Annual cornfield maze open through the end of the month

By: The Californian - | Thursday, October 18, 2007 9:47 PM PDT ∞

TEMECULA ---- Voices wafted just above the tops of the corn stalks, and the sounds of laughter drifted through the air as more than a dozen little girls from Girl Scout Troop 844 Raincross Service Unit stumbled through the cornfield, looking for a way out.

"We're lost," said 11-year-old junior Scout Holly Everson, voicing the sentiments of her cohorts.

Alison Greer, 9, chimed in.

"We're going in circles and L-shapes and back to where we were," she said.

In an effort to earn a patch, the Girl Scouts were venturing through the more than 10-acre cornfield maze, the main attraction of the October Maze Craze event at Big Horse Feed and Mercantile store, at 33320 Highway 79 in Temecula.

The Maze Craze is an annual fall event that runs through Oct. 31. It features pumpkin-picking, a petting zoo, hay rides, themed weekend events such as pie-eating contests and, of course, the maze.

It is the maze, however, that is the main draw. For just $13 per adult and $9 for kids, visitors can make their way through the serpentine paths carved through the cornfield labyrinth, using an aerial photograph of the maze as a guide map.

Other clues are available, too. Trivia questions ranging from agriculture to sports also provide clues as to where to go ---- provided they are answered correctly.

A sentinel is always posted on a tower to guide people who get lost for too long in the confusing cornfield, said Brenda Gibson, who manned the maze ticket booth one afternoon earlier this week.

"People do get lost in there," Gibson said. "We just had a lady who was in there for three hours."

In the eight years since its inception, the maze has always carried a patriotic theme, said Rose Corona, owner of the ranch and Big Horse Feed. This year's maze was dedicated to the memory of Dan Jackman, who died in March. He was 78.

Jackman had volunteered his time to educational programs at Corona Ranch since 1993, she said.

An aerial view of the cornfield shows what the maze portrays ---- a portrait of Jackman in full dress uniform as a U.S. Marine with the Purple Heart medal, which he was awarded five times, Corona added. The words: "For Honor, For Country, For Dan" are also visible along with the motto: "The Few, The Proud, The Marines."

The family also enjoys their turn, braving the maze.

"We go through the maze every year," Corona said. "We've never gotten lost because we know where we're going."

Kevin Williams of Temecula and his daughter, Rylee, both braved about a quarter of the maze before turning back to pick pumpkins.

"My dad and my brother scared me," said Rylee, 7. "They jumped out of the corn ---- where you're not supposed to go!"

Girl Scout Troop 844, however, did not turn back and continued their way to the end of the maze. But there were a few tenuous moments toward the end.

"We have an emergency plan," said Michelle Laudermilk, 9.

The plan included hoisting petite 9-year-old Emily Miller on someone's shoulders to peer over the cornstalks and find a way.

In the end, the plan was not needed. Triumphant shouts could be heard as they burst through the edge of the cornfield to freedom.

October Maze Craze

With pumpkin-picking, a petting zoo, hay rides and the corn maze.

- Where: Big Horse Feed store, 33320 Highway 79 South, Temecula.

- When: Through Oct. 31

- Cost: $13 for adults, $9 for children

- Information: (951) 676-2544 or www.BigHorseFeed.com

First name only. Comments including last names, contact addresses, e-mail addresses or phone numbers will be deleted. Attempts to misrepresent your identity or impersonate any person will not be approved. All comments are screened before they appear online, so please keep them brief. Comments reflect the views of those commenting and not necessarily those of the North County Times or its staff writers. Click here to view additional comment policies.