If you’re looking to get into the maze craze
this fall, we have great news — Springfield will host its very own
10-acre corn creation. If that’s not enough, it’s even cut into
the shape of Abraham Lincoln’s face to tie in the capital
city’s Bicentennial celebration.
Eric Hansen, pastor of the iWorshipCenter, came up
with the idea last year after his church moved from a lot across from
Memorial Medical Center to a 30-acre plot on Shaler Road. Since their
actual building only sits on two acres he thought a corn maze would be a
good use of the extra land and direct more traffic to the area. And
he’s thinking it’ll work — he’s heard that close to
30,000 people could check out the maze.
So why Abe?
“We could have put a cross and a dove, or the
face of Jesus or something,” Hansen says, “but that
wouldn’t have the appeal that Abraham Lincoln does. So why not play
to the native son?”
Hansen stresses that this is a community event and
hopes that other Springfield groups will get involved. There’s more
than just a maze, too — the church has been busy planning a whole
range of “corny” events to present a full-fledged fall
festival staged from noon to 6 p.m. every Saturday in October.
On Oct. 4, families will find pony rides, carnival
games, an inflatable obstacle course/slide, a sumo suit tournament, and
more at the Family Fun CORNival. Moms and pops can visit “Crafts and
CORNvertibles,” a craft and specialty car show on Oct. 11. This is
also designated as Ethnic Day, which will feature multiple cultural
performances. Chefs and meat-lovers alike will get a kick outta
“Chili CORN Carne,” a chili and BBQ cook-off on Oct. 18. The
public picks its favorites and competes in hot-dog eating contests. An
“AmeriCORN Idol” contest will close the festival on Oct. 25.
Abe’s Corn Maze opens the first weekend in
October. Visit from 10 a.m.-dusk on Saturdays and 2 p.m.-dusk on Sundays.
Admission costs $5 for adults and $3 for children ages 6-12. Organizers say
it takes nearly an hour-and-a-half to navigate the entire maze, but
there’s a shortcut for those who want to finish sooner. For more
information, go to www.abescornmaze.org or call 217-522-5632.
Other Illinois fun, family fall festivals include:
Morton Pumpkin Festival, Morton (Sept. 10-13)
Morton’s known for it’s
pumpkin-chuckin,’ but there’s a heckuva lot more to the central
Illinois town’s 42nd annual Pumpkin Festival. Just 50 minutes from
Springfield, the party caters to everyone — a soapbox derby, a
big-wheel race, and a “Superhero Pumpkins” parade for the kids;
disc golf, tennis tournaments, and foot races for local athletes; and
cookery contests (with pumpkin as the main ingredient, of course) for the
creative types — plus tons more. Oh, and come hungry, you don’t
want to miss out on pumpkin chili, pumpkin pancakes, or pumpkin fudge. For
additional information, call 888-765-6588 or visit www.pumpkincapital.com.
Fall Corn Festival, Godfrey (Oct. 4)
When you’re ready to get your mouth around a
crunchy ear of corn, head west to Godfrey’s Fall Corn Festival (near
Alton). Eat it, shuck it, cook it, make dolls out of it, and even wander
around in it in the “A-maze-ing Safari,” a seven-acre corn maze
cut into wild safari animal shapes. If you want to see corn-art at its
finest, take a helicopter ride over the maze, or — if you’d
rather stay on the ground — visit the festival’s many craft and
food vendors. Call 618-466-1483 for other festival information or visit
www.greatgodreymaze.com for additional maze hours.
Didier Farms Pumpkinfest, Prairie View (Sept. 20-Oct.
31)
If you’re up near Chicago and need a
traditional autumn festival fix, stop by Didier Farms. At the annual
Pumpkinfest, hop on a hayride and head out to the pumpkin patch. Sample
fresh pumpkin and apple cider donuts at the Pumpkin Patch Café, and
let your kids go wild in the petting zoo, corn maze, and mechanical rides
and activities area. Don’t forget to check out other such fall
produce as winter squash, Indian corn, apples, and gourds at the Farmstand.
For more information, visit www.didierfarms.com or
call 847-634-3291.
This article appears in Aug 21-27, 2008.
