CUISINE
Amazing Fall Adventures
By Suzanne Corbett
S
ummer is winding down, and farmers are expecting another
amazing fall, especially since this year’s corn crop reportedly
grew as “high as an elephant’s eye” – a comparison made in
the musical, “Oklahoma.” And that’s good news for farmers
growing stalks for corn mazes, which have become the
darling of fall festivals.
Popping up in the U.S. since the 1990s, corn mazes arrived just as
agritourism boomed. Agritourism entreats one to explore vintage
farming experiences. Many family farms developed tourism events like
fall festivals to help the bottom line. Since corn fields cover a fair amount
of acreage in Missouri and Illinois, corn mazes were a natural to include.
However, don’t expect to pick corn from a maze. Corn mazes are
planted to yield visitors. Once the corn is planted and cut into its
designated design, corn maze farmers wait for fall for the stalks to mature,
along with the rest of fall’s signature crops, pumpkins and apples.
Unlike the maze created in Greek mythology by King Minos to keep
the fearsome Minotaur trapped, corn mazes are designed for fun - a
place to delightfully lose oneself before finding an escape. Combine the
challenge of rambling though a maze with the opportunity to pick a peck
of apples, and you’ll have memories that will last long after the harvest.
Farms and Mazes to Stalk
The Godfrey Corn Maze and copious amounts of corn kernels are
venerated during Godfrey’s Fall Corn Festival, slated for Saturday, Sept.
29, where you can stroll through corn stalks, pumpkins and antique
tractor displays. Sign up for the corn-eating contest before meandering
through the maze. Sample the kettle corn and take a dive with the
children in the corn crib – filled knee-deep with corn kernels. Godfrey,
Illinois, is located 15 miles north of Alton along the Great River Road,
where the fall foliage won’t disappoint leaf peepers. visitalton.com
Covering 28 acres, the Richardson
Farm’s corn maze located in
Spring Grove, Illinois, is the largest
one in the United States.
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GAZELLE