ADD SOME PAZAZZ. Ferguson's Orchard planted 40,000 Pazazz apples at their Eau Claire orchard in 2014. This year is the 10-year anniversary,  welcomes returning and new activities and treats.

In 2001, Tom and Deb Ferguson purchased an orchard in Galesville that had first planted its apple tree roots in the 1870s. Ten years later, the Ferguson family (including children Jill, Andy, and Joe) purchased their Eau Claire orchard, a local and regional family favorite that has earned them numerous awards in the Best of the Chippewa Valley Reader Poll and created countless memories. This year, the Fergusons are celebrating another 10-year marker: 10 years of the Pazazz apple.

In 2014, the Fergusons planted 40,000 Pazazz trees at the Eau Claire orchard. Though technically, the Pazazz process began years prior to 2014 over in Holmen, Wisconsin.

“It’s a really great mixture of sweet and tart. It's very crunchy and is a beautiful red color.” –Andy Ferguson describing the Pazazz apple

Holmen apple farmer Doug Shefelbine spent many years planting thousands of different seeds every year to see what came up, be they well-known or brand-new apple varieties, Andy Ferguson said in a recent interview. “One of his biggest discoveries was this a new apple, now called the Pazazz. We were really excited about it and tested them out for a few years before going big,” he recalled.

Though the Fergusons enjoyed their first few goes at the Pazazz apple, they spent years noting how the trees behaved on their land and testing if it could realistically thrive in our slice of the state’s climate. In 2014, they made their big move with the planting of 40,000 trees, thought to be the largest crop of Pazazz apples in the region.

The Pazazz apple is a hybrid stemming from Honey Crisp, and like its parent, appeals to a wide variety of palates. “It’s a really great mixture of sweet and tart,” Andy explained. “It’s very crunchy and is a beautiful red color.” Plus, it will be available well into the fall season, Pazazz apples typically ripe in October.

Fergie the scarecrow (left) and Johnny the tractor (right).

2024 marks 10 years since the landmark Pazazz planting, and a year of significant additions and improvements to the family-owned orchard: large low-ropes courses, two new friendly faces (an animatronic singing tractor, Johnny, greeting guests, and a life-sized scarecrow mascot Fergie, with an apple-shaped head), and new sweet treats available for purchase.

Ferguson’s Orchards now includes its original Galesville location, the Eau Claire orchard, Pepin Heights store location, and Ferguson’s Minnesota Harvest orchard. All are now open for the season.

Learn more about Ferguson's Orchards (Eau Claire orchard located at 6470 Balsam Road) on its website • Keep up with the orchard on Facebook