Get lost, will ya?

In autumn of each year, families flock to farms to purchase pumpkins, and to get lost inside corn mazes.Garden mazes originated in 17th century Europe, but the concept dates back to the classic labyrinth of Greek mythology where a Minotaur, a half man and a half bull preyed upon sacrificed young maidens and young men who were sent to wander through a "no exit" maze.From frightening beginnings, mazes evolved into tapestries of artwork, and intricate gardens of castles where royalty delighted in escorting guests to the center square and then walking leisurely through tree-lined turns toward a reception at the exit of the maze.The first-known corn maze, designed to provide recreation for visitors, was created in Annville, Pennsylvania, in the early 1990s. Since then, corn maze popularity has increased dramatically. Though numbers are not accurate due to so many privately designed fields, it's estimated there are nearly 1,600 corn mazes in the United States, with the largest located in Dixon, California, measuring at 60 acres in size.Locally, Walker's Tree Farm in Lehighton is an autumn hot spot where visitors can enter the Pumpkin Patch, which includes a corn maze. Sandy Walker and her husband, Lee, have owned the 200-acre farm since 1972, taking over from Lee's grandfather, who began raising evergreen trees on the site in the 1920s."We've had our maze for about 10 years now," Sandy says. "My husband puts a new one up every year. He doesn't work from a drawing or a design. He just gets an idea in his head and cuts out the pathways. It's pretty small compared to others, but the elementary school kids seem to really like it."Sandy explains that her husband plants corn seed in May and before the stalks reach nearly 7 feet tall, he cuts out the maze. Once the fall season ends, he cuts it all down and installs a new one the following spring."It's more than just fun for the kids," she says. "We charge only $3 apiece to go through it, then when we cut it down, we use the corn to feed our animals. We also sell some of the stalks for yard decorations."This year, Walker's corn maze is cut into square-shaped 3-foot-wide pathways that turn at five right angles. It takes only a few minutes to enter and exit the maze, and according to Sandy, no one ever really gets lost."Sometimes, the kids won't follow the paths and they just walk through the corn any which way, but it's still easy to find your way out."Larger mazes can be very difficult to maneuver. There are companies such as Corn Mazes America that utilize satellite signals to design complex mazes, some of which are quite sophisticated. They can include lookout towers in case someone gets lost and panics, he can be sent in the right direction from an employee who watches from above. Other mazes can be custom designed into a logo or a picture. One in Chicago is cut out in the shape of a Blackhawk Indian to commemorate last year's Stanley Cup professional hockey champions. Many mazes also include hidden clues, checkpoints and bridges to offer more challenges as well as entertainment for visitors.Another Lehighton location with a corn maze is the Old Homestead Tree Farm, which sits on a 230-acre tract of land purchased from William Penn in the late 1700s by the Beers family, who eventually transformed an agricultural business into a tree farm.Greg Beers and his brother Glen have been erecting 4-acre corn mazes for the past 15 years."Each year we map out a new maze on a grid sheet," Greg said. "Each block on the sheet represents 6 feet of maze."The first cut out of the cornfield is done with an ordinary mower with periodic mowing necessary to keep the pathways clean and flat.Several hundred people have visited the Old Homestead Farm on an autumn weekend for a variety of activities that include picking pumpkins, riding paddle boats and buying handmade crafts. For three bucks a person, visitors can get a hayride that rumbles over dirt roads and stops for a vast view of the picturesque Blue Mountains. The ticket also buys a walk through the maze. Adults and children can enjoy navigating the maze through "street" names like Black Cat Alley, Scarecrow Circle and Witches Way.Travis Lowe, who operates a tractor ride to the maze, says that children are often better at finding their way through the maze than adults."Just the other day two adults with their kids entered the maze and right behind them were two young kids who were by themselves," says Lowe. "About 15 minutes later, the family comes out through the entrance, but the two little kids managed to travel through the entire maze and find their way out through the exit."Wandering through the high stalks, you can't help but think that your sense of direction may not be very good, but unlike not knowing where you are while driving a car or losing your bearings while hiking in the woods, getting lost in a corn maze can be a fun and enjoyable experience on a brisk October afternoon.Perhaps a woman following her two children between the rows down the pathway exit of the Old Homestead Farm's corn maze describes the experience perfectly,"It's simply a-maze-ing!"