Last week, the Roba family selected a Turkish company to build a gondola Ferris wheel and ship it to their operations at Lakeland Orchard & Cidery in Scott Twp.
On Feb. 24, Scott Twp.’s Zoning Board heard a variance request for a 100-foot tall gondola wheel, to be installed at the farm-based entertainment site, with plans to exceed the maximum structure height of 45 feet allowed in the municipality, as reported in The Times-Tribune’s public notices published Feb. 11 and 16.
Less than three months later, Jeff Roba, of Clarks Green, one of the owners and the president of Roba’s Tree Farm Inc., the company that owns and operates Lakeland Orchard & Cidery, said they moved ahead with making a purchase of a gondola-style Ferris wheel.
“We got approval back at the end of February, and then there was a waiting period that we had to go through where people could appeal the decision,” Roba explained, adding that after the required 30-day window, no appeals arose, and so they had full clearance to proceed.
Roba confirmed the decision came down to “two final companies” the family business was deciding between. The decision is now finalized, with the family opting to purchase a wheel from Güven Amusement Rides, based in Turkey. The custom built wheel will cost around $1 million.
“It’s a big risk to take, you’re going out on a limb by doing this,” Roba said.
Roba explained it will take the company about a year to build the wheel, another month to ship it from overseas, and then a few weeks just to get it set up.
“So, we’re probably looking at late summer, early fall of 2026, that it will finally go into operation,” said Roba, eyeballing July 2026 as a likely timeframe, if no hiccups or holdups put the brakes on their progress.
Roba said the entertainment wheel, which will seat up to six people per car, will serve several purposes.
“Part of it is to draw more people in, and kind of show them the beauty of the surrounding area,” Roba explained, adding that “the agritainment piece of what we do allows us to do more farming.”
His sister, Jenn Roba, the general manager of Lakeland Orchard & Cidery, said she has a list of people who want to be the first to experience the wheel’s view.
“Some of them are neighbors, some of them are longtime customers,” she said. “They’re all super excited to see the view from up there. Even myself, I can’t wait to see what the view looks like.”
Roba added some of the gondola cars on the wheel will be accessible to a wide range of guests, even providing enough space for people who are wheelchair-bound to enter the cars and enjoy the experience.
A hot air balloon attempt at the Cidery was a bust, due to wind speeds, she explained. The gondola wheel will permanently provide the experience and views at the location.
Her brother believes the wheel will be a big draw, and bring people in, allowing the family to spend more time and effort doing the actual farming part of their business. The gondola Ferris wheel’s cost will be included in the cost of admission to enter the premises, which is currently around $26.95 per person at the gate, and $22.95 if tickets are purchased online, said Roba.
Roba cited two things he’s mainly looking forward to.
“Next fall, you’ll be able to see our Halloween light show from the air,” he said, adding that currently, it’s viewed from their train, which he confirmed is a “great way to see it,” but he feels confident that seeing it from a “bird’s eye view” would bring something special to the season.
Second, he said the farm will look forward to starting its 2027 season by allowing guests to view their new massive tulip display from the gondola wheel, which he said would be “breathtaking.”
Last October, for the first time, the family planted 500,000 tulip bulbs across 8 or so acres, Roba explained, with the goal of starting their farm season, which usually begins in June, a little bit earlier.
This year, the season opened toward the end of April, with thousands of blooming, vibrant tulips. Behind them, a 30-foot Dutch windmill was built to add additional ambiance and complete their new floral display. Roba called the tulip experiment “overwhelmingly very good,” and said the vast presentation of flowers offered “tons of photo ops,” and close-up viewing from their train, which passes right by the field.
In 2027, guests will be able to view the colorful array of tulips from 90-feet up in the air. He said later this year, they intend to plant an additional 500,000 tulips, and in spring 2026, may even introduce a pick-your-own tulip field element to the attraction.
“Very much looking forward to next year,” Roba said.
Monday update
Then: Lakeland Orchard & Cidery went before Scott Twp. Zoning Board in February for a variance to install a 100-foot-tall gondola Ferris wheel.
Now: Owners selected and purchased a gondola Ferris wheel last week, with implementation planned for summer or fall 2026.