Corn-Carved Creations
Regional Farmers Offer Quirky Mazes of Maize

By Katie Aberbach
washingtonpost.com Staff Writer
Thursday, September 13, 2007; 12:00 PM

Each summer, farmers stand before an agricultural blank canvas and ponder a question for the ages: In what pattern should we carve this year's maze of maize?

Okay, maybe it's not so dramatic, but the corn-maze creations can be. This year, local farmers have cut their fields into space-themed patterns, sports-star likenesses and other out-there designs. Take a look at our guide to some of the most intriguing mazes within an hour's drive of Washington, and get ready to get lost in a masterpiece.

In Clements, Md., Bowles Farms features a corn-carved tribute to Cal Ripken, Jr. Owners Tina and Tommy Bowles always incorporate noteworthy Maryland events or individuals into their designs. Since he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame this year, Ripken seemed an obvious pick for 2007. Before cutting their maze in the Orioles player's likeness, Tina and Tommy ran their plans by Ripken's representatives, who, according to Tina, "love[d]" the idea. She is hoping that the MVP will visit the 15-acre maze. "I'm sure he's quite busy," Tina says, "but it should be a good maze."

Ripken could also feel at home at Summers' Family Farms, where the Orioles' logo is imprinted in a maze, alongside the emblem of Baltimore's other major athletic team, the Ravens. The nine-acre maze has two routes. Visitors seeking a short maze can follow one path; those who are up for a challenge (and potentially, a two-hour journey) can try both.

A gigantic horse and jockey are suspended mid-jump in Corn Maze in the Plains's eighth annual design. As a tribute to the farm's "horse country" location, owners Kate and Hub Knott incorporated horse-themed questions and clues into the five-and-a-half-acre puzzle. In addition to its regular daylight hours, the maze is open for moonlit meandering until 10 p.m. on weekend nights in October and November. The task sounds more challenging than it is. "Sometimes it's faster at night," says Kate. "What we attribute it to is that people don't use their logical mind as much. They just follow their heart more, and wander, and tend to get through it faster."

One maze design that seems completely logical -- if a bit self-reflective -- is North Run Farm's farmer-aboard-a-tractor-in-a-cornfield. An ode to corn maze creators, perhaps? Owners Brooke and Patrick Rodgers say they chose the theme for no particular reason other than to feature a new pattern on the five-acre plot. In Leesburg, Temple Hall Farm's maze has a farm theme as well. A barn, a horse and a cow are hidden in its 14-acre design.

A cow meets the Wild West in the eight-acre maze at Crumland Farms. The farm's bovine mascot, Mazey, is always incorporated in Crumland Farms' annual maze. This year, in honor of John Wayne's 100th birthday, the cow is featured lassoing a cowboy. She's "Mazey the Duke," says Judy Crum, who owns and operates the farm with her husband and son.

Wildlife is the theme of the maze at Sharp's at Waterford Farm, in Brookville, Md. The five-to-six-acre maze houses a larger-than-life gang of local residents, including a blue heron, red fox and white-tail deer. Unlike some tricky, twisty trails, the paths within this maze are fairly simple, says manager Cheryl Nodar. Educational displays and questions about wildlife are posted throughout. Visitors can take a mid-maze break (exiting through the deer's ear) to hike a nature trail along a scenic creek.

Mt. Jackson, Va.'s Bridgemont Farm is a longer drive from Washington than most other farms on this list (nearly two hours away from downtown), but its space-exploration themed creation is worth a visit for die-hard maze fans. With two connected mazes that total 13 acres in size, Bridgemont's "Maize Quest" offers challenges for various skill levels. Journeys can last anywhere between 30 minutes and four hours. Inside the maze, visitors must search for game stations, where they collect clues about how to solve the maze. In addition to its corn creation, the farm also has straw and rope mazes for kids.

Forrest Hall Farm carved a big, green school bus into its 12-acre cornfield. The family-run Mechanicsville, Md., farm celebrates its 95th birthday this year and created the bus design to pay tribute to local St. Mary's County farmers, who have driven school buses for decades. Owner Joe Wood, whose parents were bus drivers for nearly 50 years, takes pride in the maze because it's designed entirely by his family: his youngest son sketched the pattern, while his oldest cut the maze. "We do it the old-fashioned way," Wood says.

The Cows-N-Corn maze in Midland, Va., celebrates Virginia's 400th birthday with its design. In the eight-to-ten-acre maze, a cow with a colonial hat sits aboard a ship. The design contains three routes: two short paths that require about 10 minutes to walk through, and one long option that takes at least 45 minutes.

Belvedere Plantation's fields also honor Virginia's history with an enormous tri-corner colonial hat. The eight-acre Fredericksburg, Va., maze has three levels of difficulty. Completing all three levels takes approximately 90 minutes. Rubbing stations along the maze's trail help visitors assemble a map to guide their way out. As part of its fall festivities, the farm is collecting donations for the Fredericksburg Area Food Bank. Visitors get $2 off the $14 admission for bringing a non-perishable food item.

Another maze devoted to a good cause is at Brookfield Pumpkins in Thurmont, Md. The family-run, six-acre "Corn Maze for the Cure" raises money to fight breast cancer. While the maze is not designed in any particular pattern, a portion of its proceeds will be given to the Hurwitz Breast Cancer Foundation, which helps to provide advanced diagnostic equipment for the Frederick Memorial Hospital. Mary Jane Roop, a breast cancer survivor and co-owner of the farm, started the Maze for the Cure with her family last year, to celebrate her health and educate others about breast cancer. "I was just amazed at the number of people that got on our Web site and saw that [the maze would benefit breast cancer research], and came for that reason," Roop says. "It was very positive."