHE CALLS
These giant hay sculptures turned a small Vermont town into a destination for fall-lovers
Chantel Gonyer’s roadside pumpkin stand has become a seasonal favorite in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom
Updated: 7:59 PM EDT Oct 20, 2025
NBC5 First Warning Meteorologist
What started as a family tradition has grown into a full-blown fall destination in North Troy.Chantel Gonyer runs Chantel’s Creative Creations — a roadside pumpkin stand featuring more than 50 varieties of gourds and a rotating collection of massive hay sculptures.Her brother and father help with the heavy lifting, but Chantel’s the driving force — bundling thousands of hay bales by hand to build dragons, turtles, and even a life-sized mammoth!It hasn’t been an easy season. A bee infestation and drought nearly derailed this year’s harvest, but Chantel kept going — for the kids, the visitors, and the nursing home residents who say it’s the highlight of their fall.“That is what it’s about for me,” she says. A love for pumpkins, sure… but more than that, a love for her town — shared with every person who stops to take a look.
NORTH TROY, Vt. —
What started as a family tradition has grown into a full-blown fall destination in North Troy.
Chantel Gonyer runs Chantel’s Creative Creations — a roadside pumpkin stand featuring more than 50 varieties of gourds and a rotating collection of massive hay sculptures.
Her brother and father help with the heavy lifting, but Chantel’s the driving force — bundling thousands of hay bales by hand to build dragons, turtles, and even a life-sized mammoth!
It hasn’t been an easy season. A bee infestation and drought nearly derailed this year’s harvest, but Chantel kept going — for the kids, the visitors, and the nursing home residents who say it’s the highlight of their fall.
“That is what it’s about for me,” she says. A love for pumpkins, sure… but more than that, a love for her town — shared with every person who stops to take a look.