Adam Prudhomme
Editor
Wynn Farms Apple Orchard’s always-popular corn maze is back for another season, this year taking guests on a safari.
Starting tomorrow and running through Oct. 31, the corn maze and orchard will be open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Hours will get extended later in the season, including the crowd-favourite night corn maze sessions.
Crafted to look like an elephant driving a Jeep, the maze will include stations that offer interesting facts about wildlife, waterfalls and ecosystems while also offering tips to make the world a better place. Guests can collect 10 safari images throughout the maze that will feature stops in Africa, Asia and South America.
“We like to get creative and just make sure it’s different and we’re making fresh and new every year to keep it interesting,” said Sarah Wynn, who owns the family orchard with her husband Jim. “A lot of times our kids’ interests are a part of that.”
Jim and Sarah Wynn drew inspiration from their kids’ interests to create a safari themed corn maze. Submitted photo.
Drawing inspiration from their children, they mapped out a course and got to work cutting their design into the cornfield. It’s a popular misconception that the seeds are strategically planted to create the design.
“We plant it and then we have to go and cut it out,” said Wynn. “Jim and I, we do a lot of maps and a lot of counting and then just go from there. It’s time consuming but it’s always such a joy when we get that aerial photo and the picture’s actually what it’s supposed to look like.”
This year’s design is a littler trickier than previous ones.
“We typically try to aim to get people in and out within the 45 minutes to an hour mark,” said Wynn. “Some people are a little bit longer than that and it depends if its adults going in or adults with young children.”
As always there are emergency exits placed throughout the maze for anyone who wants to get out at any time.
The corn maze is of course just one attraction to the orchard. Pick-your-own apples are also available, with Paul Reds now in season followed shortly by McIntosh. Thanks to some help from Mother Nature, it promises to be a bountiful apple season.
“We are super thankful for the rain we had,” said Wynn. “Usually in the summers we stress quite a bit about a drought and we have for probably the last five or six years. This year we’ve had consistent rains that always helps with the sizing of apples.”
Wynn Farms is located at 8191 Hwy 33 in Greater Napanee. For the latest apple varieties and hours, visit www.wynnfarms.ca.