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About Polk County itemizer observer. (Dallas, Or) 1992-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 26, 2015)
P o l k C oun t y L i v ing Po l k Coun t y I t em i z e r -Ob se rv e r • Augu s t 26 , 2015 7 A K enn e l k e ep s up t rad i t ion o f d e s i gn in g h i s co rn ma z e THE MAZE CU T TER By Luka s Eggen The I t em i z e r -Ob se rv e r MONMOUTH — When A i r l ie H i l l s F a rm show ed o f f i t s f i r s t “ co rn ma z e ” in 2006 w i th i t s f low e r and bumb le bee de s ign , i t wa sn ’ t qu i te l ike the ma z e k id s a r e a c cu s tomed to see ing in r e cen t y ea r s . “When we s ta r ted ou t ou r ve ry f i r s t yea r , we so r t o f had a co rn ma ze , ” ma ze de s igne r Aa ron Ken - ne l sa id . “ I don ’ t rea l ly coun t i t a s a co rn ma ze . I t wa s rea l ly sma l l , abou t an ac re and a ha l f . I t wa s some th ing fun to do w i th the k id s , and we had ju s t s ta r ted do ing the pumpk in pa tch , so they he lped ou t . W e had a few p re - schoo l c la s se s come b y and we we re open to the pub l ic . I t s ta r ted ou t sma l l . ” Oh , how th ing s ha v e changed . F a s t fo rwa rd to 2014 and K enne l , who de s ign s and cu t s the co rn ma z e ea ch y ea r , had a s l igh t l y b ig - ge r can va s to wo rk w i th . “La s t y ea r ’ s de s ign wa s p r e t t y de ta i led and comp le x , ” Kenne l sa id . “ I t wa s a b ig , 10 -a c r e ma z e and had a r ea l l y coo l eag le de s ign . ” The ma z e ha s in c r ea sed in s i z e and comp le x i t y , bu t i t s goa l r e - ma in s the same f rom the da y i t s ta r ted . — Wh i le fam i l ie s f rom th roughou t Po lk Coun t y v i s i t the fa rm in O c to - be r , the wo rk on the co rn ma z e beg in s long be fo r e i t open s to the pub l i c . In mo s t yea r s , Kenne l beg in s tack l ing the co rn ma ze r igh t a round the t ime the coun t ry i s ce leb ra t ing i t s independ - ence . The co rn i s p lan ted in , ea r l y Ju l y , w ea the r pe rm i t - t ing . Once the co rn reache s abou t knee he igh t , K enne l r ead ie s the de s ign . “F i r s t , I make a pe r ime te r o f the f ie ld w i th my GPS t racke r , ” PHO TO S BY LUKA S EGG EN / I t em i z e r -Ob se rv e r Aa ron Kenne l wo rk s on cu t t ing the de s ign in to h i s co rn ma ze a t A i r l ie F a rm s in Monmou th . Kenne l began cu t t ing the ma ze on F r iday . Kenne l sa id . “Then , I pu t tha t pe r ime te r on to a compu te r sc reen and I s ta r t p lay ing w i th de s ign s and d raw ing i t ou t . ” H i s in sp i ra t ion can come f rom a lmo s t an y th ing , K en - ne l sa id . Once a de s ign ca tche s h i s eye , he ’ s ready to s ta r t cu t t ing in m id -Au - gu s t , when Kenne l w i l l fo l low a long h i s GPS t racked des ign on h is compu te r . Wha t w i l l the f in i shed p rod - u c t look l ike ? A l l w i l l be r e v ea led soon , K enne l sa id . “ I ju s t f in i shed m y de s ign on F r i - da y , ” he sa id . “ I t can take up to 40 hou r s to f in i sh cu t t ing and in a coup le w eek s , w e ’ l l ha v e an ae r ia l sho t o f the ma z e . ” When A i r l ie H i l l s F a rm o f fe red i t s f i r s t co rn maze , Kenne l d idn ’ t qu i te know how popu la r i t wou ld be , bu t he had hope s fo r wha t i t wou ld ach ieve — o f fe r a fam i ly f r iend ly expe r ience fo r a l l age s . A s ide f rom the co rn maze , 2015 w i l l o f fe r a hay ma ze , hay p y ram id , t r ike rac ing , hay fo r t , hay r ide s , indoo r hay s l ide s , fa rm an ima l s , whea t bo x and , on the weekend s , peda l -ka r t s and a da rk ma ze . A w r i s tband co s t s $7 du r ing the week and $9 on Sa tu rday s and Sunday s , g iv ing acce s s to a l l o f the fa rm ’ s a t t rac t ion s . “ I d idn ’ t e xpe c t i t to g row to whe r e w e ’ r e a t now , ” K enne l sa id . “ I don ’ t con s ide r u s to be huge , bu t w e ’ r e a t lea s t popu la r in the lo ca l a r ea and w e t ry to se t th ing s up in a way tha t make s eve rybody happ y . ” The A i r l ie H i l l s co rn ma z e ha s come a long wa y f rom i t s mode s t beg inn ing s ; bu t in the end , K enne l sa id he hope s i t con t inue s to a c - comp l i sh the same goa l a s when he f i r s t s ta r ted . “ I th ink i t he lp s in c r ea se app r e - c ia t ion fo r ou r c rop s , ” K enne l sa id . “ I t ’ s good fo r fam i l ie s and ind i v id - ua l s to spend t ime ou t s ide and awa y f rom the compu te r and the TV , I th ink . ” I t ’ s a -m a z e - i n g Wha t : A i r l ie H i l l s H a r - v e s t F e s t i v a l & Pump k in P a t ch . When :O c t . 1 -31 . Whe re : 10720 A i r l ie Rd . , Monmou th . A c t iv i t ie s : Co rn m a z e , h a y m a ze , h a y p y r am id , t r i ke r a c ing , h a y fo r t , h a y r ide s , whe a t bo x , f a rm an i - ma l s , indoo r ha y s l ide s , peda l ka r t s (weekend s on ly ) and da rk maze (w ee kend s on l y ) . P r i ce : Monda y -F r ida y , $7 ; F r id a y and S a tu rd a y , $9 . Fo r mo re in fo rma t ion : www . a i r l ieh i l l s . com . Aa ron Kenne l c rea te s the de s ign fo r h i s ma ze on h i s compu te r , then cu t s the de s ign in to the co rn ma ze by fo l low ing the pa t te rn u s ing Kenne l p lan t s the co rn in ea r ly Ju ly and beg in s de s ign ing h i s co rn ma ze soon a f te r . h i s GPS and lap top .
