FARMINGTON — The stalks have grown tall and straight in Farmington’s first cornfield maze now ready to open at Sandy River Farms.

The 10-acre network of winding paths, called The Great Maize, opens this weekend from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday and continues each weekend, weather permitting, until the end of October, Bussie York said. The maze is on Route 2, the Farmington Falls Road, about a half mile south of Sandy River Farms in a field used for the annual dog sled races in the winter.

A professional Utah-based firm that creates maze designs all over the world came in June to cut the paths, he said. The design features the wording, Buy Local, above the outline of a John Deere tractor. Along the bottom, the corn has been cut to spell out Sandy River Farms.

After cutting, the trails have been groomed to create a 3-mile trail system which could take up to an hour and a half to walk, if people don’t make too many mistakes, he said. A smaller separate section would probably take about a half-hour or so.

But participants will have some help. Each is given a passport containing agriculture questions. There are eight stations set up within the network, and if people answer the questions correctly, they can save themselves some walking and find their way out quicker, he said.

“All the paths lead to some place. Hopefully it will be fun,” he said.

An observation tower has been created overlooking the trails to watch people go through, and flags will be left in the field in case some one gets lost. Security will man the field to help, too, he added.

“They’re not solid — only corn walls,” he said, explaining that there is a road around the outside and one only needs to leave the corn and follow the road to get back where they started.

Along with the maze, York plans to have baby calves, sheep and goats for petting and a “corn box” instead of sandbox for kids. A large pumpkin field nearby offers a chance to pick your own. Arkay Pizza of Farmington will have refreshments available.

There is a charge to walk the maze, $8 for adults and $4 for children, ages under 3 are free, he said.

For two nights during the last weekend, on Oct. 30 and 31, Farmington Fire and Rescue will hold a special Haunted Maize walk to raise funds for its Benevolent Association, which provides scholarships and a variety of donations to worthy causes throughout the year, said Dick Chabot. Along with Junior Turner, they were tending the firefighters booth Thursday at Farmington Fair.

“A lot of people are talking and responding to our sign (posted on the fair booth) about the haunted maze and they say they’ll come,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of stuff cooked up.”

There will be people there to guide walkers through the darkened field and a few stationed with lights to help them find their way, but there will also be a few ready to give a scare, he said.

York will be open during the day and then allow the firefighters to hold the special haunted version those two Halloween weekend evenings.

More information about The Great Maize is available on York’s Web site at www.SandyRiverFarms.com.

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The Great Maize at Sandy River Farms in Farmington is ready to open. Owner Bussie York was spending Thursday developing eight stations within the 10-acre network of trails cut in his cornfield.  

Build it and they will come. An observation tower overlooks The Great Maize at Sandy River Farms in Farmington. The 10-acre network of trails in Sandy River Farms’ cornfield opens Saturday.

The paths in The Great Maize at Sandy River Farms in Farmington are ready for visitors. Final touches are being added prior to Saturday’s opening of the 10-acre network of trails through cornfields.

The Great Maize, a 10-acre network of trails through cornfields at Sandy River Farms in Farmington, is ready to open this Saturday.

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