'Come see it for yourself': Corn Maze craze hitting Saskatchewan
As the season shifted from summer to fall, Saskatchewan’s popular attractions have also shifted: from the beach, to the corn field.
Corn Trails is located just west of Canora, and the family run business has come quite a ways. It all started with an experimental feed grow, where the Bazarski’s children continued to play, mesmerized by the tall stalks of corn.
Slowly, the idea grew, and as the Bazarski’s kept building it — the masses continued to come.
Although the three-mile trails look to have taken the family months of work to create – it wasn’t as tough as you may think following the growing season.
“We actually use our lawn mower to cut the trails,” said Bonnie Bazarski. “Once we do start cutting, we just do it randomly. We have no set pattern, no set plan. We just go and the corn takes us.”
Bazarski said the family’s crop had many visitors with the help of Facebook and word of mouth.
2022 is the family’s 11th year running the attraction, and the tallest crop its ever seen.
It also boasts a “rustic” mini-golf course and will turn a bit spookier in late-October, as the Halloween-theme takes over the trails.
Near Regina, Cedar Creek is another corn maze, which is also family-run. The Crassweller’s continue to create the maze year after year.
“We just enjoy creating something that's challenging, and a little bit different — that's why we do it,” said Brad Crassweller.
Brad’s son maps out the cut on a grid each year, encapsulating a theme for the labrynth. This year is Spy Kids: The Jurassic Rescue, which is complete with themes and challenges for all ages.
Crassweller said his maze is not just for kids.
“No, this is not. It's kid of fun watching the competitive people. They'll go in, come back out ... A couple of the areas are pretty difficult to track everything down. So you're in there for a couple hours, for sure,” he said.
For Greg Vancha – a first time visitor to Cedar Creek – it was a great experience.
“I didn’t know what to expect. It was really fun, you’ve got to come see it for yourself,” said Vancha, who brought his 18-month-old grandson.
When the fall air gets chillier, and it’s time to pack it in for the year, Crassweller has found a way to make sure none of his crop goes to waste.
“My neighbour has about 500 head of cattle, so he comes over -- he and his family. They harvest it up, bail it up and its gone within about a day,” he said.
Saskatchewan has a few more opportunities for people to get out and get lost — in the maze, that is.
Places such as the Happy Hollow Corn Maze, Corn Maiden Market at Lincoln Gardens Farm, the Strawberry Ranch & The Maze and the Youth Farm Corn Maze ensure that all areas in the province have that opportunity to get into the fields, and enjoy the sights and sounds of the fall season.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.