I wouldn’t quite call it a groundswell. However, more than one hundred different people searched for “cornfield” on Twelve Mile Circle over the last five years. So obviously readers want an article based on cornfields and I shall oblige. Never say that 12MC doesn’t respond to its loyal fans.
I interpreted cornfield to mean Corn Maze because I couldn’t comprehend of any other reason to consider a cornfield even remotely interesting. Actually I think I preferred the British term for Corn Maze in this instance, Maize Maze. It sounded so much more a-MAZE-ing. Sorry, I couldn’t resist.
Corn Mazes
The Corn/Maize Maze concept probably didn’t merit much explanation. A farmer drags a mower through virgin cornfields, cutting passageways into intricate, confusing patterns, forming a maze. Oftentimes patterns unfold into elaborate works of art viewed best from above.
Visitors explore the maze, lose their way, find surprises and generally have a great time. The concept wasn’t new. Hedge mazes date back several centuries as noted in an earlier article, Hazy Hedge Maze Memories. However, impermanence was the difference here. Hedges took decades to reach maturity and their labyrinths remained fixed in place. A corn/maize maze could change radically every growing season.
While mazes constructed of crops inherited an ancient pedigree, it surprised me to learn that this adaptation was distinctly modern. I’d thought that corn/maize mazes had been around for a long time, guessing they probably traced back to the late 19th Century. Well, that was completely wrong. They’ve only been around since 1993. Lebanon Valley College in Annville, Pennsylvania (map) claimed the first example:
The concept took off from there and not just in the United States. An organization called The MAiZE included affiliates in more than 250 locations, primarily in North America. Another group, the Maize Maze Association did much the same focused primarily in the United Kingdom.
I picked a few random examples from around the world.
Canada
The Deer Meadow Farms Corn Maze in Winnipeg, Manitoba (map) provided a nice YouTube video taken from an ultralight airplane. So this maze offered a sight to behold from high above or down at ground level. Deer Meadow Farms used Global Positioning System equipment to sculpt its field with a new design each year, offering four levels of challenge:
“• Try just wandering through and finding your way out. (Easy)
• Try to find the picture stations and take a photo. (Medium)
• Try to find all the hidden Trivia Stations and answer the questions…correctly. (Difficult)
• Try # 3 during the Maze by Dark nights. (Very Difficult)”
It should take about 45 minutes to complete the maze pursuing the easier scenarios.
United Kingdom
I liked looking at the Milton Maize Maze in Milton, East Anglia, England. The design in the image above represented a Spitfire airplane in commemoration of the 70th Anniversary of The Battle of Britain. However, the version found on Google Maps (map) will change over time depending on when the next satellite takes a photo.
The Milton Maize Maze website said,
“We normally recommend that you allow yourself 1 hour 30 minutes to navigate the maze and allow yourself another two + hours to enjoy the other activities on site… The maze is a multi-maze with two completely different mazes in one… There is a good chance you may get lost; it is a seven acre field with several miles of paths! Never fear if you don’t soon get your bearings there are maze marshals on hand to point you in the right direction.”
Several miles of wandering might be a bit much for me.
Poland
Why did I focus on a maze at Palac Kurozweki (map) in Poland? Quite simply because it was farther away from the birthplace of temporary agricultural mazes than any other I found. Sure there might be others in existence but I didn’t feel like spending a lot of time searching. Please feel free to offer better examples in the comments if you’re so inclined. Kurozweki actually described itself as a Hemp/Maize Maze.
“By walking in our maze, you can test your sense of direction, resourcefulness and other abilities. Every year we organise games and competitions by placing on the maze paths questions or riddles to answer. The task is additionally exciting because cell phones are blocked on the premises so you must rely only yourself.”
I wasn’t sure how the hemp reference figured into the formula. Nonetheless, I assumed it was the type of hemp used to make rope and twine. Further research demonstrated that there were a number of mazes that combined maize, hemp, sunflowers and other tall stalky plants to add variety to the experience or color to the designs. However, I wouldn’t be surprised if some visitors used certain other hemp-based products to enhance the experience even further.
Completely Unrelated
I mentioned in the previously-referenced five years of searching that Iowa moved ahead of Minnesota in frequency, 47 to 31. A clever reader searched on Minnesota eight times the following day. It wasn’t enough to push Minnesota into the lead although it edged it a bit closer. The reader, naturally, came from Minnesota.
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