Rich Farms adds corn maze to its entertainment venue
Tom Rich and his crew planted the corn seed in May, irrigated the edge of the 7.5-acre field and throughout the summer hand-fertilized the crop to ensure it would grow. But the final product won’t be found for sale on vegetable stands around the neighborhood.
“This is the second corn maze we had produced,’ Rich, of Rich Farms near Smithfield, said.
This weekend marked the grand opening of “A Maze at Sea,’ designed by Adrian Fisher, who is internationally recognized as the world’s leading maze designer. His company, based in Dorset, England, has won 6 Guinness world records, won 12 design and export awards, and created more than 500 mazes in 23 countries.
Rich Farms’ maze has more than two miles of paths cut into the eight-foot-high corn crop. Billing it as a game for all members of the family, Rich said it will open through October.
“I met Adrian Fisher at a trade show in Chicago,’ Rich said, who “recommended several different ideas we could use. We settled for one with a maritime theme, sent him the idea and he designed the maze for us.’
Rich and his crew planted the corn in early May. “We hand-fertilized it with backpack spreaders to make sure it would grow to the height we needed,’ he said.
When the plants were less than a foot tall, Rich hired Fayette Engineering to come in and lay out the serpentine path that, if seen from above, is in the image of a ship at sea under a clear sky.
“It took their surveyor 13 hours to lay it out. He had to use GPS (global positioning satellite system) to do it,’ Rich said.
“We had a small maze last year, only about a half an acre, that was open mostly for kids. We wanted to do something bigger this year,’ Rich said.
Groups of no more than about 15 people can enter the maze at one time, although there is no limit on how many groups can go through it, he said.
The first test group took about 4.5 hours.
“We had to make some simplifications and we installed a PA system where we can give them some directions. We got the second group through in about one hour,’ Rich said.
While there is a general prize drawing for those who correctly guess clues that spell out two words, the general aim is to provide something different in the way of entertainment for the whole family.
“This is for people who love puzzles,’ Rich said.
“We are also making a short video that will explain how it all works for people to watch before they enter the maze.’
Divided into ports, participants get a piece of the puzzle at each stop. They attach these to a grid sheet and use them to solve the puzzles.
Rich Farms’ Web site describes the maze as having 111 decision points, five bridges, and 10 clues that are spaced strategically throughout the maze, but only one exit. “The labyrinth within the maze paints a picture of your ship as it sails around the world.
The story behind it involves “the bumbling and forgetful Captain Hardy’ who is returning from a long and hazardous voyage to recover a horde of the Kings gold, when he is visited by an old friend, Albert the albatross.
“Albert has carried a very important message, all the way from England, from Admiral Nelson himself,’ the site continues.
It seems Nelson needs a good deputy to help him as he prepares for the Battle of Trafalgar and is challenging captains to sail around the world.
“The challenge is as follows: Each captain must sail around the world to 10 ports. At each port they will find a clue which will help them identify the final port they must sail to, where Admiral Nelson will be waiting to welcome them home.
The clues will be given in the form of a semaphore signal from the harbor master at each port.
The first back will win the promotion,’ the site continues.
More information on the maze can be obtained by calling Rich Farms at 724-564-7644. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on certain days and until dusk on others.
The maze is open weather permitting.
Hours and admissions are subject to change without notice.