Alton couple invites the public to get lost in their maze

Kathy and Mike Currier have enjoyed living in the two-centuries old farmhouse and more than 100 acres at 55 Prospect Mountain Road for several years. Recently, they've been finding ways to share their property with the public. They host parties and functions on their grounds and they started farming their land, growing pumpkins, flowers and decorative corn.

This year, they've added a new attraction: a corn maze. It opens this weekend, and they're hoping lots of people will come and get lost.

"I think what first attracted me to it was it is good family fun," said Kathy. She heard about corn mazes at a recent agri-tourism conference, where one of the guest speaker was a member of the Sherman family in North Conway, where Sherman Farm's corn maze has become a popular regional attraction.

The Curriers' maze is cut into a two-and-a-half acre patch of fodder corn. The corn stalks grow nearly ten feel tall, and they estimate it will take guests anywhere from 15 to 45 minutes to find the exit.

The experience of being in the maze is a stimulating one. Those who step into it will see the walls of stalks, they'll smell the sweetness of the corn pollen, hear the wind rustling the plants and they'll feel the silks and leaves touch their faces and arms as they pass by.

They also might feel a little anxiety once they realize they don't know which way is out, followed by the relief that comes once the exit is within sight. "At times it can be scary, it can be awesome. The corn is so big!" said Kathy.

Mike admitted that he often takes a wrong turn when he's working on the maze. "I'm out here with the cheat sheet as I'm cutting it — you can get turned around."

A visit to the corn maze will cost a family about as much as a trip to the movies, but Kathy said the experience is much different. The guests will be in the open air, connecting with agriculture and working together to solve a puzzle. "This, you're interacting with your family," she said.

Before or after the maze, visitors can take a hay ride, visit the pumpkin patch or fire off the corn cannon powered, which is powered by compressed air.

The farm, known as Lake Knoll Farm, will be open on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Its opening date will be Sept. 12, and its closing date will be October 31. For more information, call 776-4830.