Our Family

-Written by Natalie Andelin

After meeting Cameron at college in Idaho, we were married in 1998 and decided to move back to Cameron’s hometown of Sparks Nevada and finish college at UNR. Life was happy and busy with newborns, college degrees and work. In August of 2009 we had the opportunity to move to Cameron's family farm in Spanish Springs Nevada. (See farm history here) We felt that it would be a great opportunity for our five kids, to be able to experience the work and fun of living on a farm.

After we moved, I started thinking of some ideas and opportunities to build a business on this beautiful property in the middle of the Spanish Springs valley. We are just off Pyramid, and close to schools and stores, but have a unique farm setting that I thought could be a benefit to the community. I had the idea of creating a Pumpkin Patch as a fun attraction for the fall. There are not many pumpkin patches in our area, and since I like to garden and put on big events, I thought it would be the perfect way to create something great for others, while working together as a family. Our kids have all helped with planting, weeding, feeding animals, setting up, painting, etc. to help make it possible. It has been a lot of work growing the pumpkins and preparing all the activities, but it’s been worth it! One of our favorite things is to meet new people that visit our Pumpkin Patch and hear how much they have enjoyed it.

We have been amazed at how the farm has grown and all the support we feel from the community. In addition to the pumpkin patch our farm now features 2 corn mazes, corn creepers a haunted attraction, a cow train ride, baby animal days, summer farm camp, weddings, birthday parties and online produce sales. In fact, the farm has grown to the point that Cameron quit his “day job” in the spring of 2015. It just became too much to do the farming at nights and weekends. He is loving the full time farm life and added time to spend with the kids.

OUR MISSION

Children

Help our children be the best they can be. We teach our children to work hard, have integrity, have fun, to pray, have faith and do what is right. Our children are amazing and awesome! We involve them in all aspects of the farm. They are the most important thing we are “growing”.

Community

Provide wholesome recreational activities for families and individuals to enjoy at the farm. All of our features of the farm are organized with are visitors in mind. We want the farm to be a comfortable and enjoyable place that all feel welcome to come to.

Our Future Generation

Provide educational and developmental experiences to our communities youth. This is accomplished through our Summer Farm Camp, School Field Trips and by hiring local teenagers to work at the farm.

Support the farm

Since 2010, Cameron and Natalie Andelin have welcomed guests to the farm for field trips, pumpkins, u-pick flowers, weddings, baby farm animals, and more, becoming an annual tradition for thousands of visitors and their families. Thanks to the support of the City of Sparks and our community, our agritourism Handbook was approved in 2025, securing the future of farm events for generations to come. The best way to keep supporting us is simple: visit the farm, share it with friends and family, and leave us a review on Google. Thank you!

- The Andelin Family

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Farm History

This farm has been a part of the Spanish Springs community for more than 100 years. Since our first pumpkin patch in 2010, Andelin Family Farm has expanded to include seasonal festivals and events year-round and has become a cherished tradition for many families in Northern Nevada. We are grateful to have shared our farm with thousands of visitors over the years and look forward to the many years to come.

- Written by Cameron Andelin

My parents purchased the farm in the early 1980’s from the Gaspari family. As a boy I loved to go to Jenny and Joe Gaspari’s house and offer my services to collect eggs from the chicken coop. I remember one time my Dad got the truck stuck by the pond and I had to run to ask Joe to pull us out with the tractor. As a boy I spent a lot of time on the farm with my brothers and friends catching frogs and snakes and fishing for catfish and carp. Prior to the drought in the 1990’s the farm had several ponds and water year round and a lot of wildlife and critters. It was a great experience to interact with Joe and Jenny Gaspari and Melio (Joe’s brother) to be able to learn from them. Not just about farming or how to work cattle but to hear their stories and the history of the farm.

The Gaspari family (Joe and Melio’s parents) originally came from Northern Italy in the early 1900’s and farmed in Mendocino County. Melio was the 2nd child and Joe was the youngest, their father died in 1915. In 1917 his mother moved her six kids, 11 cows, 5 horses and some chickens to the farm in Spanish Springs. Melio and Joe’s aunt and uncle helped them buy the farm and move here. They cleared and grubbed sagebrush and started growing alfalfa and raising cattle. They also had milk cows. When they started they didn’t have tractors or machinery. Now that I’m farming the ground with tractors as an adult I often think about what it would have been like for them to farm with horses.

While things have changed a lot on the farm since the Gaspari’s time, there are still some buildings, barns and houses intact that are a good reminder of the Gaspari family. They were hard working, yet simple farmers and that spirit lives on in our family.