Trip on a Half Tank: Fall fun at Mike’s MazeDate: 9/23/2020 SUNDERLAND – With autumn officially in full swing as of Sept. 22, you and yours may be itching to enjoy the crisper weather with some festive activities. While a few local attractions have had to discontinue their maze this year due to the dry summer, Mike’s Maze in Sunderland is still hosting their themed corn maze with activities for adults, children and teens alike.
This year's theme of Mike’s Maze, located at 23 S. Main St., is simply put: “VOTE.” An aerial view of the maze shows off their theme, as the word vote is spelled out in the corn.
The theme doesn’t stop there, though. Every year Mike’s Maze chooses a new theme and not only do they incorporate it into the corn itself, but also they create questions, facts, games and more within the maze for frolickers to enjoy. For example, past mazes include themes of animal intelligence, Noah Webster, Greetings from Earth, Blackbeard the Pirate, and last year’s fan favorite “Cornstock,” a take to honor the 50th anniversary of the Woodstock Music and Arts Festival.
I decided to take a trip out to Mike’s Maze on opening day, Sept. 11, and brought my mother along to join me in the fun. After all, where’s the fun of wandering through a corn maze if you don’t have someone to share the experience with?
Prior to our arrival, I did a bit of research to see what Warner Farm – the farm that is host to Mike’s Maze – was doing to combat large crowds and COVID-19. I wasn’t surprised to read that Warner Farm was prepared, listing COVID-19 precautions on their website. “In order to provide a safe experience for our guests,” the maze’s website mikesmaze.com reads, “We are limiting the number of guests admitted per hour in accordance with state guidelines.” For maze–goers, this means that guests are now required to purchase tickets in advance on their website. Anyone who attempts to go to the maze without a ticket may be refused entry.
The ticket-buying process was seamless. The home page of the maze website features a button that reads, “Book Your Ticket Today.” Interested parties can click on that link, and up pops a calendar that allows guests to select the date, and subsequently the time slot, that they would like to arrive at the farm. While guests are required to arrive at the specific time slot they selected, they’re welcome to stay at the farm for as long as they like after arrival. Tickets for adults cost $15 per person – not including a $1.75 processing fee. Tickets for children are $12 per person, and for students, seniors and active military members, tickets are $13.
Once the tickets are purchased, maze-goers are told they do not have to print out their tickets if they don’t want to. They can simply arrive at the maze at their scheduled time slot and walk up to the check in booth, where they can provide the name they used to purchase the tickets, and the attendants will be able to pull up the reservation. Wrist bands are provided, and guests are then free to roam the maze.
Other guidelines that must be followed include that everyone, regardless of age, must wear a mask on the premises, including inside of the corn maze. Parties are required to maintain a distance of at least six feet from each other, and guests are encouraged to use hand sanitizer before and after participating in any of the on-site attractions and games.
Back to the fun part: the maze.
As previously stated, each maze that Mike’s creates is filled with questions, games or some sort of interactivity for your group to participate in. This year's maze – going along with its ‘vote’ theme – features two aspects. Prior to entry of the maze, participants go up to a stand to receive a maze map, as well as a set of 16 marbles.
One aspect being ‘stars’ on the map which consists of facts about the history of voting in the United States. For example, one star on the map details women’s rights activists gathering in Seneca Falls, New York for the Seneca Falls Convention, which was considered to be the start of the women’s suffrage movement. Another star explained how citizenship was restricted by the Naturalization Act in 1770.
The other aspect to the maze is more interactive. At each numbered ‘circle’ on the maze map, maze-goers are encouraged to vote on a series of questions that are posed. For example, at maze point 12, participants are asked whether or not they think there should be a limit on the amount of money that can be donated to a political campaign. There is a paragraph description often provided prior to each question that is posed. From there, the maze attendees-turned-voters are encouraged to have a discussion with their group members to decide whether they want to answer “yes” or “no” to the question posed. They then place one of the marbles in the “yes” or “no” spot – and in a fun twist to the maze – the marble is taken down beautifully hand–crafted and colorful contraptions, winding up with the marbles from other maze-goers who selected the same answer as their group did.
As we navigated through the maze, we agreed that not only was the theme appropriate and thoughtful to the times we’re in, we also appreciated the conversations that were sparked as we read each question. Between topics of the electoral college’s importance, whether or not there should be age limits for individuals who can become president, and whether or not we would be better off without political parties, my mom and I were able to have numerous conversations of importance sparked by questions that we wouldn’t typically think of.
One of the biggest takeaways from the maze is that my mom and I had, was to make sure you bring someone who is good at following maps. Luckily for my mom, one of my few hidden talents is map reading and following directions – she, on the other hand, is directionally challenged. One may think they are a proficient map reader – but once you are thrown in a complicated corn maze where every turn looks the same, the complexity is surprising.
While the maze may be geared for history buffs and teens to adults, younger children would enjoy walking through the maze with their families and placing the marbles on the unique contraptions, watching the marbles spin, drop and whir down to their resting places.
Not to worry, though, there are plenty of kid-friendly activities that the maze offers. Warner Farm is host to a “pasture play area” that has two giant slides, as well as rolling tubes, a petting zoo, potato cannons and pedal carts. The farm is also welcome to “corn cafe,” which features various bites to eat.
After venturing through the maze – in what we felt was record timing due to my map skills, about one and a quarter hours – we decided to head off the farm and over to Bernardston’s restaurant, The Farm Table, as well as a visit to Kringle Candle. Right down the road from Mike’s Maze, however, is Yankee Candle as well, for those who are interested in making a day trip to local storefronts that they may not typically attend.
All in all, our trip to Mike’s Maze was a fantastic one. The ticket buying process was seamless, entry to the maze was a breeze, and we enjoyed each other's company as we wandered through a maze in the country.
More information on Mike’s Maze can be found at mikesmaze.com, or interested parties can call the maze directly at 665–8331.
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