Organizers at Maris Farms in Buckley are making a guarantee to all who visit their corn maze this fall - nobody will leave without finding a quarter as the 2007 theme will feature the Washington state quarter carved into the 8-acre corn maze. Expect plenty of twists and turns through the maze's 10-foot tall cornstalks. The "In Cob We Trust" theme has a double meaning for owner Dale Maris.
"We've had a great run with our corn maze (and pumpkin patch) since starting eight years ago - we've put a lot of trust in corn to help us keep this place going," said Maris, who dairied on the 40-acre location for 15+ years before selling his herd and turning it into a corn maze, pumpkin patch and haunted woods attraction. "We also felt like it would be a great way to honor and celebrate what makes our state great. The state quarter features those things in its design."
The maze sits adjacent to a large pumpkin patch (close to 8 acres), which visitors can take a scenic tractor ride around before being dropped off to find a pumpkin or two or testing their wits in the maze.
Maris Farms will also bring a new production of its now infamous haunted woods, located on about 5 acres near the back of the farm. This venue, in its fifth year, is not for the faint of heart as "around-the-corner" scares await even the bravest of souls. Visitors will stand in line in an old abandoned cow feed barn as they wait their turn to be sent out into an endless maze of trails in a cornfield. The trails will wind through various sets before eventually dumping them into the woods where many gruesome scenes and scary characters will be lurking in the bushes, up in the trees and around the corners.
Guests can also look forward to a couple of new attractions at the farm this season - a 40' x 68' rubberized jumping pillow as well as hourly pig races on the weekends.
The jumping pillow is tough and will not easily damage. It is an "all age" product and equally suitable to all shapes and sizes. It can also be a great opportunity to burn those extra calories you've added from eating roasted corn or tire those kids out before the long drive home.
The pig races will occur each hour, starting at noon and ending at approximately 5 pm. It'll be a three-pig race around a small, circular race track near the goat walk and the races will feature some of the most famous racing pigs in the industry - Arnold Swarsenhogger, Sylvester Staloin and Jean Claude Van Ham to name a few! This will be one of the most exciting and well-watched events at the farm.
And there will be the normal standbys: the pumpkin catapult which launches volley-ball sized pumpkins more than 200 feet toward a trampolene; the kids courtyard, which is an oversized "playground" of sorts featuring a horizontal climbing wall, cow train, roping heads, pedal carts and a bounce house; many come to watch goats navigate their way up and around narrow pathways on the goat walk; kids can also enjoy the corn cannon, trekking through the large, circular rock labyrinth and digging their way around the corn feed jump room.
Plan on enjoying a unique mixture of music with the likes of Guy Live and Miz Mary, country performers Jonathon Harris, Nathan/Chance and the Fabulous FloTones (with KMPS traffic personality Flo); pop performers Mr. Miyagi and Anya Holte (a new up-and-comer pop artist from Enumclaw) are also on the entertainment calendar. Dates and times will be available online soon. Several of the artists will be performing on the Car Toys Shockwave stage.
KMPS will be back at the farm on October 13th and 27th, and STAR 101.5 also plans to do its live remotes at the farm - promoting the haunted woods - on October 6th, 13th and 20th.
Please contact us for information on group trips, or obtain driving directions for a visit to the corn maze, pumpkin patch and/or haunted woods. Please check www.marisfarms.com or call 888-235-5439 for other event dates and times.
We've also included some pumpkin carving tips, hours of operation, rates, and other information on our pumpkin patch page
Maris Farms, in its 12th year of operation, is located in scenic east Pierce County about 3 miles west of Buckley, Washington, at 24713 Sumner-Buckley Highway.
