The maize event: More to Maine’s longest-running corn maze than just corn (but there’s a whole lot of that, too)

Hop into a corn maze near you this fall. (Getty Images)

What does it take to create a corn maze?  One that’s able to amaze the thousands who visit it each year and also garners repeated accolades as the best in the country? 

It’s all about family, said Jon Kenerson, operations director at Treworgy Family Orchards, developers of Maine’s longest continually-running corn maze, open each season from May to October. 

Oh, and it also takes corn … lots of corn.

Now in its 23^rd consecutive year of crafting mazes on the farm, located just west of Bangor, the Treworgy magic works because of the input and support of more than 18 family members and countless friends. It manifests the vision of farm owners Gary and Patty Treworgy, who came up with the idea to attempt planting their first corn maze in 2001 while they were on – not surprisingly –  a family trip.

“They were driving their oldest daughter (Chrissy) on a college visit and passed a corn maze in New York,” said Kenerson, who would later become Chrissy’s husband.  “They said, ‘We can do that.’ And they figured it out. It was painstaking but they drew it out with tape measures. They laid it out in a week and people came out to see it so they said, ‘Let’s do it again next year.’”

The process has changed over the years but the challenge and motivation to “out-do” the previous year’s maze endures.

“In the winter, we throw around ideas and pick a design,” Kenerson said. “We try to pick something relative to our farm or our state.”

Once they settle on a design, it is drawn out by hand and then lofted into the field by spray-painting lines on the field, one square at a time. That step can be done in a day.

“We plant to the overall outline,” Kenerson said. “The spray-painted lines on the ground stay until the corn plants pop up. Then we drag the corn out along the paths and the rest grows around it.”

The family rotates the corn crop every year, alternating among three fields to optimize crop health. While each differently-shaped field features a unique canvas, each year’s maze encompasses about five acres and 60,000 corn stalks that reach up to 10 feet in height.

The variety of corn plant is chosen for no other reason than its height. It is silage corn, not the kind you would want to bring to a family picnic, Kenerson said. In fact, by the end of the maze season in October, the corn plants are so frosted and crunchy that livestock wouldn‘t eat it either, so it is tilled back into the ground.

About 50,000 visitors come to the farm over the course of a season. Kenerson said it takes about a half-hour to 45 minutes for families to work their way through the maze, using a map to solve riddles and find designated stations along the way. After completing the puzzle, visitors can take their ticket to the café to receive a free soft-serve ice cream cone.

About eight years ago, the farm began opening the maze on weekend nights leading up to Halloween, when families are invited to bring their own flashlights to navigate to lighted stations within and collect treats.

“We all had young kids at the time,” Kenerson said, “and we couldn’t find anything around Halloween that was non-spooky. We saw the opportunity and the night maze is really a niche in our area that people just love. Kids dress up and it’s just a great time.”

Treworgy corn mazes have attracted national attention as well. In 2018, the farm was first nominated for Best Corn Maze in America in USA Today’s “Reader’s Choice” Awards. Treworgy’s design, “Corn Ships Ahoy!” took top honors that year. The winning maze was cut in the shape of an old sailing ship with huge sails and a dolphin breaching in front of the ship.

The farm took home second-place awards over the following three years and then, in 2022, won a Best Corn Maze designation for a second time with its giant Winnie the Pooh design depicting pooh bear and his best friend, Piglet, with an overflowing honey pot between them.

This season’s design pays tribute to the Treworgy Family Orchards tradition, which started 40 years ago when Gary and Patty Treworgy bought the land with no prior farming experience.

“My father-in-law was a merchant marine, captaining vessels around the world and away from his family for months at a time,” Kenerson said. “When he came home and his daughter didn’t recognize him, he decided he had to change his career.”

That’s when he bought the farm and slowly built it up. The pace of growth picked up as the size and commitment of the family did, as well. Today, Treworgy Family Orchards provide pick-your-own berries, pumpkins, flowers and, of course, apples. In addition to the corn maze, the farm has Christmas tree fields, a petting zoo with goats, an ice cream shop and café. It hosts field trips, workshops, photography sessions, farm camps, apple pie baking contests, and school field trips. 

“Our focus is to provide a place for families to connect and make meaningful memories while enjoying their special time in nature,” Kenerson said.

In addition to Treworgy Family Orchards (treworgyorchards.com), check out some other corn mazes in Maine and across New England:

Maine

Pineland Farms in New Gloucester offers a five-acre maze that is included in the farm’s hour-long pass to also explore the farmyard and dairy farm. Zach’s Farm in York Thunder Road Farm in Corinna operates a maze located across the street from its farm stand. Wallingford’s Fruit House in Auburn runs a haunted maze called Nightmare on the Ridge.

Vermont

Hathaway Farm in Rutland, a third-generation farm, is open six days a week (closed Tuesdays) and offers both a big and mini maze experience through 13 acres of corn. Established in 1782, Gaines Farm in Guilford features a seven-acre corn maze that is open on weekends from 11 a.m. to p.m. from Sept. 16 to Oct. 29. Percy Farm in Stowe operates a corn maze accessible from the Stowe Recreation Path, taking about 30-to-40 minutes to navigate. Great Vermont Maze in Danville runs the largest maze in New England, covering 24 acres that requires a two-plus hour hike. It also operates a smaller, 45-minute scenic maze.

New Hampshire 

Washburn’s Windy Hill Orchard in Greenville features a five-acre maze open daily, rain or shine. Moulton Farm in Meredith’s corn maze and pumpkin patch is open seven days a week beginning Sept. 23. The Maize at Sherman Farm in Conway includes three separate labyrinth phases, one for every ability. In Hopkinton, Beech Hill Farm and Ice Cream Barn’s eight-acre corn field is split into two separate mazes.

Connecticut 

This fall, Lyman Orchards in Middlefield presents a four-acre Wonderful Wizard of Oz-themed maze. At The Farm in Woodbury, check out the Escape to the Caribbean-themed maze. Plasko’s Farm in Trumbull has a 4 1/2-acre corn field carved into a new theme each year. For the 24^th year, Preston Farm in Preston is operating a corn maze with the theme, “Corn Maze 66,” based on the history of cars and Route 66.

Massachusetts 

Marini Farm Corn Maze in Ipswich offers eight acres of interactive, educational fun with 18 stations to discover. Explore 12 acres of corn maze at Nessralla Farm in Halifax, where you will also find plenty of other fall activities, from pumpkin picking to zip-lining. Connors Farm in Danvers spreads out interactive games to help guide you through its seven-acre maze. Sauchuk’s Corn Maze in Plympton is among the most popular, just outside of Plymouth.

Rhode Island

Salisbury Farm in Johnston’s pinball-themed maze in 2023 offers about five miles of paths through about five acres of corn. Escobar’s Farm in Portsmouth offers a new design each year through its eight-acre corn fields on Aquidneck Island. Scary Acres in Hope challenges you to venture into its Hunted Burial Ground Corn Field. Cucumber Hill Farm in Foster offers a kiddie maze through hay bales, as well as its standard corn maze, open both during the day and at night.