It's been three decades since the Parks family established what they envisioned as a small, pick-your-own blueberry farm just outside of Thamesville.
But after just a few minutes with Diane Parks, it's obvious the years have failed to diminish any of her enthusiasm for the business or the juicy blueberries upon which that business was founded.
The Hamilton-born Parks is quick to confide that, "I have always been a blueberry lover."
As a child, a birthday treat from her parents was always a six-quart basket of blueberries.
Husband Bill hails from the Shedden area and inherited a 100-acre farm that had an acidic patch just right for growing blueberries.
"I was intrigued," recalls Parks.
She began investigating how to grow the fruit; a search which led her to Michigan, which at the time, had the largest blueberry acreage in North America.
Bill was working for Pioneer Seeds in Chatham and the decision was made to move the family closer to his work. But the dream of a blueberry farm persisted.
Bill pointed out that the best way to find acidic soil was to follow the lime trucks around, and he soon observed that most of them were found in the Thamesville area.
After scouting around for a farm, the Parks found their current location on Highway 2, just east of Thamesville.
The idea -- or so they thought -- was to establish a u-pick operation that would not only fulfill Diane's blueberry dreams, but provide their four children with summer jobs.
"All we ever saw was a pick-your-own blueberry farm for the kids to learn about agriculture and machinery," Parks says.
Dealing with customers would also help the youngsters develop their social skills, she thought.
In the early days, that's exactly what Parks Blueberries was. Eager pickers would descend on the farm during the season and drive away with blue-stained fingers and bags of berries.
In stark contrast to the operation that now combines a restaurant and large retail store, customers back then couldn't even buy a cold drink at Parks Blueberries.
But slowly, the operation grew, and Parks says, "in 1990 we finally built a barn," which was used for freezing and cold storage.
Daughter Holly, a teen at the time, had something else in mind, and she convinced her father to sacrifice the front portion of the barn for a tiny lunch counter to be run by her and her friends.
Disaster struck in 1994 when the barn was hit by a tornado. While nobody was killed in the incident, Diane spent two years recuperating from a serious head injury received when the back of the barn collapsed on her.
As Diane recovered, Bill kept things going.
"My husband is very progressive," Parks says.
He rebuilt the barn, much larger than it had been.
Around the same time, the Parks began looking at ways of extending their season, and tried fall raspberries, which would ripen just as the blueberries were coming to an end.
They also experimented with early varieties of blueberries as well as later varieties.
At the end of last season, Parks says two varieties of blueberries were removed from the farm; the Berkeleys and Blue Rays, which was heartbreaking for her.
"I cringed," she says, but says it was a business decision made because they weren't yielding as well as other varieties.
Not to worry though. Customers this summer can choose from Duke's, Blue Crop, Northlands, Elliotts and Rekas.
The Rekas, she says, are a new addition, and native to New Zealand.
Each of the berries has its own characteristics, and Parks says her family has sometimes been criticized by other growers for offering such a selection.
But customers are the ones who matter most to Parks, and she's quick to say that "we have nothing to offer except service and attention to customers."
By the late 1990s, the Parks were grappling with another challenge: "birds were taking about 50% of our crop."
At tremendous expense, the Parks contracted out to cover their crops with netting, only to have them collapse within two weeks, causing them to lose the year's crop due to safety issues.
The following year, eldest son Bruce successfully spearheaded the project himself.
As well as family, Parks says other employees have been key to the business's success over the years.
"We have some wonderful staff who have been with us quite a while," she says. That includes the younger students who work outdoors, often preceded or followed by siblings.
One of the most satisfying things about the business for her, says Parks, is seeing some of those former employees stop by, often with children of their own.
Since the Parks set up their farm 30 years ago, many things have changed.
For example, she says, concerns about sun exposure just didn't exist back then, but that has been offset by more recent announcements that blueberries are the best form of antioxidants.
The healthful qualities of the berries were never lost on the family, but today Parks smiles when she says, "customers now come up to us and tell us how good blueberries are for you."
In fact, blueberries have become so popular that global production is expected to increase from 500 million pounds a year to 800 million over the next five years, she says.
One thing hasn't changed for Parks in all those years, and that's her love of the blueberry bushes at the height of their bounty and she calls the fields a "lush and comfortable" escape.
With 22 of their 50 acres dedicated to blueberries, Parks says the farm produces about 44 tons of berries a year, the majority of which are picked by Parks' own workers.
Those berries are frozen, to be sold and used throughout the year, as well as turned into jams and a wide range of blueberry treats baked on-site and taken home by customers or served on the premises.
During the period between Dec. 24 and the end of April when the operation closes to the public, the Parks are still hard at work doing the many other behind-the-scenes jobs that must be done.
One of those is experimenting with new recipes and products, including a blueberry pepper jelly that may be appearing on the shelves this year.
And, customers who have faithfully collected Parks' brochures over the years will be pleased to know the recipes have all been compiled into a book, under Holly's direction.
While people have asked why the family doesn't branch out and start selling their products elsewhere, Parks says she prefers to keep an eye on things, maintaining the high standards customers have come to expect.
Besides, after 30 years in the business, Bill and Diane may someday retire. With Holly and their youngest son Tom still involved in the business, and nine grandchildren in the picture, chances are good that Parks will be Parks for a very long time to come.
For now, the Parks will continue with their seven-day-a-week schedules, enjoying their business and looking forward to a break when the doors close on Christmas Eve.
And do they manage to fit in a vacation during those long cold months?
Yes, says Parks. They travel down south to Savannah, Ga., where they attend blueberry meetings and meet up with fellow growers who share their business and their passion.
Looking back, says Parks, it's difficult to imagine that once upon a time, she was "just a city kid who loved blueberries."
Parks Blueberries is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, and from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. when the blueberries are on. For more information, visit www.parksblueberries.com or call 1-866-901-5373.