Opportunity for ‘Agritainment’
- By Kevin Hosey
Southern Correspondent
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Bob Schmidt of Maple Lane Farms in Maryville, Tenn. decided the way to compete was to create his own unique attraction to draw more visitors to the pumpkin, cattle and vegetable operation he operates with his father, Al Schmidt.
He created a unique eight-acre corn maze called THE MAIZE. It was designed and created by Brett Herbst in the shape of Tennessee using the Tennessee Department of Agriculture’s distinctive logo. The logo features a barn, the sun rising behind it and the words “Pick Tennessee Products” superimposed over the state’s outline.
The complicated maze is an attraction both from land and air. In fact an aerial photo of it was featured on the front page of a recent Knoxville News Sentinel Sunday edition as well as in later spreads in the Sentinel’s business section and the Chattanooga Times business section and numerous other local papers and television reports.
“I’ve had several comments on the front page article in the paper,” says Schmidt, who confesses to a fondness for dealing with the media. “One friend asked me ‘how in the world did you get on the front page without getting arrested or indicted?’ I told him ‘give me enough time, I may be,’” he laughs.
Schmidt estimates the eight-acre maze attracted well over 20,000 new visitors to the farm between Sept. 3 and Oct. 31. THE MAIZE, more than a series of paths though a corn patch, was designed to create a hands-on educational experience for visitors that Schmidt calls “agritainment.” These features include agricultural displays, several fun activities like a wagon ride to the pumpkin patch and the maze itself.
Visitors entering THE MAIZE are given a passport that makes the experience of finding your way through its twists and turns an educational challenge. Visitors can choose from passports featuring questions on corn facts, Scripture, scouting, the millennium and others. THE MAIZE features a series of numbered stations. When visitors find the first station they look at the corresponding question in their passport. If they answer the question right they are sent in the right direction; if they answer wrong they may be sent in the wrong direction.
“I always wanted to do a corn maze ever since I heard about it at the North American Farmers’ Direct Marketing Conference held in Knoxville (1995),” says Schmidt. “By coincidence last November a guy showed up here at the farm and said he did corn mazes and was looking for a place in the area to build one,” says Schmidt.
The visitor was associated with Brett Herbst, a Utah-based maze designer who has designed 45 different mazes across North America. Schmidt’s farm, which had been doing pumpkin patch tours and special events for several years, was a natural fit.
The patch was planted with a bt corn donated by Pioneer Hi-Bred using a very high plant population (38,000 plants per acre) which withstood even the winds from Hurricane Floyd.
“I wanted drought resistant, tall corn with a good standability,” says Schmidt.
The design, which was chosen by Schmidt, was cut into the patch soon after the corn emerged. Several mowings assured a smooth unobstructed path.
In order to prevent visitors from getting hopelessly lost, Maple Lane has a number of “Corn Cops” who also watch for those who are tempted to break through the pathways and commit other transgressions. Schmidt prominently displays rules of the maze before visitors enter, which include “stay on the path, no running, no picking or throwing corn, no smoking and no alcohol.” Anyone breaking the rules is asked to leave and not allowed back in. The few areas where corn has been trampled are repaired with netting. Schmidt says he has had few problems that have not been quickly corrected.
“If you destroy the maze you are out,” says Schmidt. “You have to have respect for me, the maze and those who follow,” he adds. He was warned that he might need to net the entire pathway but says five miles of netting was not a good option for him.
One challenge with a hot fall season was visitors getting dehydrated. THE MAIZE has an observation deck staffed with a corn cop whose job is to assist people who get lost or need water. Bottled water is available for sale both inside the maze and at the entrance.
Schmidt says it generally takes about an hour for visitors to find their way through THE MAIZE and many find it challenging enough that they elect to return again. THE MAIZE is also open at night for those who bring a flashlight, creating a completely new experience from using the maze during the day.
One of the many benefits of a professionally designed maze according to Schmidt is that it automatically expanded his customer base. In previous seasons, Maple Lane attracted mainly third graders and younger for school tours to the pumpkin patch and return visits from the youngsters’ families on weekends. This year he is finding interest from a much wider group of people including teens and adults and even tourists to the area.
“They tell me we’ve created a tourist destination,” says Schmidt.
Yet THE MAIZE has also increased the educational value of a school trip to his farm. They have customized ag in-the classroom lesson plans and activity sheets for teachers to use and discounted field trip opportunities for schools and special groups like scouts and church groups.
As an added attraction they decided to offer a haunted Halloween maze the last week of October. The haunted maze featured a play based on an Appalachian ghost story. Ron Beckman, a local playwright who also wrote the long running play “Christie,” wrote the script. The response to the haunted maze was overwhelming according to Schmidt.
“We started on the Monday before Halloween and the crowd doubled each night. By Friday we had a two and a half hour line waiting to get in.” he says. “People still enjoyed it and didn’t mind waiting around. I can’t imagine people actually paying money to get scared but they did.”
The one negative was that vandalism - including trampling, throwing corn and moving markers - got out of hand on Friday and Saturday nights. Security was very difficult to maintain at night especially with a big crowd. Nonetheless, the maze lasted through the whole season. Schmidt is already planning improvements for next year.
For more information on the Maple Lane Farm’s maze check out their website at www.cornfieldmaze.com.
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