BY LAURA GRUHLKE | Arts & Entertainment Reporter
The leaves may soon disappear, but outdoor festivities don’t end with the close of summer.
Engwall’s Florist, Greenhouse and Garden Center and Lundeen Productions have teamed up to put together a corn maze in Hermantown to provide a day of fun for all.
Engwall’s corn maze has been providing the perfect way to spend an autumn afternoon for those of all ages for the past five years.
Tracy Lundeen, co-owner of the Engwall’s corn maze, describes their corn maze as an “urban” maze since they are close to a lot of different locations.
“We are 10 minutes from everywhere: 10 minutes from UMD, 10 minutes from downtown and 10 minutes from Superior,” Lundeen said.
This year at the maze some of the corn has reached heights of over 12 feet.
“We have had a couple of challenging years of growing. This year it’s like the West end of this maze was on steroids,” Lundeen said.
Although not all of the corn is 12 feet, it does make for a cool experience on the West side of the maze.
"It's a pretty cheap price to come and have fun outdoors," Regner said.
Besides the corn maze, Engwall’s supports multiple other attractions, including hayrides, corn cannons, pumpkin bowling and many other games.
The hayride will take you outside the perimeter of the land and give a great view of everything that’s going on. Plus, according to Lundeen, “Everybody enjoys a hayride.”
The corn cannons can be a fun attraction for people of any age.
“It’s a lot of enjoyment, especially if you have kids or even if you’re older shooting the corn cannon,” Billy Regner, an employee at the corn maze, said.
With the corn cannons you are able to shoot an ear of corn about 100 yards.
The cannon is aimed at a cash-for-clunker car donated by Benna Ford. If you hit certain parts of the car, there are a variety of prizes you can win.
Some of the prizes include a free oil change, a $10 gift certificate to Big Daddy’s or Perkins, or you could even win $100 in cash.
Price often plays a major factor in many students’ plans. Engwall’s offers a day of entertainment that definitely won’t break the bank.
For $8 you can venture through the 30-minute corn maze.
“It’s a pretty cheap price to come and have fun outdoors,” Regner said.
Now and every weekend until October 31 Engwall’s corn maze will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
A couple of weekends in October there will be Flashlight Tours where you can bring a flashlight and go through the maze at night until 9 p.m.
Halloween will bring a “Field of Screams” to the corn maze.
“You don’t know what is going to happen, what might hop out in front of you or behind you. Is that a scarecrow or is that maybe a person?” Lundeen said.
Engwall’s corn maze is home to some festivities in a part of town most students may not know about.
“It’s kind of a neat way to get away to a whole different place,” Lundeen said.
More information about Engwall’s can be found on their website at www.engwalls.com.