WEEKEND - Corn Mazes: How to get lost in the Lakes Region & have a lot of fun doing it

GILFORD — It's the time of year when you can have a lot of fun getting lost out in a corn field at either of two local farms which are again hosting visitors at their mazes.

At Beans and Greens on Rt. 1-B in Gilford, the yearly corn maze has become a very popular activity for visitors of all ages. Alex Howe, son of farm owners Andy and Martina Howe, has once again created a challenging puzzle for visitors.

The first corn maze at the farm was designed by Howe as part of a math project when he was an eight grader in 2002, according to Whitney Vachon, a five-year employee at the popular farmstand.

She says the process starts in June with Andy Howe planting the corn. When the cornstalks are a few feet high Alex starts designing the maze, making graphs of the entire cornfield on draft paper in order to create his master maze. Workers at the farm then help him remove cornstalks, creating paths and dead ends throughout the field.

''We pull all the plants from the paths that are designed into the maze,'' says Vachon.

When September arrives the corn has grown to more than 10 feet in height and the fields are opened to visitors, who can expect to spend up to an hour finding their way through the maze. Workers from the farm act as "corn cops" to help walkers with directions, which may or may not lead to the right way out, and are on hand to guide those who become hopelessly lost.

The Beans & Greens Farm corn maze is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is also open Friday and Saturday nights for those seeking extra heart thumping thrills and challenges (reservations are required for the night visitors) Day rates: $7 for adults, $5 for children 12 or under. Night rates are $7 for children 12 or under and $9 for all others. Call 603-293-2853 for reservations.

The corn maze at Moulton Farm in Meredith started back in 2000 with a small piece of land across the street from their farm stand.

Rob Stephens, retail manager, was thinking of fun and unique ways to offer fall visitors an experience they would not forget. He came up with the corn maze idea and brought it to reality. Moulton Farm paved the way as one of the first businesses in the state to offer such forms of what is now commonly known as agri-tourism.

Over the years the designs have grown more complex, to the delight of many visitors.

During the farm's 131 year history John Moulton's ancestors ran the farm as cattle farm and then a dairy farm before transitioning to growing vegetables, fruit and flowers. This year they're celebrating the farm's dairy past.

Maze designer Wes Thomas, who has worked at the farm since he was in high school, has designed the farm's puzzles for the past seven years.

"Wes wanted a farm theme for this design this year," says John Moulton. "When I shared with him that the maze is located where the cows used to graze when my father ran the farm as a dairy farm, he smiled. You could see an idea forming in his mind." Thomas incorporated barns, a silo and two cows into this year's design (see photo).

According to the Moulton's Farm Stand website, a lot of time and effort is put into designing the maze for the enjoyment of everyone who visits the farm. Here are some answers to the many questions they get about the corn maze:

The corn maze is planted around mid-June every year (depending on the weather). It takes about six hours to plant. The field is planted in both directions to create a grid.

An outline of the field is drawn on graph paper (20 pieces taped together). Each line on the graph paper represents one row of corn. The maze is then designed by hand inside the field outline on the graph paper. This process alone takes one to two days.

When the corn is between eight to 12 inches tall, the paths are cut out using a trimmer and following the giant graph paper map very carefully (it's a lot of counting). Cutting the paths takes two to three people about two days to complete.

After the paths are cut, a small tractor and rotary tiller are sent through the maze to make sure the paths have no corn in them. This takes a full day to complete.

The paths are then compacted and the rocks are removed in order to make the terrain as safe as possible for travelers. As the corn grows, leaves are stripped off the stalks that line the paths to make it easier to see and safer to travel. The corn in the maze can grow up to 15 feet tall.

None of the corn in the maze is harvested. It is used a feed corn (cow corn), which is edible but not very tasty.

Prices for the 2014 maze are $6 for adults and children 7 or older and $4 for children 6 and under. Included with admission is access to both our full size maze and our maze designed for very young children, a maze trivia game, and a treat after completing the trivia game. The last admission to the maze is one hour before the farm closes.