As the fall season progresses, you may be looking for some festive activities. Maybe you and your friends are looking for something fun to do off campus, which can be difficult. Or maybe you’re looking to go on a date somewhere other than a restaurant or the movies. If so, there is a perfect place for you.
Carroll County’s Cornfusion is only a short 15 minute drive away. Here you can find a whole day’s worth of activities, including a corn maze.
This is one of the most elaborate corn mazes around; it’s built with confusing paths and multiple bridges that cross over various parts of the maze.
“I was lost for a good 20 minutes” says senior Chris Morris. “It’s much more difficult than you would think. At one point I began to panic. I wasn’t sure if I was going toward the entrance or the exit.”
But the maze gets even better: you can come after dark and find your way out with a flashlight, making for an extra spooky experience.
Perhaps more interesting than the maze itself is how it is made. There is much more that goes into the process than the public might appreciate. Preparation for the maze starts as early as spring. The field of corn is planted in a grid pattern, and when it grows to be about 6 inches in height, the farmers begin marking out the patterns. After this, the patterns are mowed and the newly created pathways are sprayed with weed killer to prevent the corn from re-growing.
The patterns can get rather elaborate—so much so that designing them could even be considered a talent or art form. One may be surprised to find that there is an annual competition ranking the top 10 corn mazes in the United States. Corn maze designer Adrian Fisher, for example, has been an internationally renowned puzzle designer since 1979. Fisher designed the first-ever corn maze and has seven world records for his pieces.
If you are looking to have some fall fun and want to get off campus, head out to Cornfusion and see if you can make your way through. But as you navigate your way through the puzzle, be sure to appreciate the time, effort, and creativity that it took to create such a fun experience.
Cornfusion is located at 2020 Garrett Rd, Manchester, MD, 21102.
