Q&A with Wendy Barton, marketing and public relations director for Lane Southern Orchards

Q: How long has Lane’s had the Corn Maze Play Dayz?

A: Since 2008. The very first helped us celebrate our 100th anniversary here at Lane’s Southern Orchards.

Q: Where did the idea for the corn maze come from?

A: October typically has such beautiful weather we wanted to create a fall activity with a farm harvest theme that people, families and young people could come enjoy. Something a little different. The corn maze — and the play on words with corn maize — and our fall festival seemed like a good idea, and people do love it.

Q: Is it more or less popular now that it’s reached its eighth year?

A: More. In 2015, we had 4,629 people at the maze and fall festival. That includes young, old and all the school field trips. As of Oct. 19 this year, we already 3,922 and still have to add final numbers and the fall festival. It’s more popular each year, but this year’s numbers may be skewed because we offered half-price entry to Hurricane Matthews evacuees in the area. Plus, this year’s there’s been very little rain. No rain isn’t good for farmers but great for visitors. All in all, it shows people enjoy the corn maze and coming out to the farm this time of year.

Q: Briefly, what’s the attraction?

A: It’s a 5.7 acre corn field adjacent to our duck pond and play area just northeast of our main building. People enter the maze and find their way through using question-clues along the way to give directions. Or people just stroll through. Each year there’s a theme and this year it was dedicated to Otis Redding, who would have been 75 this year. The maze shape and the trivia question-clues were about him.

Q: What are some past themes?

A: We’ve done a salute to our troops with an eagle and flag, a Down syndrome Buddy Walk theme, a Farm to Family theme, a Blue Bird Body Co. theme and in 2013 we did an Allman Brothers Band and their Eat a Peach album theme in cooperation with the Big House Museum in Macon. The maze ticket was a double ticket good for the maze and museum.

Q: How do you make a corn maze?

A: It’s done by a company out of Utah called The Maize. We have a big training-guide on how to plan and work with them. We have to tell them how many rows we plant north-to-south and east-to-west. We had 240 north-to-south and 156 east-to-west this year. We pick a theme early on and work out a design with them, then when our corn is about two-inches high they come and mark out the design and make the paths. The corn grows up around the paths. They use GPS to do it, and it’s a pretty amazing process.

Q: And how about the fall festival?

A: It’s near the end of the month but not in conflict with city’s Trick or Treat days. This year it was Oct. 22. The maze closes Sunday, Oct. 30, so there’s about a regular week left. It’s always closed the public Mondays and Tuesdays for school groups and open to the public from noon to 6 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays.

Q: Admission?

A: It runs from free to $14 depending on age, and if you get something like our combination corn maze and hayride ticket — oh yes, we have hayrides too! Just a corn maze ticket for ages four to 12 is $8 and over 12 is $11. There are military discounts.

Q: How about the field trips, are they educational?

A: Field trip slots get booked quickly each year, and we do have demonstration before kids get to romp in the maze. We show things like areas of the corn and stalk and teach how they grow. One of my favorite things is when students go through and point out things they just learned. We teach about agriculture and how things they see every day are connected to farms. Did you know there’s corn in Coke, diapers and grits? It’s rare these days that any of us experience walking through a corn field so it’s all pretty interesting. My five-year-old did the corn maze for the first time last year and was just in awe of it. Stalks get about six or eight feet high, I guess. The field trip kids also get a hayride and ice cream.

Q: How about safety? Can you really get lost?

A: It has plenty of twists and turns, but it’s not designed to be a threat. And we have Corn Cops. If you’re more comfortable, we have long flags you can take in with you that you can wave and a Corn Cop will come help you out quickly.

Q: Where is Lane’s, and how can people contact you?

A: We’re five minutes west of Interstate 75 off Exit 142 headed to Fort Valley. You can call us at 1-800-277-3224 or go to www.lanesouthernorchards.com.

This story was originally published October 23, 2016 at 9:40 PM with the headline "Q&A with Wendy Barton, marketing and public relations director for Lane Southern Orchards."