Get lost

The corn maze at Cobb Ranch lets visitors find their way to fun

By Will Morelli

The cries of a crow echo through the darkness and send a chill down your spine. On this evening, you find yourself in a scene right out of a horror movie: walking alone with an unreliable flashlight in the pitch blackness of an October night, wandering randomly in the hopes that the next turn will get you to safety. In essence, you’ve become everything you’ve come to despise in horror movie characters; the people you yelled at for being complete idiots for breaking off from the group. Behind you, a rustling of the corn stalks captures your attention. It may not be Freddy or Jason, but it doesn’t matter. Suddenly your fears turn to desperation as you begin to think that you may never make it out of this alive. Or at least not without quite a scare.

Those who wish to create a little excitement of their own can head out to Cobb Ranch and enjoy the thrills of the puzzle-like corn maze, now in its seventh year of business.

As in years past, the makers of the maze attempted to choose a significant icon that would appeal to the community, which is why the Fresno Falcons logo and title ‘Save Mart Center’ were picked to become part of the maze’s unique design.

But how exactly does one make a corn maze? According to Darren Schmall, founder of Pizza Farm Agri-tainment, the company that owns and operates the maze, “that’s like asking a magician how he does his tricks.” Hopefully he isn’t implying that the maze was pulled out of a hat. Although his lips were sealed on this particular maze, careful research determines that a grid is usually set up in a corn field, marking the path to be cut down as it grows.

Planted in July, the seven-acre maze’s corn stalks can grow anywhere from 10-12 feet, making it difficult for even the tallest person to peer over the top in an effort to cheat. Schmall estimated the stalks measure about 7 feet right now.

Visitors have been known to say they completed the 2.5-mile stretch of track in 35 minutes at a running pace, but there are still those who have difficulty solving the maze. Some people, according to Schmall, have spent nearly 3.5 hours in the maze determined to finish it on their own.

But there’s no need to fear. If you don’t have the time, you can always look to the heavens for help. Staff members, referred to as cor

n cops, stand on bridges surveying the maze and are more than happy to guide visitors to freedom. The corn cops are also in place to prevent anyone from doing anything too wild, such as scaring younger kids and breaking through the corn. “We give them a warning if they get out of hand. After that, they’re escorted out of the maze,” Shcmall said.

The corn maze, located at Cobb Ranch, off Highway 41, is open every day through Friday from 6-10 p.m. The cost is $6 for kids ages 5-11 and $8 for adults. Children 4 and under are free. The Cobb Ranch corn maze worked in conjunction with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society earlier this month and raised about $64,000 for the organization. Last year the corn maze held a fundraiser day for the American Lung Association.

Students who aren’t afraid to have a little fun can take their minds off the horrors of class and midterms by getting their minds lost in the kind of thrill the corn maze can offer. But, as Schmall notes, “it closes Friday [October 31], so if you haven’t been out, you’ll have to wait until next October.”

For more information, call 439-0606 or go to www.cobbranch.com