The Red and Black

Issue date: 10/29/08 Section: Out & About

Media Credit: TRAVIS HUNT Washington Farms' corn maze design spells out 'Georgia Grown,' a tribute to local produce. [Click to enlarge]

Media Credit: TRAVIS HUNT Families enter the maze on Saturday afternoon. [Click to enlarge]

The echo of ambulances and police sirens has vanished. The only sound that can be heard is the distant bleating of baby goats and faint laughter that fade in and out with the cool fall breeze.

There is only one way in and one way out, but once inside, the twists of the labyrinth are endless. Every turn could grant wanderers an end to their quest or present them with an impenetrable wall of corn.

Although a journey through narrow corn-lined paths has been a fall tradition for decades, some local farmers are attempting to transform the activity into something trendier and college student friendly.

"We added the corn maze about six years ago specifically for older high schoolers and University students," said Donna Washington, whose family owns Washington Farms in Watkinsville and Loganville. "In a lot of other states and sections of the country, corn mazes were catching on as a fun family activity, but we wanted to open it up and make it fun for college-age groups of friends as well."

She cites the maze's difficulty as one of the main reasons Washington Farms' corn maze is so popular with the students who visit it.

"We change the design every year so people can come and it will never be the same," she said. "A lot of people say our maze this year is the hardest one yet because there are some parts of it where, if you make a wrong turn, you will stay in one little section until you find that spot again and go the other way."

This year, the design the Washington family crafted out of the enormous corn field next to their house is a tribute to locally-grown produce, such as the strawberries and blueberries, which dominate the farm during spring and summer.

The design forms the words "Georgia Grown" and are accompanied by the shape of a tractor surrounded by patches of pumpkins and strawberries in the corners.

Because maze wanderers cannot see the graphed design while walking through it, the Washingtons wanted to give people the opportunity to enjoy the intricate design.

The family installed a tall bridge that stretches over the maze and above the corn so people can see what they are getting into before entering or commemorate their accomplishment after they get through.

Though the Washingtons decided to use their corn maze to promote fresh Georgia produce, a McDonough farm chose to design its maze as a tribute to a local legend: Larry Munson.

Although planned and designed prior to Munson's retirement announcement, Southern Belle Farm part-owner and University alumus Jake Carter said he believes the maze is an excellent way to commemorate the announcer's career and legacy.

"I got to know Munson during my time at Georgia through playing football, and I know that we all really appreciated his skill and love for Georgia football," said Carter, a walk-on who ended up playing as a long snapper for two years. "It is meant to be a 'thank you' to him for the 44 years of service he gave to the school."

During the designing process, which began almost immediately after the previous year's maze closed, Carter and his father made the maze so visitors who wanted to pay respect to the announcer could do so by slowly wandering along the contours of his face.

Therefore, the maze is almost completely dominated by a portrait of Munson with only a few other embellishments to make the commemoration complete.

But maze-goers should not be fooled by this minimalist design. The maze covers about seven acres of land and, according to Carter, is a two- or three-mile walk depending on how lost people get.

"We intended it to be a pretty hard maze, and it turned out really challenging," he said. "I have seen some people get through it in 20 minutes, but some people get so turned around that it takes them two hours. But in the end, everyone has fun."

WASHINGTON FARMS
5691 Hog Mountain Road, Watkinsville
706-769-0627
(use directions on the Web site because many GPS systems and online resources will direct you about eight miles down the road)
Hours: Monday through Thursday: 3 p.m. to dark;
Friday: 3 to 11 p.m; Saturday: 9 a.m. to 11 p.m.
(Closing times for individual activities vary)
Cost: Farm activities: $8; Corn maze: $8; Both for $12

SOUTHERN BELLE FARM
1658 Turner Church Road, McDonough
770-898-0999
Hours: Fridays: 4 to 10 p.m; Saturdays: 10 a.m. to 10 p.m; Sundays: (October only) 1 to 6 p.m.
Cost: Adults (10 and older): $12; Children (ages 5-9): $10; 4 and under: free
Admission includes: corn maze, hayride, cow train, farm animals, corn cannon, pumpkin launcher, pig races and goat walk

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