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| Pirate-themed maze bringing in crowds |
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| Written by Jonathan Partridge / Patterson Irrigator / | |
| Wednesday, 10 October 2007 | |
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“Pirates just seem to be really popular.” — Denise Fantozzi Family member of the Fantozzi Farms Corn Maze & Pumpkin Patch, on this year's maze theme  Elias Funez / Patterson Irrigator Thousands of cornstalks form a giant pirate ship maze at the 12-acre October entertainment hub, and family member Denise Fantozzi said this year’s haunted maze may soon also get some pirate decor. The theme is timely, in light of the mass interest in the “Pirates of the Caribbean” movies and buccaneers in general. “Pirates just seem to be really popular,” Fantozzi said. The annual corn maze, which opened Sept. 29, is set to run through Halloween.  Elias Funez / Patterson Irrigator The Fantozzis also plan to have a special Halloween maze for the first time this year, a simple decorated maze that trick-or-treaters can go through to receive candy. New hours are another change. The maze is open to the public from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday. In the past, folks had to get reservations to come during those hours. “We’d like to attract more people during the daytime,” Fantozzi said. The premise of the maze is simple — giant cornstalks surround maze-goers as they try to find their way out. Along the way, folks get special cards punched at a series of checkpoints, which let them know they’re going in the right direction. Usually, it takes about 1½ hours to go through the maze and go through all 12 checkpoints, Fantozzi said. The fastest anyone has gone through the maze and gotten through the checkpoints this year is in about 45 minutes, Fantozzi said. A couple of boys, ages 10 and 13, literally ran through the maze to get that time.  Elias Funez / Patterson Irrigator “I was pretty amazed,” she said of their time. Field trips continue to be a big draw during weekdays. More than 1,500 schoolchildren are slated to come to the maze with their classes this year. In addition to walking through a small corn maze, children can learn about the different parts of a corn stalk at a new educational pavilion and watch a video about how the maze was created. Idaho-based Maze Play designed the pirate ship-shaped maze, which has 4.8 miles worth of trails. Workers used a tractor with a global positioning system to carve it out. Fantozzi said corn mazes have become quite popular throughout the country, though they have only been around about 15 years. The Patterson maze gets several attendees each year who travel to different mazes, and Fantozzi said each maze is different. Travelers on Interstate 5 frequently stop by to have a look, said Debbie Byram, who works part-time at the who works part-time at the Fantozzis’ Sperry Avenue attraction each year. Still, the bulk of patrons continue to be local.  Elias Funez / Patterson Irrigator The ghoulish haunted maze, open on Friday and Saturday nights, continues to be one of the Fantozzis’ biggest draws. Volunteers, mostly from Patterson’s FFA and 4-H programs, dress up in creepy costumes and approach visitors as they try to navigate the labyrinth. Dalton McNeely, who is spooking attendees for the fourth year in a row, said he loves the task. “You get to hang out with friends and scare people,” he said. His typical scare tactics include standing in the middle of a row of cornstalks and acting “like a dummy.” The Fantozzis also offer hayrides during field trips and on weekends, and they have a hay bale pyramid, a sandbox filled with corn seed and a small hay bale maze for younger children. Attendees also can buy pumpkins, which are grown in a patch behind the maze. It’s a lot of work, but everyone involved seems to have a good time. “It keeps us pretty busy in October, but it’s a lot of fun,” Fantozzi said. At a glance
To reach Jonathan Partridge at the Irrigator, call 892-6187 or e-mail him at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
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