As apple season begins, the fifth-generation owners of an Orange County orchard are reinventing the business to be about more than just apples.

Jack Pennings, of Pennings Apple Orchard, drove News 12 in his farm cart up a hill where some peach trees used to be. The trees were not doing well, so he removed them.

He has a new plan for the hill that takes advantage of the breathtaking views of the Warwick Valley – an event venue with space for camping or “glamping.”

"You have to replant it or do what we did," Pennings said. "We're doing weddings, corporate parties, birthday parties – whatever events people need."

The orchard still grows apples and other produce and always will, Pennings said. His problem is that the costs of fertilizer, equipment and equipment repairs are erasing profits.

While they still have a reputation for having the best honey crisp apples in the region, and this year's crop is strong, Pennings said the orchard must move beyond wholesale produce and offer more to tourists.

"Farming, just in general, doesn't pay the bills anymore," he said, "So we've had to diversify."

The staff is also now planning live music events, festivals where they will rent out space to vendors, and an expansion of the new roadside retail produce store.

Warwick Valley Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Stefanie Keegan Craver leaders said Tuesday that tourism sharply spikes in the fall because of the orchards, and local events including Applefest which draws 30,000 visitors in one day.

Ashlin Zanne, bar manager at the nearby Fetch Bar and Grill, said Fetch and other village businesses depend on that influx of out-of-towners.

"I feel like that is our main attraction," she said, noting that the bar's business rises in the fall, especially on weekends. "It's definitely important for the community as a whole."

It is important to Jack Pennings' legacy, too. He just became a grandfather and wants the orchard to last.

"I guess we're thinking inside the box, or outside the box, as well as getting back to basics," he said.

The orchard is debuting some of its "outside the box" ideas at its Labor Day party, beginning at 10 a.m. Monday.