Amazing Maze

Farmer Eddie Barnhardt jokingly says, "If you build it, they will come," referring to the maze shape like a team of horses that has been cut into his seven-acre cornfield.

Barnhardt and his partners, Jerry and Linda Connell of Indian Trail, North Carolina, learned about the trend after reading a magazine article in 1996. The Connells, who have owned and operated a pumpkin patch and Christmas tree farm at Country Time Farms for five years, liked what they saw. "Why not?" Linda said. "Let's try it!"

To help construct their maze, the Connells and Barnhardt found a Utah-based company called The MAiZE, which was established in 1996 and has designed more than 450 corn mazes in the United States, Canada, Mexico and Europe. To form the maze's intricate design, the corn must first grow several inches tall. Then herbicide is sprayed onto the field in a pattern, causing the corn to die away and form the chosen design.

Opening day, August 15, 2000 proved to be a little disappointing for the trio. The hot summer sun kept potential maze-goers away. However, when the calendar rolled over to September and Mother Nature provided cooler temperatures, the maze became an instant success, averaging 2000 visitors on weekends.
Barnhardt said he was amazed to meet adults from nearby Charlotte who had never seen a cornfield or a cotton field, like the one adjacent to the corn maze.

A short tractor ride takes visitors down to the corn maze, where they can also see a pumpkin patch and join in other autumn activities. Once visitors arrive at the corn maze and pay the $7.00 admission, they are given the maze rules. Then a "corn maze official" starts the clock and everyone takes off in search of the way out of the maze. Barnhardt said the average time it takes to complete the maze is 30 minutes, although some children run through it in 15 minutes, while nighttime visitors may take up to an hour. A weekly gift certificate is given to the individual with the fastest time through the maze.

On the other side of the maze are campfires where visitors gather, often surrounded by the screams and laughter of happy children. Those who choose to stay roast marshmallows around the fire and reflect on their experience. A group of friends who rode to the maze on Harley-Davidsons are overhead saying the maze was fun that the entire family could enjoy.

Before they leave, visitors are invited to enjoy a homemade treat from the custom-built John Deere ice cream maker and to stop by the pumpkin patch to pick out the perfect pumpkin for their Halloween jack-o-lantern. When they are ready, visitors hop on the tractor and head back to their cars.

The night of Halloween marks the end for this corn maze. Soon the corn will be cut down and Christmas trees will replace the pumpkins, but the memory of weaving through the twists of the maze will lead visitors back next year.

For more information about this corn maze, call 704-580-0423 or 704-545-1031 or visit. For more information on the MAiZE, visit www.cornfieldmaze.com.

by Jennifer Earls