2008 Woodie Awards
Maze makes for Halloween thrills
By: Joe Nevills
Issue date: 10/24/07 Section: Lifeline
- Page 1 of 1
Being told to "get lost" does not always have to be an insult.
Inside a corn maze, getting lost is the whole point.
Those looking to test their navigation skills while enjoying the autumn weather have a local option in Papa's Pumpkin Patch.
The farm, located east of Mount Pleasant at 3909 S. Summerton Road, will offer two corn mazes for visitors to work their way through.
"It's a fall tradition in Michigan," said Bill Miller Jr., the farm's general manager. "I think people just like going outside."
The farm's signature maze is a four-to-five acre re-creation of the state of Michigan, including its major roadways. Each of the state's counties is marked in the maze.
"That was my father's idea," Miller said. "When he was out in the field I thought he had lost his mind."
Miller's father, Bill "Papa" Miller, is the farm's namesake and original owner. The retired Central Michigan University math professor created the maze by strategically planting the corn to form a design.
"I just thought Michigan would be a neat thing to do," he said "Nobody else has done it."
But the elder Miller did not help produce the farm's other maze.
The second maze is sponsored by Mount Pleasant's Parks and Recreation Program, replacing the Haunted Forest held in years past as the program's Halloween activity.
The maze is set up in a more traditional format than the Michigan maze and includes several checkpoints.
Ovid junior Katie Calverly said she likes the thrill of navigating the maze.
"They're fun and scary," she said.
The Michigan maze is currently open to the public during normal business hours every day from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
The City-sponsored maze will be open from 6 to 11 p.m. Oct. 26-30 with additional hours from 2 to 5 p.m. on Oct. 27-28.
Tickets for the City maze are $6 and will be available at Papa's Pumpkin Patch on the days it is open to the public.
The younger Miller described the activities at Papa's as a form of "agri-tainment," presenting agriculture in entertaining and interactive ways.
Aside from the mazes, Papa's offers hay rides, a farm market and food and drinks related to the autumn season.
lifeline@cm-life.com
Inside a corn maze, getting lost is the whole point.
Those looking to test their navigation skills while enjoying the autumn weather have a local option in Papa's Pumpkin Patch.
The farm, located east of Mount Pleasant at 3909 S. Summerton Road, will offer two corn mazes for visitors to work their way through.
"It's a fall tradition in Michigan," said Bill Miller Jr., the farm's general manager. "I think people just like going outside."
The farm's signature maze is a four-to-five acre re-creation of the state of Michigan, including its major roadways. Each of the state's counties is marked in the maze.
"That was my father's idea," Miller said. "When he was out in the field I thought he had lost his mind."
Miller's father, Bill "Papa" Miller, is the farm's namesake and original owner. The retired Central Michigan University math professor created the maze by strategically planting the corn to form a design.
"I just thought Michigan would be a neat thing to do," he said "Nobody else has done it."
But the elder Miller did not help produce the farm's other maze.
The second maze is sponsored by Mount Pleasant's Parks and Recreation Program, replacing the Haunted Forest held in years past as the program's Halloween activity.
The maze is set up in a more traditional format than the Michigan maze and includes several checkpoints.
Ovid junior Katie Calverly said she likes the thrill of navigating the maze.
"They're fun and scary," she said.
The Michigan maze is currently open to the public during normal business hours every day from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
The City-sponsored maze will be open from 6 to 11 p.m. Oct. 26-30 with additional hours from 2 to 5 p.m. on Oct. 27-28.
Tickets for the City maze are $6 and will be available at Papa's Pumpkin Patch on the days it is open to the public.
The younger Miller described the activities at Papa's as a form of "agri-tainment," presenting agriculture in entertaining and interactive ways.
Aside from the mazes, Papa's offers hay rides, a farm market and food and drinks related to the autumn season.
lifeline@cm-life.com
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